Exodus 35:1-35


The time had come to build the tabernacle that God had designed and told Moses about.  This would take the cooperation of the entire nation.  There have been very few moments along the way where the children of Israel shine forth, but this was one of them.  When God has a job that needs to be accomplished, He moves in the lives of His people and accomplishes that task through them.  God continues to work in the same way today in our lives to accomplish the tasks to which He has called us.
GOD WORKS IN HIS PEOPLE THROUGH GENEROSITY: The building of the tabernacle would require many contributions from the children of Israel.  The passage makes it very clear that these were voluntary offerings and that they people would give according to the desire of their hearts.  God moved in their hearts and they responded by bringing all the things that were needed.  We must always realize that all of our possessions come to us from God and that they belong to Him.  When we contribute from those things, it is a blessing for us to be able to participate in that which God is doing.  We should give with gladness in our hearts and not out of a sense of obligation of grudgingly.  Today God is doing a work of spreading the fame of Christ to the nations of the world.  He has given us the honor of participating in that work and we should do so with great gladness in our hearts.
GOD WORDS IN HIS PEOPLE THROUGH CAPABILITY: God also equipped the people to do the work that was necessary for the building of the tabernacle.  There was a wide variety of tasks that needed to be accomplished.  The cooperation of all the different skills was essential in completing the task that God had given.  God does not call us to do something without giving us the necessary skills to make it happen.  The task of reaching the world with the Gospel is a huge one, but God has equipped the church with every gift that is necessary to see that work done.  It is up to us to be faithful to use those gifts for His purposes and not for our own.  Unfortunately, we are often tempted to use God’s gifts for our own promotion instead of using them for the glory of God and the expansion of His kingdom.  We must be thankful for the gifts He has given us and then be faithful to use them for His intended purpose.

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