After the last few days with the skin diseases and purifications, a funny thought struck me for some of the earlier readings this week in Leviticus. God is the creator of all things, including fat-free diets :-)
He is an awesome God!
Have a great Friday everyone!
Friday, February 25, 2011
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Tabernacle and offerings
As I have been reading the specifications of the building of the Tabernacle and now reading about the regulations for the offerings in Exodus and Leviticus, I have wondered why such precise instructions were given. I'm sure that God had a reason behind His directness. I am thinking that He knew His people's hearts and knew that they needed it spelled out (just like I do sometimes). What do you all think?
Monday, February 14, 2011
More than enough
In the Feb 13 reading of Exodus, Moses stopped taking donations for the tabernacle once the church had enough to do the work The Lord set out for them. From the ESV:
6So Moses gave command, and word was proclaimed throughout the camp, "Let no man or woman do anything more for the contribution for the sanctuary." So the people were restrained from bringing, 7for the material they had was sufficient to do all the work, and more.
Amazing!
1. In the earlier verses, there is no tithe or amount of giving required, the offerings were made by "everyone who was willing and whose heart moved him." It's pretty incredible that without even being really asked or reminded, the people give so abundantly that there is more than enough to get this huge feat accomplished for The Lord! As Piper encouraged us in Desiring God, that is how our giving should be. From the heart, without obligation, abundant.
2. Moses instructs the people to stop giving, in spite of what that could have meant for him or the tabernacle. Why not let them continue to give? He or the church would have multiplied their wealth in the receipt of additional gold, silver, precious stones, fine fabrics.
I believe he was building the tabernacle to follow God's commands only and not about to turn this Christian operation into a secular one! He also evidently had faith, as we should, that God will provide for His work to be done. If this task was the extent to which he knew God's plans, he would not collect beyond what was needed for those plans.
Are we, in our churches and personal lives, ceasing collection once we have enough or more than enough to do God's work? That's the only thing we are here for after all!
PS- If anyone is behind on the daily reading, I encourage them to play catch up in this way so we can all stay in sync- I'm still doing the daily reading for the current date, but I have a bookmark if I miss a day to go back and read it. This is helping me not give up when I get behind also :)
6So Moses gave command, and word was proclaimed throughout the camp, "Let no man or woman do anything more for the contribution for the sanctuary." So the people were restrained from bringing, 7for the material they had was sufficient to do all the work, and more.
Amazing!
1. In the earlier verses, there is no tithe or amount of giving required, the offerings were made by "everyone who was willing and whose heart moved him." It's pretty incredible that without even being really asked or reminded, the people give so abundantly that there is more than enough to get this huge feat accomplished for The Lord! As Piper encouraged us in Desiring God, that is how our giving should be. From the heart, without obligation, abundant.
2. Moses instructs the people to stop giving, in spite of what that could have meant for him or the tabernacle. Why not let them continue to give? He or the church would have multiplied their wealth in the receipt of additional gold, silver, precious stones, fine fabrics.
I believe he was building the tabernacle to follow God's commands only and not about to turn this Christian operation into a secular one! He also evidently had faith, as we should, that God will provide for His work to be done. If this task was the extent to which he knew God's plans, he would not collect beyond what was needed for those plans.
Are we, in our churches and personal lives, ceasing collection once we have enough or more than enough to do God's work? That's the only thing we are here for after all!
PS- If anyone is behind on the daily reading, I encourage them to play catch up in this way so we can all stay in sync- I'm still doing the daily reading for the current date, but I have a bookmark if I miss a day to go back and read it. This is helping me not give up when I get behind also :)
Monday, February 7, 2011
Encouragement
I just wanted to send out some encouragement to everyone. It is hard to keep up with our good intentions from the first day of an activity, whatever it is. It is hard to stick with reading the bible everyday, doing all parts of our bible studies, sometimes even just getting out of bed in the morning. I know we can do it, though. God will help us through.
I was walking through my kitchen and a favorite "life reminder" someone gave me is a picture of a dragon using a lance as his toothpick. It says, "No matter how hard you fight, no matter how right you are . . . sometimes the dragon wins." I realized while that may be true and a good reminder that life won't always go the way I want it to, God will always triumph over all things and that is comforting.
Have a great day everyone!
"You have turned my mourning into joyful dancing. You have taken away my clothes of mourning and clothed me with joy, that I might sing praises to you and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give you thanks forever!" Psalm 30:11-12
I was walking through my kitchen and a favorite "life reminder" someone gave me is a picture of a dragon using a lance as his toothpick. It says, "No matter how hard you fight, no matter how right you are . . . sometimes the dragon wins." I realized while that may be true and a good reminder that life won't always go the way I want it to, God will always triumph over all things and that is comforting.
Have a great day everyone!
"You have turned my mourning into joyful dancing. You have taken away my clothes of mourning and clothed me with joy, that I might sing praises to you and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give you thanks forever!" Psalm 30:11-12
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