Day 30 or January 30. Bring gifts, but start with yourself.
Our thoughts today are rooted in Exodus chapter 35 verse 21.
Everyone who was willing and whose heart moved them came and brought an offering to the Lord
for the work on the tent of meeting, for all its service, and for the sacred garments.
Now the big picture surrounding this verse. The raising of the necessary funding for the
tabernacle project was a great success. In fact, they raised more than they needed. Chapter
36 verse 7 tells us. Now that's unusual and worthy of comment. They successfully made
the massive curtains just as God has previously instructed, as well as the boarding and veils.
The curtains were simply enormous and beautifully decorated with elaborate embroidery. Each
curtain was as long as seven men lying head to toe, and two men wide. And there were ten
curtains to be stitched together. They also made even larger curtains of goats' hair
to cover and protect them. Other major items, including the Ark of the Covenant and the
golden lampstand, were lovingly and beautifully made, too.
And now our action step for today. When God's people share the same vision, which he has
raised in their hearts and minds, funding is rarely a problem. It is significant that
the funding for the tabernacle came from people who were willing, presumably after giving
the project some thought. There were also people whose hearts had been moved, which
implies some degree of emotion. The order is important. The norm is that we need to
coolly think things through first, and then, as we respond personally, our emotions are
involved. Too often the order is reversed, and we respond with our emotions rather than
our mind. There is plenty of room for emotion as we seek God's will in our lives, but
when that emotion deteriorates into emotionalism, we are heading for frustration, disappointment,
and more importantly, we are in danger of meandering away from what God has for us.
Think and enjoy.