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Day 30 or January 30. Bring gifts, but start with yourself.

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Our thoughts today are rooted in Exodus chapter 35 verse 21.

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Everyone who was willing and whose heart moved them came and brought an offering to the Lord

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for the work on the tent of meeting, for all its service, and for the sacred garments.

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Now the big picture surrounding this verse. The raising of the necessary funding for the

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tabernacle project was a great success. In fact, they raised more than they needed. Chapter

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36 verse 7 tells us. Now that's unusual and worthy of comment. They successfully made

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the massive curtains just as God has previously instructed, as well as the boarding and veils.

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The curtains were simply enormous and beautifully decorated with elaborate embroidery. Each

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curtain was as long as seven men lying head to toe, and two men wide. And there were ten

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curtains to be stitched together. They also made even larger curtains of goats' hair

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to cover and protect them. Other major items, including the Ark of the Covenant and the

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golden lampstand, were lovingly and beautifully made, too.

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And now our action step for today. When God's people share the same vision, which he has

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raised in their hearts and minds, funding is rarely a problem. It is significant that

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the funding for the tabernacle came from people who were willing, presumably after giving

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the project some thought. There were also people whose hearts had been moved, which

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implies some degree of emotion. The order is important. The norm is that we need to

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coolly think things through first, and then, as we respond personally, our emotions are

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involved. Too often the order is reversed, and we respond with our emotions rather than

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our mind. There is plenty of room for emotion as we seek God's will in our lives, but

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when that emotion deteriorates into emotionalism, we are heading for frustration, disappointment,

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and more importantly, we are in danger of meandering away from what God has for us.

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Think and enjoy.