God's Presence Is All Around Us

Exodus 40:4-35 -  Then the cloud covered the tabernacle of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.  And Moses was not able to enter the tabernacle of meeting, because the cloud rested above it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.

One year after they left Egypt…the tabernacle was finished.  Moses had followed the exact instructions God had given him…even to the order of assembly. So God wasted no time keeping his promise to Moses to go with him….and settled the cloud that contained his presence over the tent of meeting within its court. At night the people could still see that god was there with them…for the cloud became a fire at night.

Part of me wanted to spend time wondering what that awesome visual would have looked like…but then my heart told me it was more important to capture the feeling of contentment and wonder that must have filled each person as they gazed upon the curious cloud that changed form at night. It was …by Moses own words…too powerful for even Moses to enter when it was there.

We live in a different time and place…void of the need to build a tabernacle and keep an ark behind a veil to protect us from God’s glory.  Jesus died to open a way for all to experience his presence...the veil of separation torn from top to bottom when he gave up his perfect life as a sacrifice for all sin. Jesus promised in Matthew 28: 20 to be with us always.

God manifests his presence in more than clouds that turn to fire at night. He sends friends to comfort when we are troubled.  He fills our heart with gladness and contentment when we search for him with all that we are.  God sends his love and presence in all different forms through those that love him. John says it best for me in 1 John 4:12-13 … “ No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us.   By this we know that we abide in Him, and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit. 

God knew those Israelites loved him and wanted to get it right because they followed his instructions for building that tabernacle.  God knows we love him and want to get it right when we drop our own agendas and seek his will for our life. We know when we are on the right path because we sense him inside of us …that spirit that he promised living in us and telling us what to do.

I don’t ever want to forget that God is with me…even when I can’t see him.  I see him in the tiny buds on my trees as they wake up from a winter nap.  I hear him in the sweet song the birds sing to me each morning and evening.  I feel him in the soft breezes that wash across my face when I sit on my back porch.  I taste him in the food I eat each day.  I smell him in the wonderful aroma of the flowers that are starting to bloom all around me…even though my allergies make that particularly dangerous to my health….lol.

Father...thank you for the reminder that you are with me … constantly presenting who you are to me through the world you created.  Forgive me for the times that take for granted the many ways you try to reveal yourself to me.  Help me to be more aware of the things around me and use them to help me take the right journey through life….the one you mapped out for me before I was born.  Amen.

Dress To Reflect God's Holiness

Exodus 39:30-31 - Then they made the plate of the holy crown of pure gold, and wrote on it an inscription like the engraving of a signet: HOLINESS TO THE LORD.   And they tied to it a blue cord, to fasten it above on the turban, as the Lord had commanded Moses.

The priest was a very important part of the working of the tabernacle. He was chosen by God to minister to the people…to make sure that every sacrifice was given fully to God.  They had to dress in a very specific robe…ephod …breast-plate….and turban in order to work inside the tabernacle. Everything about the garment reflected the holiness of God.

I can’t help but wonder if I reflect the same holiness in my appearance each day. The need to wear an outer garment was dissolved when God tore the veil covering that holy of holies. We each come to God in our own power and choice…becoming our own priest. We have the great privilege of knowing God just like Moses did…and serving him every day…but knowing God and reflecting his holiness are two different things.

We show our holiness much differently than these priests.  It has nothing to do with our outer garment…and everything to do with the state of our heart and mind. 1 Peter 1:13-16 says… “Therefore, gird your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.  As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance,  but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; because it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”

To be holy we must constantly strive to stay fixed on God’s will… allowing his power to help us overcome the temptations of the flesh.  It is a daily struggle to wake each day…fix our eyes on God…and allow his will to be the focus of our day. The battle is with our carnality…the flesh inside us that wants to keep us selfishly fixed on our own needs instead of the needs of others. Ephesians 6: 11-12 says…. “Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.”

Father…thank you for the reminder that I need to dress each day to reflect your holiness to others. Forgive me for the times that I have selfishly dressed to please the world and my own needs.  help me to wake each day to ask you what to wear to show and reflect your love the strongest to others that need you.  Amen.

What Did God Give Me To Use For Him?

Exodus 38:6-8 -  And he made the poles of acacia wood, and overlaid them with bronze.  Then he put the poles into the rings on the sides of the altar, with which to bear it. He made the altar hollow with boards. He made the laver of bronze and its base of bronze, from the bronze mirrors of the serving women who assembled at the door of the tabernacle of meeting.

Moses continued to record the work of Bezalel …as he continued to complete each part of the tabernacle. But this time Moses was careful to record that the bronze that was used was given by the many women that came each day to serve at the door to the tabernacle of meeting.

They would have brought these one piece bronze mirrors from Egypt with them…most likely as part of the plunder when they left. They would have been very precious to these women…yet they all together decided to give them to Moses as an offering for the tabernacle.  It wasn’t the fact that it was a mirror…or even that it was made of bronze that made God happy with these women.  It was the fact that they searched their heart for what God could use and gave it willingly and passionately to him.

It reminds me each day to search my own heart for what God may have already placed in my hands so I could give it back to him to use.  Moses gave back the rod he used as a shepherd. Bezalel gave back the talents and skills God had given him to create each piece of the tabernacle.  The women gave up their expensive and treasured mirrors. When all these things were used by God they became a place for God to reside with them while they traveled to the promised land.

Father…thank you for the reminder that what you have given to me on this earth is really yours.  Forgive me for the times that I forget that all that I have can be used to help you minister and lead others to know you and have a deeper relationship with you.  Help me to wake each day thanking you for all I have ..and asking you how you want me to use it to serve you.  Amen.  

No More Shortcuts... Get Every Detail Right

Exodus 37:1-2 - Then Bezalel made the ark of acacia wood; two and a half cubits was its length, a cubit and a half its width, and a cubit and a half its height.  He overlaid it with pure gold inside and outside, and made a molding of gold all around it. 

Moses is very careful to record that Bezalel…the man God had anointed to oversee all the work of the tabernacle… followed the blueprint God had given Moses exactly. The Ark…the Mercy Seat…the table with all its serving pieces… the lampstand and all its accessories…even the oil and incense were made carefully following the dimensions … ingredients and exact details for each article.

It seems at first glance that another chapter that simply repeated the same details as before is unneeded…but if you think about it a bit….it shows the dedication and proves that what God wanted was actually carried out through this anointed man. Moses…by recording each article as it was made…showed that the commandment of God was fulfilled.

I couldn’t help but think of one of my biggest problems.  I love to take short cuts…to find the easiest…fastest way to put what I am working on together. If there is a way to make something easier…a way to cut corners and still get a decent product…I am the woman you want for the job. But perhaps that is not the best way to think about things when God has given me the directive.

Perhaps…when following God’s will in our lives…we need to slow down and be careful with each detail. Perhaps…when seeking his guidance and wisdom in the Bible…we need to spend more time researching and studying each part of the scripture we read. Perhaps …when seeking wisdom and comfort in prayer….we need to fall on our knees more often in serious petition and praise.  Perhaps…when considering the job God gave us to do here on Earth…we need to be sure of all the details.

Father…thank you for the reminder that every detail of what you lead us to do is important to the fulfillment of your perfect will. Forgive me for the times that I have tried to take shortcuts with my time…prayers…and Bible study. Help me to be more like Bezalel…ready to give as much attention to the first detail as the last. Amen.

The Heart With Which I Give...Is More Important Than the Gift I Bring

Exodus 36:6 – 7 -  So Moses gave a commandment, and they caused it to be proclaimed throughout the camp, saying, “Let neither man nor woman do any more work for the offering of the sanctuary.” And the people were restrained from bringing,  for the material they had was sufficient for all the work to be done—indeed too much.

Once these people’s hearts were stirred…they just couldn’t help themselves.  Every morning they would rise from their sleep and think of one more thing they could give as an offering. The people were so stirred to give what they had that more than what they needed was collected…and as the artists and craftsmen realized this…they asked Moses what to do. Moses had to give them a commandment to stop…proclaiming that they not bring any more offerings.

I sure can’t remember a time in my life that I was so moved to give that God had to tell me to stop. I can think of a few Bible characters that must have experienced this same passion to give all they had.  There was that widow...who gave her last coins to the offering box. ..and there was that sweet woman who poured the most expensive perfume on Jesus feet. (Full stories in Mark 12 and Matthew 26 if you don’t know them.)

These stories and the people who modeled for us how to give completely without selfish thoughts… are vivid reminders to me that when our heart belongs completely to God…there is no limit to what he can do with us. I found this quote in a David Guzik commentary. I don’t know who Morgan is…but here is what he said.  “ When the heart is truly stirred, and the spirit makes willing, giving is robbed of all meanness; indeed, it ceases to be calculating.  Nothing is too precious to be given, no amount too great.”

Father… thank you for the reminder that the heart with which I give… is more important than the physical gift I bring to you.  Forgive me for the times that I have gotten that backwards. Help me to develop the unselfish attitude of these stirred Israelites…the sweet widow…and the woman with the alabaster jar of perfume… so that you can truly use all you gave me to use for you.  Amen.

Has Your Heart Been Stirred?

Exodus 35:21-22 - Then everyone came whose heart was stirred, and everyone whose spirit was willing, and they brought the Lord’s offering for the work of the tabernacle of meeting, for all its service, and for the holy garments.  They came, both men and women, as many as had a willing heart, and brought earrings and nose rings, rings and necklaces, all jewelry of gold, that is, every man who made an offering of gold to the Lord. 

Moses began to tell the people all that God had told him on the mountain… how he had given him the blueprint and detailed building instructions for a place to worship him.  Each person…who had a willing heart…. was to begin by bringing the personal articles they possessed that were needed to begin the process of building it and offer it to God as an offering.  As they left Moses…the ones who were willing began to feel God stir their heart…and it prompted the first gifts of gold to begin the process.

That phrase…willing heart…is very important to God. He knew as soon as the people began to leave for their home… which ones were thinking about all they might give to God. They were excited about having a personal vestment in the building that would become God’s house…their place of worship.  God took that seed of excitement…and stirred it even stronger…..and they gave…and gave…and gave.

They did not just give ‘things.’ Some gave of their time.  Some spent hours of labor making curtains…. sewing garments….shaping wood and metal into tables and altars and lampstands.  Some rolled up their sleeves and did the hard work of assembly.  From rich to poor…each one that wanted too…had a part in helping God make the first Tabernacle.

Great things happen when God’s people shed the world’s cloak of selfishness. God starts to stir their heart…open their eyes to what he can do with a simple piece of gold….a single thread of scarlet … the wood from a tree… or the heart of one who gives it away to God. An ark is built to save the human race.  A rams is provided to replace the sacrifice of a son. Tabernacles are built by common ordinary people. Ministries are birthed to increase God’s kingdom.

Father…thank you for the reminder that whatever you have placed in my hand can be magnified into what you need to accomplish your perfect will on this earth.  Forgive me for the times that I let the world shadow my ability to see what you can do with the resources you have given me. Remove any trace of selfish nature from my heart…so that you can stir my heart into service for you.  Amen.

How Bright Does Your Face Shine?

Exodus 34:8-9 -  So Moses made haste and bowed his head toward the earth, and worshiped. Then he said, “If now I have found grace in Your sight, O Lord, let my Lord, I pray, go among us, even though we are a stiff-necked people; and pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us as Your inheritance.”

Moses had spent the last few days…perhaps months… modeling for this fallen people how to find God again. The people watched the cloud of God descend every time he entered the make-shift meeting place.  They stood in worshipful attitudes of awe while he remained in the tent talking with God. They had no clue what they talked about…they were just glad that Moses seemed to still have a connection with God.

And it payed off.  Moses persistence inclined God to give them a second chance.  He called Moses back up the mountain with two new tablets to re-record the first conversation they had. He spent another 40 days and nights with God…the intensity of his visit showing in his glowing face when he returned.

Moses prayer is a model of what true repentance and humility sound like to God. He admitted his unworthiness…asking for grace in God’s sight.  Then he requested once more that God attend this people…even with the faults that made them sinners. He asked forgiveness…and pardon from the only one he knew could forgive.  Moses knew that he had no chance to succeed if God were not a part of it…so he just kept going back to meet with him…and plead…and admit the guilt of what they had done.

What a great reminder that what God really wants is a heart that realizes the reality of our mortality.  I had no chance….whatsoever…if God had not chosen to restore me and pardon me from my sin. I was bound to die for my iniquities. I am worth nothing without the love he shed on the cross to save me. My task is to chase after God …admit my sin…repent and ask for him to build me back up in his power and strength.

Perhaps that is what shone on Moses face when he came back down that mountain.  The love that God had used to forgive and pardon thousands of his chosen people was concentrated in the one man's face that went to bat for them with God. He couldn't help but emanate the very love that God had used to pardon and forgive the people God had chosen him to lead.

Father…thank you for the reminder that you long for my heart to be completely repentant and humble. Forgive me for the times that I fail you…because my flesh refuses to acknowledge its real value…. without you. Show me how to pursue you like Moses…. always admitted my guilt and unworthiness… always allowing you to wash me clean once again …using your forgiveness to power me to love you all the more.  Amen.