February 12, 2012
Memory verses:
2 Tim 3:16 “All Scripture is God-breathed…”
Romans 8:28 “And we know that in all things...”
2 Peter 1:3 His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.
Reflections on Genesis through Numbers?
Passage: Numbers 11
Key verses:
Numbers 11:4 NIV The rabble with them began to crave other food (NKJV : yielded to intense craving), and again the Israelites started wailing and said, "If only we had meat to eat!”
Numbers 11:34 NIV Therefore the place was named Kibroth Hattaavah, because there they buried the people who had craved other food (yielded to intense craving)
Graves of Greediness
“Kibroth Hattaavah” means “Graves of Greediness” or “Graves of Craving” Make no mistake, yielding to intense craving will prove harmful to you. I’m experiencing the fruit of that now; as I get older my body is finding it more and more difficult to deal with the extra weight that comes from yielding to cravings and consuming more than I need.
I’m convinced it’s no coincidence that the first prohibitive or restrictive commandment in the Bible involved food: “Do not eat of the tree in the midst of the garden” Then the fall from grace happened, involving yielding to an intense craving for something beyond what had been given:
Genesis 3:6 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.
I also think it’s no coincidence that some of laws that mark Israel most clearly involve laws pertaining to food… what Israel is and is not allowed to eat. Now of course, we know that Jesus “declared all food ‘clean’.”
Mark 7:19 For it doesn't go into his heart but into his stomach, and then out of his body." (In saying this, Jesus declared all foods "clean.”)
But recall that Paul tempers this truth with this saying:
1 Corinthians 10:23 "Everything is permissible"-- but not everything is beneficial. "Everything is permissible"-- but not everything is constructive.
This restraint is necessary to us, because there is something in our natural selves that says “get everything you can!” and “do what feels good to you!” This is the pattern of this world, and Paul says:
Romans 12:2a Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.
The pattern of the world includes saying like this one: “Do what seems right to you” But this is foolishness: we don’t follow what seems right to us, because God has given us direction on what IS right!
Proverbs 14:12 There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.
Here’s another popular saying from the world: “Follow your heart!” NO! No No No! DON’T follow your heart! Later in Numbers God says following your heart is like prostitution!
Numbers 15:39 You will have these tassels to look at and so you will remember all the commands of the LORD, that you may obey them and not prostitute yourselves by going after the lusts of your own hearts and eyes (NASB not follow after your own heart and your own eyes)
Following after our hearts and eyes is like prostitution because it’s selling ourselves to a false god, selling ourselves short to something that only provides temporary satisfaction, and in doing so, we bring harm to ourselves that far outstrips any pleasure we might have received.
So where does that leave us? Do we just commit to avoiding those things we crave and call that “dying to self”? Is that it?
Well, I don’t know about you, but I don’t find that very helpful. I personally don’t find it very helpful to only apply natural restrictions, with various fastings thrown in to make me feel like I’m being spiritual. Paul seems to say this too:
Colossians 2:23 Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence.
Yep, quite true; just following regulations in the flesh have done nothing to restrain my heart’s cravings.
So what are we to do? Let’s take a step back to that first half of Romans 12:2. I believe we can bear hearing it again:
Romans 12:2a Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.
We must understand first that the craving is not a physical problem, though it may feel like it. What you crave may feel like a biological need, but I assure you, what you NEED God has given you, and your biological need is less than what you may feel… and far less than what the world will tell you. When we look beyond what He has given, it is not because our body needs more, it’s because our hearts, our minds have entered the realm of greedy craving, and it’s a short step from there to sinning in the flesh.
“What Is It?”
We need our minds renewed with the truth, and this truth is found in Scripture… “useful for training in righteousness” right? The truth is, when something in us, something we might call a “spirit of poverty,” when this voice tells us that that we don’t have enough, that we don’t have what we need, that voice is LYING. God’s Word is true, and the true “spirit of prophecy” spoke through David when he sang about God’s provision in Psalm 23: Adonai Roi, Lo Eksar. We can embrace this truth, too. We see it again in our newest memory verse:
2 Peter 1:3 His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.
God’s power has given us everything we need… When we read through Numbers and see how God provided for Israel in the wilderness, we find story after story of how the people became dissatisfied with what God had given them. I chose this particular story, where the people were specifically rejecting God’s provision of manna, because it points to what we’ve been given today, and how, if we’re not careful, we can fall into our own “Graves of Greediness” if we reject what we’ve been given.
And here’s what we have been given: “What is it?” What? Exactly. “What is it?” That’s what we’ve been given. Huh? Exactly!
Just like Israel in the desert, MANNA is what we’ve been given, and “Manna” means, literally, “What is it?” That’s what the people said when they saw this “bread from heaven”
Exodus 16:15 When the Israelites saw it, they said to each other, "What is it?" For they did not know what it was. Moses said to them, "It is the bread the LORD has given you to eat.
Exodus 16:31 The people of Israel called the bread manna. It was white like coriander seed and tasted like wafers made with honey.
Numbers 11:7-8 The manna was like coriander seed and looked like resin. The people went around gathering it, and then ground it in a handmill or crushed it in a mortar. They cooked it in a pot or made it into cakes. And it tasted like something made with olive oil.
It might be an interesting study to consider these qualities and how they reflect the true bread that came from heaven. And who is that? Sure, Jesus. Jesus spoke of the manna in the desert, and then He pointed to Himself as the true bread from heaven:
John 6:31 Our forefathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written: 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'" 32 Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world." 34 "Sir," they said, "from now on give us this bread." 35 Then Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.
He is the true manna, the true bread from heaven, and HE IS ENOUGH. He says that if we come to Him, if we believe in Him, if we partake of the food and drink He gives … then we won’t “go hungry” that is, we won’t be in bondage to these cravings.
Yet here we are, all of us believers, and still, for so many of us, there is this little Mick Jagger voice in our hearts, crying out: “I can’t get no satisfaction!” This is especially funny because there’s another Rolling Stones song that answers this for us: “You can’t always get what you want… But if you try sometimes you might find you get what you need”
We really do get what we need, and we can choose to look at that instead… We can declare the truth of what God has given us, in the spirit and in the natural… Consider what He has provided, and respond not with the greediness that leads to the grave, but instead with gratitude, the overflow of a content heart.
Great Gain
Here’s the truth: God has given us everything we need. Our response to that determines how we will experience life: are we going to settle for the “Graves of Greediness” or shall we instead press through to something the Scripture calls “Great Gain”? Do you need a little time to decide? “Graves of Greediness”… or… “Great Gain”? Which do you want? “Great Gain?” Good choice. Here’s how we get there:
1 Tim 6:6 “Godliness with contentment is Great Gain”
The Greek text uses the word “Mega” here…being content with godliness brings “Mega-means of provision.” Note also that it’s not just provision, but means of provision for yourself into the future… overflowing provision, an unfailing and abundant source of provision.
In John 7:38, Jesus promised something to those who believed in Him. He promised something to those who came and drank from Him, that is, those who consumed what He was offering and let Him provide nourishment for their souls. Did He say, “whoever believes in Me will be like a dried up river bed, parched and miserable?” NO! This is what He said:
John 7:38 “Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him."
Attitude of Gratitude
One proof of this overflow is an “attitude of gratitude.” When we know who we are, and “whose” we are, when we stand in the truth of what He’s done and what He’s provided, we overflow with gratitude. Paul speaks about this in Colossians 2:
Colossians 2:6 -10 6So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, 7 rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.
He goes on to say…
8 See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ. 9 For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, 10 and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority.
Did you see that? You have been given FULLNESS in Christ… HAVE BEEN given, not WILL BE given. How about that? Is that not something to celebrate? Therefore, let us not be taken captive to the world’s pattern, which was found in the “rabble” of Israel, who yielded to intense cravings for food other than what God had given. Instead, let’s offer sacrifices that are pleasing to God, a soothing aroma… sacrifices of praise (Heb 13) and the sacrifices of shouts of joy (Ps 27) Let’s enjoy the spiritual fruits of joy and peace… by His Spirit we overcome the spirit of poverty and greediness. We can truly be satisfied with spiritual fruit, and we can truly walk in godliness with contentment, which is great gain.
We can walk this way, and we’re going to practice it right now! We’re going to close with songs of praise to our Lord, proclaiming His goodness and declaring that He really is Enough. May this truly be your declaration today!
Songs, Closing Prayer (for breaking spirit of poverty), Benediction
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Saturday, February 11, 2012
Show Me Your Glory!
Today’s key verse: Exodus 40:34 Then the cloud covered the Tent of Meeting, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.
Context:
“Then” follows a long section, going back to Exodus 34 describing the building of the tabernacle, a big tent for the glory, the presence of God in the midst of His people. One part I love in this section is 36:1-7…
Exodus 36:1 So Bezalel, Oholiab and every skilled person to whom the LORD has given skill and ability to know how to carry out all the work of constructing the sanctuary are to do the work just as the LORD has commanded." 2 Then Moses summoned Bezalel and Oholiab and every skilled person to whom the LORD had given ability and who was willing to come and do the work. 3 They received from Moses all the offerings the Israelites had brought to carry out the work of constructing the sanctuary. And the people continued to bring freewill offerings morning after morning. 4 So all the skilled craftsmen who were doing all the work on the sanctuary left their work 5 and said to Moses, "The people are bringing more than enough for doing the work the LORD commanded to be done." 6 Then Moses gave an order and they sent this word throughout the camp: "No man or woman is to make anything else as an offering for the sanctuary." And so the people were restrained from bringing more, 7 because what they already had was more than enough to do all the work.
Can you imagine a church sending out a letter saying, “PLEASE don’t send us anything, we have more than enough and in fact, it’s way too much”…? Right…
We learn in these chapters that God provided a PLAN for the tabernacle, and then He provided the SKILLS and the MATERIALS for building that tabernacle. All that was left was for the people to obey, and once they did, we see this here in verse 34 of the final chapter of Exodus:
“Then the cloud covered the Tent of Meeting, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.”
The glory of the LORD… what must that have been like? KIVOD means “weightiness” or “value”… but practically speaking, what does that mean? We know from the next couple of verses that Moses was unable to enter the Tent of Meeting because of this glory… This “glory” must be something tangible, or at least perceivable, with human senses. It had an appearance…
Exodus 24:16-17 and the glory of the LORD settled on Mount Sinai. For six days the cloud covered the mountain, and on the seventh day the LORD called to Moses from within the cloud. To the Israelites the glory of the LORD looked like a consuming fire on top of the mountain
A little time after the glory appeared on Mount Sinai, Moses actually asked to see God’s glory…
Exodus 33:18-19 Then Moses said, “Now show me Your glory”
Why would Moses ask God to show him His glory? Here was a man who knew God better than anyone, and was still not satisfied… he wanted more, he wanted to know God even more, to see even more of Him. He was a God junkie! Oh that we would be like that! This is the kind of heart God is seeking… and He responds to Moses’ request… what does He do? First, He tells Moses that He’s going to show him His goodness, His compassion, and His sovereignty over that goodness and compassion…
Exodus 33:19 And the LORD said, "I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the LORD, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.
So He promises Moses that He will do it, then, after Moses has followed the Lord’s commands, the Lord does what He promised:
Exodus 34:5 Then the LORD came down in the cloud and stood there with him and proclaimed his name, the LORD. 6 And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, "The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, 7 maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation."
Here’s the point I’m getting to here: Moses cried out to know God more, and God responded with greater revelation of Himself. Moses sought God, God responded. Simple. God is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
Hebrews 11:6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
Do you believe? Do you believe that He exists? Do you believe that he rewards you if you earnestly seek Him? If you believe that, then are you earnestly seeking Him? Not just casually throwing your requests His way, maybe He’ll answer, maybe not… but earnestly seeking Him, in Spirit and in Truth?
You see, the faith of Moses, and of Abraham, of David, of all the “friends of God” that we know about in the Bible… this faith goes beyond asking Him for this or that, or trusting Him for healing for ourselves or others… I believe we can and ought to ask Him for these things, but I also believe that we have an opportunity to walk even more closely with Him, in His very glory, when we really grasp that He’s given us everything we need to do His will, and then, embracing that provision, we start walking in confident obedience to His calling.
We have everything we need to do His will. We really do.
Last night, writing this sermon, I kept feeling like I didn’t have enough time, and I was bemoaning the fact that I hadn’t spent the time earlier in the week, then recalling that I was booked solid all week long, and felt like I just didn’t have the time I needed to do this… but that’s really not true. The time I had last night was plenty (I’m writing this by faith!) and the other need I was worrying about, the need for rest, was also taken care of… I got plenty of rest, too, and I awakened refreshed and at peace, everything in order, no gaps… full of confidence, not in myself or in this little sermon, but in God… I know He’s given me everything I need to do His will, and I must… WE must… not give in to the lie that says we don’t have enough.
He’s given us everything we need. There’s a freedom and a peace and a rest that comes when we walk in that truth, when we’re not constantly looking at our needs and wondering how God is going to meet them, going from drama to drama like we talked about last week… No, I believe we can walk in the peace and freedom that David expressed in the 23rd Psalm: Adonai roi lo eksar … say that a few times, let it become a part of your heart, and your mind. It means this: The LORD is my shepherd, I do not lack.
You might say, “Oh but I have real needs, real lack!” Sure, I know that. But do you have what you need to live a Godly life? If you think about it, you’ll realize you do. I KNOW that you do because I know His Word is true, and His Word says this:
2 Peter 1:3 His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. (NEW MEMORY VERSE!)
Do you see that? HIS power is available to us, we have EVERYTHING we need, and what we need comes through our KNOWLEDGE… of whom? Of God Himself, and He has CALLED each of us, and just as He showed Moses, it’s by His GLORY which is connected with His GOODNESS.
We have everything we need.
Here’s another:
Romans 8:32 He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all-- how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?
Let’s not forget Matt 6:25-31 (have someone read)
And one more:
Matthew 7:11 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!
And on and on… We have enough. We have everything we need. The question is, will we now obey?
Let’s go back to Exodus 39 and 40…
Remember, He provided more than enough skill and material for the tabernacle, and those who had the skill did everything, “just as the LORD commanded.” You’ll find that statement over and over throughout chapters 39 and 40…
Ex 39-40: “Just as the LORD had commanded”… 39:1,5,7,21,26,29,31,43, 40:19,21,23,25,27,29,32
Then in 39:43, Moses gives the kind of blessing that I think is the only GOOD sort of human approval that we can hope for:
Exodus 39:43 Moses inspected the work and saw that they had done it just as the LORD had commanded. So Moses blessed them.
Moses blessed them for obedience! Oh that we would all be so obedient, and so blessed! That we also might hear those words: “Well done, good and faithful servant!”
He’s given us everything we need to accomplish this, to do His will… All that is left for us to do, if we want to live in light of His glory, is to obey, as good and faithful servants, to walk in obedience to God’s plan with God’s provision (whether skills or material goods or both).
So my question for you to consider, right now and during this coming week, is this: what has He commanded you? What plans is He stirring in your heart? If His plan for you isn’t very clear, maybe you can consider this: what gifts has He given you? What talents, what material gifts has He given you? He stirred the hearts of the people to give abundantly to the work of the Tabernacle… I believe He can stir your heart as well.
Let’s spend some time in listening prayer, and I encourage you to listen for that stirring. What gift do you have? What skill? What idea? What plan? Listen, and if you hear something or remember something or see something, WRITE IT DOWN, however weird or even boring it may sound.
Listening Prayer
Did you hear anything? If not, don’t lose heart; keep asking Him, keep listening. If you did hear something, be sure you write it down, and remind yourself. Share it with your family here, too… maybe today after service, maybe during testimony time next week… If we share these visions, we can help each other walk in them, and we can experience His glory together, and indeed glorify Him together.
Let us pray…
Context:
“Then” follows a long section, going back to Exodus 34 describing the building of the tabernacle, a big tent for the glory, the presence of God in the midst of His people. One part I love in this section is 36:1-7…
Exodus 36:1 So Bezalel, Oholiab and every skilled person to whom the LORD has given skill and ability to know how to carry out all the work of constructing the sanctuary are to do the work just as the LORD has commanded." 2 Then Moses summoned Bezalel and Oholiab and every skilled person to whom the LORD had given ability and who was willing to come and do the work. 3 They received from Moses all the offerings the Israelites had brought to carry out the work of constructing the sanctuary. And the people continued to bring freewill offerings morning after morning. 4 So all the skilled craftsmen who were doing all the work on the sanctuary left their work 5 and said to Moses, "The people are bringing more than enough for doing the work the LORD commanded to be done." 6 Then Moses gave an order and they sent this word throughout the camp: "No man or woman is to make anything else as an offering for the sanctuary." And so the people were restrained from bringing more, 7 because what they already had was more than enough to do all the work.
Can you imagine a church sending out a letter saying, “PLEASE don’t send us anything, we have more than enough and in fact, it’s way too much”…? Right…
We learn in these chapters that God provided a PLAN for the tabernacle, and then He provided the SKILLS and the MATERIALS for building that tabernacle. All that was left was for the people to obey, and once they did, we see this here in verse 34 of the final chapter of Exodus:
“Then the cloud covered the Tent of Meeting, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.”
The glory of the LORD… what must that have been like? KIVOD means “weightiness” or “value”… but practically speaking, what does that mean? We know from the next couple of verses that Moses was unable to enter the Tent of Meeting because of this glory… This “glory” must be something tangible, or at least perceivable, with human senses. It had an appearance…
Exodus 24:16-17 and the glory of the LORD settled on Mount Sinai. For six days the cloud covered the mountain, and on the seventh day the LORD called to Moses from within the cloud. To the Israelites the glory of the LORD looked like a consuming fire on top of the mountain
A little time after the glory appeared on Mount Sinai, Moses actually asked to see God’s glory…
Exodus 33:18-19 Then Moses said, “Now show me Your glory”
Why would Moses ask God to show him His glory? Here was a man who knew God better than anyone, and was still not satisfied… he wanted more, he wanted to know God even more, to see even more of Him. He was a God junkie! Oh that we would be like that! This is the kind of heart God is seeking… and He responds to Moses’ request… what does He do? First, He tells Moses that He’s going to show him His goodness, His compassion, and His sovereignty over that goodness and compassion…
Exodus 33:19 And the LORD said, "I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the LORD, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.
So He promises Moses that He will do it, then, after Moses has followed the Lord’s commands, the Lord does what He promised:
Exodus 34:5 Then the LORD came down in the cloud and stood there with him and proclaimed his name, the LORD. 6 And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, "The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, 7 maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation."
Here’s the point I’m getting to here: Moses cried out to know God more, and God responded with greater revelation of Himself. Moses sought God, God responded. Simple. God is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
Hebrews 11:6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
Do you believe? Do you believe that He exists? Do you believe that he rewards you if you earnestly seek Him? If you believe that, then are you earnestly seeking Him? Not just casually throwing your requests His way, maybe He’ll answer, maybe not… but earnestly seeking Him, in Spirit and in Truth?
You see, the faith of Moses, and of Abraham, of David, of all the “friends of God” that we know about in the Bible… this faith goes beyond asking Him for this or that, or trusting Him for healing for ourselves or others… I believe we can and ought to ask Him for these things, but I also believe that we have an opportunity to walk even more closely with Him, in His very glory, when we really grasp that He’s given us everything we need to do His will, and then, embracing that provision, we start walking in confident obedience to His calling.
We have everything we need to do His will. We really do.
Last night, writing this sermon, I kept feeling like I didn’t have enough time, and I was bemoaning the fact that I hadn’t spent the time earlier in the week, then recalling that I was booked solid all week long, and felt like I just didn’t have the time I needed to do this… but that’s really not true. The time I had last night was plenty (I’m writing this by faith!) and the other need I was worrying about, the need for rest, was also taken care of… I got plenty of rest, too, and I awakened refreshed and at peace, everything in order, no gaps… full of confidence, not in myself or in this little sermon, but in God… I know He’s given me everything I need to do His will, and I must… WE must… not give in to the lie that says we don’t have enough.
He’s given us everything we need. There’s a freedom and a peace and a rest that comes when we walk in that truth, when we’re not constantly looking at our needs and wondering how God is going to meet them, going from drama to drama like we talked about last week… No, I believe we can walk in the peace and freedom that David expressed in the 23rd Psalm: Adonai roi lo eksar … say that a few times, let it become a part of your heart, and your mind. It means this: The LORD is my shepherd, I do not lack.
You might say, “Oh but I have real needs, real lack!” Sure, I know that. But do you have what you need to live a Godly life? If you think about it, you’ll realize you do. I KNOW that you do because I know His Word is true, and His Word says this:
2 Peter 1:3 His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. (NEW MEMORY VERSE!)
Do you see that? HIS power is available to us, we have EVERYTHING we need, and what we need comes through our KNOWLEDGE… of whom? Of God Himself, and He has CALLED each of us, and just as He showed Moses, it’s by His GLORY which is connected with His GOODNESS.
We have everything we need.
Here’s another:
Romans 8:32 He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all-- how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?
Let’s not forget Matt 6:25-31 (have someone read)
And one more:
Matthew 7:11 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!
And on and on… We have enough. We have everything we need. The question is, will we now obey?
Let’s go back to Exodus 39 and 40…
Remember, He provided more than enough skill and material for the tabernacle, and those who had the skill did everything, “just as the LORD commanded.” You’ll find that statement over and over throughout chapters 39 and 40…
Ex 39-40: “Just as the LORD had commanded”… 39:1,5,7,21,26,29,31,43, 40:19,21,23,25,27,29,32
Then in 39:43, Moses gives the kind of blessing that I think is the only GOOD sort of human approval that we can hope for:
Exodus 39:43 Moses inspected the work and saw that they had done it just as the LORD had commanded. So Moses blessed them.
Moses blessed them for obedience! Oh that we would all be so obedient, and so blessed! That we also might hear those words: “Well done, good and faithful servant!”
He’s given us everything we need to accomplish this, to do His will… All that is left for us to do, if we want to live in light of His glory, is to obey, as good and faithful servants, to walk in obedience to God’s plan with God’s provision (whether skills or material goods or both).
So my question for you to consider, right now and during this coming week, is this: what has He commanded you? What plans is He stirring in your heart? If His plan for you isn’t very clear, maybe you can consider this: what gifts has He given you? What talents, what material gifts has He given you? He stirred the hearts of the people to give abundantly to the work of the Tabernacle… I believe He can stir your heart as well.
Let’s spend some time in listening prayer, and I encourage you to listen for that stirring. What gift do you have? What skill? What idea? What plan? Listen, and if you hear something or remember something or see something, WRITE IT DOWN, however weird or even boring it may sound.
Listening Prayer
Did you hear anything? If not, don’t lose heart; keep asking Him, keep listening. If you did hear something, be sure you write it down, and remind yourself. Share it with your family here, too… maybe today after service, maybe during testimony time next week… If we share these visions, we can help each other walk in them, and we can experience His glory together, and indeed glorify Him together.
Let us pray…
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