GUILT RESOLUTION

Posted on December 31, 2024 by randscallawayffm

One of our pre-adult children was moping around the house one day.  When asked what was wrong, she announced, “Now, I feel guilty for not feeling guilty!”  Wait, what now?

She had gone through a difficult situation at work.  Being young, on her first after school job; she blamed herself for the difficulty at work others were experiencing although there was nothing she did that caused the situation.  It just happened.  Her guilt was prompted by her compassion in watching others be guilty and held responsible for their actions.  We needed to pause and talk about the situation. 

She was only guilty of overthinking the circumstance, (which we all do at times), she decided that she was now guilty of not feeling guilty.  Yes, this discussion took more time in conversation so she could understand what real guilt is, how it manifests itself within, explaining the difference in empathy and guilt, along with how to rid herself of guilt when warranted by forgiving herself like God forgives her—completely!

God is now teaching the Israelites how to deal with guilt that manifests itself within a person who does not realize why guilt seeps into their being.  Unaware sins of not getting involved when someone needs help or wrongly accused, causes guilt and must be dealt with in God’s view.  His people will learn that they will be held responsible for not speaking up.

Leviticus 5

“‘If anyone sins because they do not speak up when they hear a public charge to testify regarding something they have seen or learned about, they will be held responsible.

2 “‘If anyone becomes aware that they are guilty—if they unwittingly touch anything ceremonially unclean (whether the carcass of an unclean animal, wild or domestic, or of any unclean creature that moves along the ground) and they are unaware that they have become unclean, but then they come to realize their guilt; 3 or if they touch human uncleanness (anything that would make them unclean) even though they are unaware of it, but then they learn of it and realize their guilt; 4 or if anyone thoughtlessly takes an oath to do anything, whether good or evil (in any matter one might carelessly swear about) even though they are unaware of it, but then they learn of it and realize their guilt— 5 when anyone becomes aware that they are guilty in any of these matters, they must confess in what way they have sinned. 6 As a penalty for the sin they have committed, they must bring to the Lord a female lamb or goat from the flock as a sin offering; and the priest shall make atonement for them for their sin.

7 “‘Anyone who cannot afford a lamb is to bring two doves or two young pigeons to the Lord as a penalty for their sin—one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering. 8 They are to bring them to the priest, who shall first offer the one for the sin offering. He is to wring its head from its neck, not dividing it completely, 9 and is to splash some of the blood of the sin offering against the side of the altar; the rest of the blood must be drained out at the base of the altar. It is a sin offering. 10 The priest shall then offer the other as a burnt offering in the prescribed way and make atonement for them for the sin they have committed, and they will be forgiven.

11 “‘If, however, they cannot afford two doves or two young pigeons, they are to bring as an offering for their sin a tenth of an ephah of the finest flour for a sin offering. They must not put olive oil or incense on it, because it is a sin offering. 12 They are to bring it to the priest, who shall take a handful of it as a memorial portion and burn it on the altar on top of the food offerings presented to the Lord. It is a sin offering. 13 In this way the priest will make atonement for them for any of these sins they have committed, and they will be forgiven. The rest of the offering will belong to the priest, as in the case of the grain offering.’”

The Guilt Offering

14 The Lord said to Moses: 15 “When anyone is unfaithful to the Lord by sinning unintentionally in regard to any of the Lord’s holy things, they are to bring to the Lord as a penalty a ram from the flock, one without defect and of the proper value in silver, according to the sanctuary shekel. It is a guilt offering. 16 They must make restitution for what they have failed to do in regard to the holy things, pay an additional penalty of a fifth of its value and give it all to the priest. The priest will make atonement for them with the ram as a guilt offering, and they will be forgiven.

17 “If anyone sins and does what is forbidden in any of the Lord’s commands, even though they do not know it, they are guilty and will be held responsible. 18 They are to bring to the priest as a guilt offering a ram from the flock, one without defect and of the proper value. In this way the priest will make atonement for them for the wrong they have committed unintentionally, and they will be forgiven. 19 It is a guilt offering; they have been guilty of wrongdoing against the Lord.”

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

“The trespass (or guilt) offering illustrates the solemn fact that it is a very costly thing for people to commit sin and for God to cleanse sin. Our sins hurt God and hurt others. True repentance will always bring with it a desire for restitution. We will want to make things right with God and with those we’ve sinned against. Forgiveness comes only because of the death of an innocent substitute. The passage in Isaiah 53:10 states clearly that when Jesus died on the cross, God made His Son an offering for sin. The penalty we should have paid, He paid for us!” –Warren Wiersbe, Wiersbe Study Bible

Jesus taught to pray, “Forgive us our sins (trespasses) as we forgive those who sin (trespass) against us.  To trespass as we know it today is to go where we do not belong and do what we should not do that makes life difficult for others.  To trespass on someone’s property with intent to do harm can cause the death of the trespasser in some states! 

So, there is no mistake in judgement of our own guilt; God, as promised by Jesus, sent us a Counselor to help us after Jesus ascended back to Heaven.  God sent a part of Himself to live within us—His Holy Spirit—as soon as we say yes to Jesus’ forgiveness of our repented sins.  God knew we would need help as we transform by His help from old habits of sin to new habits of living in God’s ways for our good and His glory.  As always, God provides all we need—we just need to listen to Him!

God’s Holy Spirit convicts us of our sin, corrects us with God’s Word, comforts us when we need it, and then compels us to do what God’s says.  Guilt is resolved through repenting our sins to Jesus, who died in our place of punishment for them.  Our offering is willingly, graciously, and gratefully placing our lives in His hands, giving His Holy Spirit full reign of our hearts, minds, and souls.  THIS is what God requires of us—US!                        

Micah, the prophet, relayed God’s desire for us with these simple words; “He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” Micah 6:8 We learn we are responsible for our behaviors.  We are commanded to tell and live the Truth.  We must stand in the gap for the innocent who are wrongly accused and show mercy to those who need it as this is walking humbly with God…putting the interests of others ahead of our own; if we desire to be like Jesus.  (Philippians 2) 

How must we respond?  Pause to pray and ask God for wisdom as each life is specifically purposed for our good and His glory!

Jesus preached many messages of love while demonstrating God’s love to the world. We really have no excuse for not knowing how to live in His ways.  As in this passage of Leviticus; God makes it known that how we treat each other is the same and is felt by our God! 

Jesus reiterated this Truth when He walked the earth doing what God told him to do;

“For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’  Matthew 25:35-40

Jesus also told of the consequences of ignoring people in need of love, mercy, and grace;  ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’

“They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’

“He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’ “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”

Friends, what Jesus says is a matter of life or death.  What we do in Jesus Name for His glory matters.  God never changes.  Life will always matter.  How we will respond?

Lord,

We begin a new calendar year tonight with wanting to please you in all we think, say, and do.  Help us to be more like you in every way.  Being with cleansing our hearts, renewing our minds, transforming our behaviors, refreshing our souls with your new tender mercies each day, while restoring the joy of your salvation at work within us.  We cannot do it without you.  Come, Holy Spirit.  Convict us with correction from your Word.  Comfort us with your wisdom, strength, and power.  Then compel us to go and tell, be helpers to others, while being a witness of Truth, to a dying world without you.

In Jesus Name, Amen—Yes!

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SINS CONFESSED; SINS FORGIVEN

Posted on December 30, 2024 by randscallawayffm

God was very specific to His People who were rescued from Egypt to live a new life following in His ways, leaving behind their former life of slavery. God was detailed with how to deal with sin in the camp, both realized and unintentionally committed.  God is teaching His people often with how to honor and love Him along with how to love each other because this new life with God has not been fully internalized.  God is the Master Teacher who speaks through His representative, Moses.  God appointed and anointed Moses’ brother Aaron and his sons to be the priests to carry out all the details according to God’s instructions to deal with all sin. 

To us who believe in Jesus, believe that He was the One and Only sacrifice for our sins, read with wonder, maybe even with a bit of distain, because of the slaughter of animals from their herds, the burnt offerings of these animals, with the sprinkling of the blood from them. But look closely at the repetitiveness for what is repeated often in God’s Word is what God wants us to know and realize for our relationship with Him. 

We learn we must deal with all our sins.  Since Adam and Eve sinned against God, all the generations succeeding have sinned.  Paul reminds us, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”  ALL of us.  All sin must be dealt with before God.  Don’t let the process here distract us from the ultimate plan of God to redeem us.

Leviticus 4

The Sin Offering

The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Say to the Israelites: ‘When anyone sins unintentionally and does what is forbidden in any of the Lord’s commands—

3 “‘If the anointed priest sins, bringing guilt on the people, he must bring to the Lord a young bull without defect as a sin offering for the sin he has committed. 4 He is to present the bull at the entrance to the tent of meeting before the Lord. He is to lay his hand on its head and slaughter it there before the Lord. 5 Then the anointed priest shall take some of the bull’s blood and carry it into the tent of meeting. 6 He is to dip his finger into the blood and sprinkle some of it seven times before the Lord, in front of the curtain of the sanctuary. 7 The priest shall then put some of the blood on the horns of the altar of fragrant incense that is before the Lord in the tent of meeting. The rest of the bull’s blood he shall pour out at the base of the altar of burnt offering at the entrance to the tent of meeting. 8 He shall remove all the fat from the bull of the sin offering—all the fat that is connected to the internal organs, 9 both kidneys with the fat on them near the loins, and the long lobe of the liver, which he will remove with the kidneys— 10 just as the fat is removed from the ox sacrificed as a fellowship offering. Then the priest shall burn them on the altar of burnt offering. 11 But the hide of the bull and all its flesh, as well as the head and legs, the internal organs and the intestines— 12 that is, all the rest of the bull—he must take outside the camp to a place ceremonially clean, where the ashes are thrown, and burn it there in a wood fire on the ash heap.

13 “‘If the whole Israelite community sins unintentionally and does what is forbidden in any of the Lord’s commands, even though the community is unaware of the matter, when they realize their guilt 14 and the sin they committed becomes known, the assembly must bring a young bull as a sin offering and present it before the tent of meeting. 15 The elders of the community are to lay their hands on the bull’s head before the Lord, and the bull shall be slaughtered before the Lord. 16 Then the anointed priest is to take some of the bull’s blood into the tent of meeting. 17 He shall dip his finger into the blood and sprinkle it before the Lord seven times in front of the curtain. 18 He is to put some of the blood on the horns of the altar that is before the Lord in the tent of meeting. The rest of the blood he shall pour out at the base of the altar of burnt offering at the entrance to the tent of meeting. 19 He shall remove all the fat from it and burn it on the altar, 20 and do with this bull just as he did with the bull for the sin offering. In this way the priest will make atonement for the community, and they will be forgiven. 21 Then he shall take the bull outside the camp and burn it as he burned the first bull. This is the sin offering for the community.

22 “‘When a leader sins unintentionally and does what is forbidden in any of the commands of the Lord his God, when he realizes his guilt 23 and the sin he has committed becomes known, he must bring as his offering a male goat without defect. 24 He is to lay his hand on the goat’s head and slaughter it at the place where the burnt offering is slaughtered before the Lord. It is a sin offering. 25 Then the priest shall take some of the blood of the sin offering with his finger and put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offering and pour out the rest of the blood at the base of the altar. 26 He shall burn all the fat on the altar as he burned the fat of the fellowship offering. In this way the priest will make atonement for the leader’s sin, and he will be forgiven.

27 “‘If any member of the community sins unintentionally and does what is forbidden in any of the Lord’s commands, when they realize their guilt 28 and the sin they have committed becomes known, they must bring as their offering for the sin they committed a female goat without defect. 29 They are to lay their hand on the head of the sin offering and slaughter it at the place of the burnt offering. 30 Then the priest is to take some of the blood with his finger and put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offering and pour out the rest of the blood at the base of the altar. 31 They shall remove all the fat, just as the fat is removed from the fellowship offering, and the priest shall burn it on the altar as an aroma pleasing to the Lord. In this way the priest will make atonement for them, and they will be forgiven.

32 “‘If someone brings a lamb as their sin offering, they are to bring a female without defect. 33 They are to lay their hand on its head and slaughter it for a sin offering at the place where the burnt offering is slaughtered. 34 Then the priest shall take some of the blood of the sin offering with his finger and put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offering and pour out the rest of the blood at the base of the altar. 35 They shall remove all the fat, just as the fat is removed from the lamb of the fellowship offering, and the priest shall burn it on the altar on top of the food offerings presented to the Lord. In this way the priest will make atonement for them for the sin they have committed, and they will be forgiven.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND TO GOD?

It is interesting, but not surprising, that God knew that His People, who He called out and rescued from living in the Egyptian culture were so jaded by their past, so conformed to past habits of worshiping many gods with survivalist lifestyle; that many of their sins become labeled as “unintentional” or not yet known to them as sin.  Generations were birthed into the Egyptian culture.  God heard their cries for help and brought them out. Now God is teaching them His ways while providing for them daily.

God sees and knows the hearts of all mankind.  God loves His created.  God wants His best for them.  So, God convicts and corrects His people of all sin, known and unintentional, that holds them back, hindering their connected relationship to God with ways to cover their sins through sacrifice of unblemished animals from their herds given to them as a blessing from God.  Did it occur to them that God gave them the sacrifice for their sins?

Does it occur to us that God gave us His Son Jesus, as the sacrifice for our sins?  We provide nothing but humble confession and remorseful repentance. God provides all the rest!  Jesus was given, unblemished by sin, to be the sacrifice for our sin.  Jesus, willingly laid down His life, taking all the sins of the world upon His shoulders, as The Way to rid us of our sins, cleansing our hearts completely.  Our sins repented in Jesus Name are gone, removed “as far as the east is from the west”, forgiven forever, “to be remembered no more”!  Jesus rescued us and brought us out of our own culture and past sin to give us new life with Him!  Hallelujah!

The bottom line is this: God requires His people to deal with their sins against Him and against each other.  God still requires this of us today.  God made a Way for us to come to Him, repent of our sins and be forgiven.  Jesus was, is and always will be the One and Only Way.  God gave us His One and Only Son as the once and for all sacrifice, for all the sins of the world—yours and mine.  God provided the Lamb to be slain for our sins.

Pause and let all this sink into our hearts. May Truth be internalized within our being.

Lord,

Cleanse my heart of all sin that needs to be removed.  Convict me of unintentional sins that I am ignoring.  Forgive me.  Correct me.  May Your Holy Spirit continue to renew my mind, that leads to the transformation of my behaviors because I want to be more like you and less like the unbelieving world around me.  Comfort me.  Refresh my soul with your new tender mercies for today.  Restore continually the ever-flowing, everlasting joy of you in me and me in you; as your salvation work molds and shapes me into who you created me to be.  Compel me to love like you love me so others will know you, too.

In Jesus Name, for our good, and Your Glory, Amen! Yes! 

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SPECIFIC DIRECTIONS FOR A CHOSEN PEOPLE

Posted on December 28, 2024 by randscallawayffm

Blood sacrifices had great significance. Blood was offered as an atonement for sin, but its incompleteness required the perfect sacrifice, Jesus Christ. The sacrifices in these chapters of Leviticus taught the Israelites how to worship God through personal commitment.  God’s people must revere him, commit themselves to his laws, and show sincere dedication to him.

But sometimes I wonder if God is teaching the Israelites even more than the offering itself?  So, I looked it up. I poured over a few study commentaries by reputable people and here is what I learned;

  1. There are several distinctive features about the peace (or fellowship) offering that should be noted. For one thing, the offeror could bring a female animal, something not permitted for the other animal sacrifices. If the offering was not in fulfillment of a vow, the sacrifice could have some defects and still be accepted (See Leviticus 22:23). After all, it was basically going to be used as food for the priests and the offeror’s family, and those defects wouldn’t matter.
  2. The peace offering is the only offering that was shared with the worshipers. After the priest had completed the sacrifice, a large portion of the meat went to him; the rest went to the offeror, who could then enjoy a feast with his family and friends.

Where God guides His People; He always provides.  Consider the work of Aaron and his sons as priests. God guided Moses to appoint Aaron and his sons to give all their time serving as priests.  Their priestly work seemed to be 24/7 as they kept the lights on, so to speak, but making sure there was enough oil in the lamps to keep burning day and night in the tent of meeting as directed by God which indicated the Presence of God.

They also had specific, detailed instructions of the care of all things used for burnt offerings unto the Lord.  That meant cleaning the grill after all the burnt offerings were cooked over the designated grates made especially for this purpose.  The priest took their work seriously and did their best to please God.  They were appointed and anointed to do this specific work.  There is no time for priests to grow a garden or shepherd a flock of animals so God provided “leftovers” from the offerings to feed their families.

God thinks of all the details—we can always count on God in all the details of our lives, too!

Leviticus 3

The Fellowship Offering

“‘If your offering is a fellowship offering, and you offer an animal from the herd, whether male or female, you are to present before the Lord an animal without defect. 2 You are to lay your hand on the head of your offering and slaughter it at the entrance to the tent of meeting. Then Aaron’s sons the priests shall splash the blood against the sides of the altar. 3 From the fellowship offering you are to bring a food offering to the Lord: the internal organs and all the fat that is connected to them, 4 both kidneys with the fat on them near the loins, and the long lobe of the liver, which you will remove with the kidneys. 5 Then Aaron’s sons are to burn it on the altar on top of the burnt offering that is lying on the burning wood; it is a food offering, an aroma pleasing to the Lord.

6 “‘If you offer an animal from the flock as a fellowship offering to the Lord, you are to offer a male or female without defect. 7 If you offer a lamb, you are to present it before the Lord, 8 lay your hand on its head and slaughter it in front of the tent of meeting. Then Aaron’s sons shall splash its blood against the sides of the altar. 9 From the fellowship offering you are to bring a food offering to the Lord: its fat, the entire fat tail cut off close to the backbone, the internal organs and all the fat that is connected to them, 10 both kidneys with the fat on them near the loins, and the long lobe of the liver, which you will remove with the kidneys. 11 The priest shall burn them on the altar as a food offering presented to the Lord.

12 “‘If your offering is a goat, you are to present it before the Lord, 13 lay your hand on its head and slaughter it in front of the tent of meeting. Then Aaron’s sons shall splash its blood against the sides of the altar. 14 From what you offer you are to present this food offering to the Lord: the internal organs and all the fat that is connected to them, 15 both kidneys with the fat on them near the loins, and the long lobe of the liver, which you will remove with the kidneys. 16 The priest shall burn them on the altar as a food offering, a pleasing aroma. All the fat is the Lord’s.

17 “‘This is a lasting ordinance for the generations to come, wherever you live: You must not eat any fat or any blood.’”

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

In the East, to eat with people is to make them your friends and allies. It means the end of hostilities, as with Jacob and his father-in-law Laban (Genesis 31:54), or the sealing of friendship, as with Israel and Jethro and his people (Exodus 18:12). In the church today, the Lord’s Supper, or Eucharist, is a simple meal that shows the unity of God’s family (1 Corinthians 10:16–18; 11:18–34). That’s why it’s called “Communion.”

The peace/fellowship offering meal, however, meant more than the enjoyment of good food and fellowship with loved ones. It was also an expression of joyful thanksgiving of worshipers at peace with God and in communion with God. The peace/fellowship offering emphasized the fact that the forgiveness of sins resulted in communion with God and with God’s people.

JESUS IN LEVITICUS…THE ULTIMATE, ONCE AND FOR ALL SACRIFICE FOR US!

On the cross Jesus Christ purchased reconciliation with God (2 Corinthians 5:16–21) and peace with God (Colossians 1:20) for all who will believe Him and follow Him with trusting obedience.

We enjoy fellowship with God and other believers, because of His shed blood (1 John 1:5—2:2). Christ did for us what we could not do for ourselves—remove our sins.  We who believe hunger for truth and discover Christ is the truth we seek.  We “feast” on Jesus Christ as the Bread of Life and the Living Water when we feed on His Word and accept all that He is to us with all that He has done for us.

Today, instead of bringing animals, we offer God “the sacrifice of thanksgiving” (Psalm 116:17) and the “sacrifice of praise” (Hebrews 13:15), from pure hearts that are grateful for His mercies.  We give ourselves, our very lives to God, as an offering. (Romans 12:1-2)

We who believe and receive salvation are now His priests who tell others of His forgiveness and love!  Peter, disciple of Jesus, proclaims to all who believe:

“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.” 1 Peter 2:9-10

Paul clearly explains our work as priests chosen by God to freely give what He has freely given us—the way to be reconciled to God in communion with God by the blood shed by Jesus Christ, His son!

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” 2 Corinthians 5:17-21

Our work as Christ’s ambassadors (representing Christ) as priests are like Aaron and his sons’ work in this—

Our work as “holy priests” with the ministry of reconciliation is also 24/7!  We live expectantly and grateful with His power working in us; reflecting the Light of Christ, keeping the light of His presence burning in our hearts, minds, and souls with the precious “oil” of His Word and the guidance of His Holy Spirit, while pointing the Way to be reconciled to God through Jesus to others who do not yet know Him!  It’s not about us but all about Jesus!

Lord,

Help us to fulfill your commandment to us to go and make disciples, teaching them all that you are teaching us.  May your Light and your glory be seen in us.  Thank you, thank you, thank you. 

In Jesus Name, Amen

He said: ‘Freely, freely, you have received,
Freely, freely give;
Go in My name, and because you believe
Others will know that I live.’

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AN AROMA PLEASING TO GOD

Posted on December 27, 2024 by randscallawayffm

Who doesn’t like the smell of homemade bread baking?  I don’t know of anyone who doesn’t; do you?  As an adult, I love making bread.  Making it and giving it away reminds me of Grandma Lacquement.  I spent a lot of time on Grandpa and Grandma’s farm as they cared for me while my parents worked.  I watched as my grandma made bread as their way of life.  Bread on the farm was rarely “store-bought.”  Even the butter for the bread was made using her old mixer to whip the cream taken off the top of the milk produced by their cows. It was my job to watch the cream turn to butter because the mixer could jump off the counter in the process!

Grandpa raised beef, chicken, and pork for the purpose of butchering in the fall to fill their freezer—and ours! Sometimes, goat milk and meat was also part of the farm’s menu.  Grandma and Grandpa were mostly self-sufficient as they also had a garden of fresh vegetables and fruit. 

What I observed most about them was how humbly grateful they were for the privilege to have the farm where they would work hard to produce these products as a way of life, along with his carpentry work for others.  They always gave glory to God for His provisions daily.  They gave from their provisions to others in need who would come down their lane seeking help.  Thank you for allowing me to indulge in my memories of these precious people who reflected the goodness of God and taught me how to give away a portion of what God has so graciously given to me.

Speaking of God, apparently, HE loves the smell of bread cooking, too!  Read on…

Leviticus 2

The Grain Offering

“‘When anyone brings a grain offering to the Lord, their offering is to be of the finest flour. They are to pour olive oil on it, put incense on it 2 and take it to Aaron’s sons the priests. The priest shall take a handful of the flour and oil, together with all the incense, and burn this as a memorial portion on the altar, a food offering, an aroma pleasing to the Lord. 3 The rest of the grain offering belongs to Aaron and his sons; it is a most holy part of the food offerings presented to the Lord.

4 “‘If you bring a grain offering baked in an oven, it is to consist of the finest flour: either thick loaves made without yeast and with olive oil mixed in or thin loaves made without yeast and brushed with olive oil. 5 If your grain offering is prepared on a griddle, it is to be made of the finest flour mixed with oil, and without yeast. 6 Crumble it and pour oil on it; it is a grain offering. 7 If your grain offering is cooked in a pan, it is to be made of the finest flour and some olive oil. 8 Bring the grain offering made of these things to the Lord; present it to the priest, who shall take it to the altar. 9 He shall take out the memorial portion from the grain offering and burn it on the altar as a food offering, an aroma pleasing to the Lord. 10 The rest of the grain offering belongs to Aaron and his sons; it is a most holy part of the food offerings presented to the Lord.

11 “‘Every grain offering you bring to the Lord must be made without yeast, for you are not to burn any yeast or honey in a food offering presented to the Lord. 12 You may bring them to the Lord as an offering of the firstfruits, but they are not to be offered on the altar as a pleasing aroma. 13 Season all your grain offerings with salt. Do not leave the salt of the covenant of your God out of your grain offerings; add salt to all your offerings.

14 “‘If you bring a grain offering of firstfruits to the Lord, offer crushed heads of new grain roasted in the fire. 15 Put oil and incense on it; it is a grain offering. 16 The priest shall burn the memorial portion of the crushed grain and the oil, together with all the incense, as a food offering presented to the Lord.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND TO GOD?

We must give back a portion of all that God has given to us to steward for our good and His glory.  Giving back to God displays our thanksgiving for all He has provided. Giving the best and the first of our labors shows our gratitude for all He has created for us to enjoy.

From Genesis to Revelation—we see Jesus in all of Scripture.  Jesus was at the beginning of Creation. Jesus is “God with us” now as the One who willingly sacrificed His life for our sins’ punishment which removed all the sins of the world.  When we repent of our sins to Jesus—all our sins are removed from our being—to be remembered no more!

Jesus is and always will be King of kings, and Lord of lords, as designated by God.  God, the Father plan was for His Son to be our one and only high priest who by the sacrifice of His life once and for all, reconciled us back to God.  Jesus was the ultimate “grain offering” when he sacrificed Himself for us.  Jesus is our Savior and Lord now and forever.  Only through Jesus can we obtain Life eternal—God’s Plan.  And Jesus, the alpha and omega, beginning and end of this age, is coming back!

So, we will see Jesus throughout Leviticus as “offerings” are set in motion as pleasing aromas to God.  We are reminded today of the words of Jesus while He walked the earth: “I AM the Bread of Life.”

God knows.  God knows what His People need to understand about Him.  God provides. God still does that for us through His Word—ALL of it.

A portion of an old hymn plays in my mind; written in 1902 by Howard Grose, to teach us how to give our best back to God;

Give of your best to the Master;
Give of the strength of your youth;
Clad in salvation’s full armor,
Join in the battle for truth.

Give of your best to the Master;
Give Him first place in your heart;
Give Him first place in your service;
Consecrate every part.
Give, and to you will be given;
God His beloved Son gave;
Gratefully seeking to serve Him,
Give Him the best that you have.

God is first. Seek God first. Listen to God first before doing anything.  Jesus taught us that!  Moses relayed God’s command to put God first and worship only God as the number one commandment.  We now learn thought-out Scripture that God gives.  We must learn to give like God by giving back the first fruits of His provision to us! It is not so God “has enough” but to remind us that God is always enough for us.

Jesus explains God’s giving gene that is embedded in all believers in this way;

“If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers—most of which are never even seen—don’t you think he’ll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you? What I’m trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God’s giving. People who don’t know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don’t worry about missing out. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met.

“Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.”–Jesus, Matthew 6:30-34, MSG

“Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” Matthew 6:33, NIV Jesus demonstrated seeking God first often as He would get away by Himself to seek God’s will before doing anything of significance in His ministry on earth.  Jesus was our perfect example of seeking God first then doing what God says.  Who are we not to seek God first if Jesus, Son of God, did?

Jesus, Bread of Life.  Jesus, the sacrificial offering to God, removed our sins from us set us free to enjoy a sweet relationship with God, our Father, an aroma pleasing to God!

Lord, God of all and in all,

Your resurrection power has resurrected me indeed.  Thank you for teaching us how to love, give, and live a life worthy of who you created us to be.

In Jesus Name, Amen

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OPEN FOR BUSINESS—WITH GOD! 

Posted on December 26, 2024 by randscallawayffm

 

God has designed the place to meet with Him. Now God provides the process for dealing with personal sins.  God’s process is as detailed and specific as building the place for God and creating the tools used for burnt offerings.  All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God since Adam said yes to taking the fruit from Eve offered by evil. So, the sins of all the inhabitants of the camp must be dealt with through designated priests at the Tent of Meeting that is now open for doing business with God.

Leviticus 1

The Burnt Offering

1 The Lord called to Moses and spoke to him from the tent of meeting. He said, 2 “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘When anyone among you brings an offering to the Lord, bring as your offering an animal from either the herd or the flock.

3 “‘If the offering is a burnt offering from the herd, you are to offer a male without defect. You must present it at the entrance to the tent of meeting so that it will be acceptable to the Lord. 4 You are to lay your hand on the head of the burnt offering, and it will be accepted on your behalf to make atonement for you. 5 You are to slaughter the young bull before the Lord, and then Aaron’s sons the priests shall bring the blood and splash it against the sides of the altar at the entrance to the tent of meeting. 6 You are to skin the burnt offering and cut it into pieces. 7 The sons of Aaron the priest are to put fire on the altar and arrange wood on the fire. 8 Then Aaron’s sons the priests shall arrange the pieces, including the head and the fat, on the wood that is burning on the altar. 9 You are to wash the internal organs and the legs with water, and the priest is to burn all of it on the altar. It is a burnt offering, a food offering, an aroma pleasing to the Lord.

10 “‘If the offering is a burnt offering from the flock, from either the sheep or the goats, you are to offer a male without defect. 11 You are to slaughter it at the north side of the altar before the Lord, and Aaron’s sons the priests shall splash its blood against the sides of the altar. 12 You are to cut it into pieces, and the priest shall arrange them, including the head and the fat, on the wood that is burning on the altar. 13 You are to wash the internal organs and the legs with water, and the priest is to bring all of them and burn them on the altar. It is a burnt offering, a food offering, an aroma pleasing to the Lord.

14 “‘If the offering to the Lord is a burnt offering of birds, you are to offer a dove or a young pigeon. 15 The priest shall bring it to the altar, wring off the head and burn it on the altar; its blood shall be drained out on the side of the altar. 16 He is to remove the crop and the feathers[a] and throw them down east of the altar where the ashes are. 17 He shall tear it open by the wings, not dividing it completely, and then the priest shall burn it on the wood that is burning on the altar. It is a burnt offering, a food offering, an aroma pleasing to the Lord.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND TO GOD?

Even though the book of Leviticus seems odd and maybe even distasteful and a bit disgusting to our culture, God was training His people to do business with Him in ways that they could understand at that time.  Leviticus is the third book of five “books of the Law” written by Moses, inspired by God.  God began from the very beginning—the Genesis of Creation of all living things.  God now tells Moses to write down God’s plan and process for His people to relate to God, to do business with God, who is holy.  Moses tells God’s people and designated priests in “real time” what is expected of them in detail.

Eugene Peterson’s commentary helps us to relate to Leviticus today;

“One of the stubbornly enduring habits of the human race is to insist on domesticating God.  We are determined to tame God. We figure out ways to harness God to OUR projects.  We try to reduce God to a size that conveniently fits our plans and ambitions and tastes. But our Scriptures are even more stubborn in telling us that we can’t do it.  God cannot be fit into our plans; we must fit into his.  We can’t use God—God is not a tool or appliance or credit card.

‘Holy’ is the word that sets God apart and above our attempts to enlist him in our wish-fulfillment fantasies or our utopian schemes for making our mark in the world.  Holy means that God is alive on God’s terms, alive in the way that exceeds our experience and imagination.  Holy refers to life burning with an intense purity that transforms everything it touches into itself.

Because the core of all living is God, and God is a holy God, we require much teaching and long training for living in response to God as he is and not as we want him to be. 

The book of Leviticus is a narrative pause in the story of our ancestors as they are on their way, saved out of Egypt, to settle in the land of Canaan.  It is a kind of extended time-out of instruction, a detailed and meticulous preparation for living ‘holy’ in a culture that doesn’t’ have the faintest idea what ‘holy’ is.  The moment these people enter Canaan they will be picking their way through a lethal midfield of gods and goddesses that are designed to appeal to our god-fantasies: ‘Give us what we want when we want it on our own terms.’  What these god-fantasies in fact do is cripple or kill us.  Leviticus is a start at the ‘much teaching and long training’ that continues to be adapted and reworked in every country and culture where God is forming a saved people to live as he created them to live—holy as God is holy.

The first thing that strikes us as we read Leviticus in this light is that this holy God is actually present with us and virtually every detail of our lives is affected by the presence of this holy God; nothing in us, our relationships, or environments is left out.

The second thing is that God provides a way (the sacrifices and feasts and Sabbaths) to bring everything in and about us into his holy presence, transformed in the fiery blaze of the holy.  It is an awesome thing to come in to His presence and we, like ancient Israel, stand in His presence at every moment (Psalm 139).  Our Lord is not dwelling in a tent or house in our neighborhood. But he makes his habitation in us and among us as believers and says, ‘I am holy, you be holy’ (1 Peter 1:16, citing Leviticus 11; 19; 20).

Once we realize this, the seemingly endless details and instructions of Leviticus become signposts of good news to us.  God cares that much about the details of our lives, willing everything in and about us into the transformation that Paul later commended.

“So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you:  Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking around life—and place it before God as an offering.  Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking.  instead, fix your attention on God.  You’ll be changed from the inside out.  Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it.  Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.” Romans 12:1-2, Message Bible.

Embracing and placing with full attention on God is how to respond to God who is the Only One who makes us holy to Him. To God be the glory!

Lord,

I give you my life today as an offering to you.  I’m listening for your holy prompting that will lead me by the hand to your agenda.

In Jesus Name, Amen 

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GOD’S HOUSE—GOD’S RULES!

Posted on December 24, 2024 by randscallawayffm

Most adults of a certain age, raised to adulthood in the sixties-seventies, probably heard this phrase more than a few times from our parents; “Our house, our rules, as long as you live under our roof as our children; you will obey our rules.”  If your parents were Christians, they would add; “This is for your own good.”  And they meant it for the rules were meant to protect us while they provided for us until we were able to have jobs that provided enough to have our own home.  If you obeyed, life was easier.  If you did not, there was constant tension.  Remember?

When we enter God’s House, we come with expectant hope of seeing God’s glory at work as we worship Him with others.  If we pause to prepare our hearts and truly focus on God; we will indeed hear from God and learn His ways.  Coming to God’s House today is simple as we live in a country that allows us the freedom to meet to worship our God with others.  We have an array of choices of where to go as there are many churches in every city or town!  We are blessed to have it this easy.  Will there be a time when we do not?  Sometimes I wonder and I stop to give praise to God, thanking Him for the privilege to come into His house with humbled gratitude!

“I rejoiced with those who said to me, Let us go to the house of the Lord.”    Psalm 122:1

God’s place has rules.  These commandments, given to Moses, were the “rules of engagement” with God.  The Israelites were taught to have respect, a healthy fear and awe of who God is as the One and Only God to be worshiped, with specific ways to repent of their sins through sacrifice. 

God appointed were anointed and given directions of how the priests should dress with very detailed ways given by God with how they will do ministry.  God gave them specific ways and means to bring His people back to Him through their repentance and His forgiveness of sins through specific ways of sacrifice. 

God’s greatest desire is that we trust and obey what He says as He stands ready to pour out all the blessings we need for our good which reveals His glory at work!  But when we choose not to obey, like King Saul who followed his sin nature of pride, it was the priests designated work, through the generations of Aaron, who were to bring them back to what God delights in—our obedience and allegiance to Him.  Here is an example:

“Samuel, (the priest to rebellious King Saul) replied:

“Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the Lord?
To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.
For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance like the evil of idolatry.
Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, he has rejected you as king.” 1 Samuel 15:22-23

So, arrogance and rebellion of God’s rules and commandments have no place in God’s house.

All of these commands are new to God’s people who He brought out of slavery from Egypt to journey through the wilderness on their way to new land that God has promised to them.  They were eager to build “just as God specifically commanded them.” Now all is ready to set it up.  They will see the outcome of their hard labor.  They will see God’s glorious Presence descend from heaven and hover over the new tabernacle built for God.  How amazing in our God!

But God’s house has rules.  So, Moses and the people do exactly “as the Lord commands” in every detail.

Exodus 40

Setting Up the Tabernacle

Then the Lord said to Moses: 2 “Set up the tabernacle, the tent of meeting, on the first day of the first month. 3 Place the ark of the covenant law in it and shield the ark with the curtain. 4 Bring in the table and set out what belongs on it. Then bring in the lampstand and set up its lamps. 5 Place the gold altar of incense in front of the ark of the covenant law and put the curtain at the entrance to the tabernacle.

6 “Place the altar of burnt offering in front of the entrance to the tabernacle, the tent of meeting; 7 place the basin between the tent of meeting and the altar and put water in it. 8 Set up the courtyard around it and put the curtain at the entrance to the courtyard.

9 “Take the anointing oil and anoint the tabernacle and everything in it; consecrate it and all its furnishings, and it will be holy. 10 Then anoint the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils; consecrate the altar, and it will be most holy. 11 Anoint the basin and its stand and consecrate them.

12 “Bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance to the tent of meeting and wash them with water. 13 Then dress Aaron in the sacred garments, anoint him and consecrate him so he may serve me as priest. 14 Bring his sons and dress them in tunics. 15 Anoint them just as you anointed their father, so they may serve me as priests. Their anointing will be to a priesthood that will continue throughout their generations.” 16 Moses did everything just as the Lord commanded him.

17 So the tabernacle was set up on the first day of the first month in the second year. 18 When Moses set up the tabernacle, he put the bases in place, erected the frames, inserted the crossbars and set up the posts. 19 Then he spread the tent over the tabernacle and put the covering over the tent, as the Lord commanded him.

20 He took the tablets of the covenant law and placed them in the ark, attached the poles to the ark and put the atonement cover over it. 21 Then he brought the ark into the tabernacle and hung the shielding curtain and shielded the ark of the covenant law, as the Lord commanded him.

22 Moses placed the table in the tent of meeting on the north side of the tabernacle outside the curtain 23 and set out the bread on it before the Lord, as the Lord commanded him.

24 He placed the lampstand in the tent of meeting opposite the table on the south side of the tabernacle 25 and set up the lamps before the Lord, as the Lord commanded him.

26 Moses placed the gold altar in the tent of meeting in front of the curtain 27 and burned fragrant incense on it, as the Lord commanded him.

28 Then he put up the curtain at the entrance to the tabernacle. 29 He set the altar of burnt offering near the entrance to the tabernacle, the tent of meeting, and offered on it burnt offerings and grain offerings, as the Lord commanded him.

30 He placed the basin between the tent of meeting and the altar and put water in it for washing, 31 and Moses and Aaron and his sons used it to wash their hands and feet. 32 They washed whenever they entered the tent of meeting or approached the altar, as the Lord commanded Moses.

33 Then Moses set up the courtyard around the tabernacle and altar and put up the curtain at the entrance to the courtyard. And so Moses finished the work.

The Glory of the Lord

34 Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. 35 Moses could not enter the tent of meeting because the cloud had settled on it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.

36 In all the travels of the Israelites, whenever the cloud lifted from above the tabernacle, they would set out; 37 but if the cloud did not lift, they did not set out—until the day it lifted. 38 So the cloud of the Lord was over the tabernacle by day, and fire was in the cloud by night, in the sight of all the Israelites during all their travels.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

Trust and obey God! Do what He says!

Max Lucado helps us understand a heart of obedience that delights God;

“Some people believe that outward appearance determines inner quality. With God, it is the other way around: Outward appearance should reflect inner reality. The priestly garments reflected the holy character of the priests as they were in communion with a holy God.

“Clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh” (Romans 13:14).

“So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ” (Galatians 3:26–27).

This clothing has nothing to do with dresses and jeans and suits. God’s concern is with our spiritual garments. He offers a heavenly robe that only heaven can see and only heaven can give. Listen to the words of Isaiah: “I delight greatly in the LORD; my soul rejoices in my God. For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of his righteousness” (Isaiah 61:10)

Remember the words of the father when the prodigal son returned? He wanted his son to have new sandals, a new ring, and what else? New clothes. “Bring the best robe and put it on him” (Luke 15:22). No son of his was going to be seen in shabby, muddy rags. The father wanted the son to have the best clothing available.

Your Father wants you to have the same.

Again, this discussion of clothing has nothing to do with what the store sells you. It has everything to do with what God gives you when you give your life to him.” –Max Lucado, Lucado Encouraging Word Bible

Lord,

May we come before you with humbled, thoughtful repentance, hearts of praise and thanksgiving, with obedient attitudes who seek you first and often throughout the day and into the night. 

I love you, Lord with all that is in me. Thank you for cleansing my heart, renewing my mind, transforming my behaviors, while growing your character within me.

Thank you for refreshing my soul with your tender mercies when I fail and fall.  Thank you for teaching me valuable lessons while picking me up from the fall and setting my feet back on your firm foundation. 

What joy it is to trust and obey you!  Thank you for daily restoring the joy of your salvation within me for my good and Your glory!  I delight myself in you as you delight in me as your child.  You never fail!  Thank you, thank you, thank you!

In Jesus Name, Amen

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THE OBEDIENT COMPLETE THE WORK!

Posted on December 23, 2024 by randscallawayffm

Think of that time in your life when you were a part of a huge project that needed to be accomplished.  You knew from the beginning of the project’s inception that it would take a small army of people to accomplish it.  You realized the project would require the accomplishment of several smaller, intricate pieces of the project by people of varying abilities.  In my experiences with work or church projects; I discovered that to be a part of the whole meant:

  • I must put my complete focus on the leader who holds the Plan. 
  • I don’t need to know or even understand the whole Plan to do my part. 
  • My complete obedience to the directions given, while doing my best work, would be the key to the completion of the whole.
  • I must concentrate on completing my part of the Plan; to busy to judge others completing their part.
  • When I need advice with how to complete my part, I must go directly to the Leader for clarification.
  • I must fully believe in the Designer of the Plan with complete trust in the Plan.
  • A divided heart unduly questions the Plan, the Designer and all participants; which hinders completion.
  • When the work is completed as directed by the Designer you are elated with indescribable joy with all who had a part in it!

The following is the greatest story ever of team work!!  Lets’ see what we learn…

Exodus 39

The Priestly Garments

From the blue, purple and scarlet yarn they made woven garments for ministering in the sanctuary. They also made sacred garments for Aaron, as the Lord commanded Moses.

The Ephod

2 They made the ephod of gold, and of blue, purple and scarlet yarn, and of finely twisted linen. 3 They hammered out thin sheets of gold and cut strands to be worked into the blue, purple and scarlet yarn and fine linen—the work of skilled hands. 4 They made shoulder pieces for the ephod, which were attached to two of its corners, so it could be fastened. 5 Its skillfully woven waistband was like it—of one piece with the ephod and made with gold, and with blue, purple and scarlet yarn, and with finely twisted linen, as the Lord commanded Moses.

6 They mounted the onyx stones in gold filigree settings and engraved them like a seal with the names of the sons of Israel. 7 Then they fastened them on the shoulder pieces of the ephod as memorial stones for the sons of Israel, as the Lord commanded Moses.

The Breastpiece

8 They fashioned the breastpiece—the work of a skilled craftsman. They made it like the ephod: of gold, and of blue, purple and scarlet yarn, and of finely twisted linen. 9 It was square—a span long and a span wide—and folded double. 10 Then they mounted four rows of precious stones on it. The first row was carnelian, chrysolite and beryl; 11 the second row was turquoise, lapis lazuli and emerald; 12 the third row was jacinth, agate and amethyst; 13 the fourth row was topaz, onyx and jasper. They were mounted in gold filigree settings. 14 There were twelve stones, one for each of the names of the sons of Israel, each engraved like a seal with the name of one of the twelve tribes.

15 For the breastpiece they made braided chains of pure gold, like a rope. 16 They made two gold filigree settings and two gold rings, and fastened the rings to two of the corners of the breastpiece. 17 They fastened the two gold chains to the rings at the corners of the breastpiece, 18 and the other ends of the chains to the two settings, attaching them to the shoulder pieces of the ephod at the front. 19 They made two gold rings and attached them to the other two corners of the breastpiece on the inside edge next to the ephod. 20 Then they made two more gold rings and attached them to the bottom of the shoulder pieces on the front of the ephod, close to the seam just above the waistband of the ephod. 21 They tied the rings of the breastpiece to the rings of the ephod with blue cord, connecting it to the waistband so that the breastpiece would not swing out from the ephod—as the Lord commanded Moses.

Other Priestly Garments

22 They made the robe of the ephod entirely of blue cloth—the work of a weaver— 23 with an opening in the center of the robe like the opening of a collar, and a band around this opening, so that it would not tear. 24 They made pomegranates of blue, purple and scarlet yarn and finely twisted linen around the hem of the robe. 25 And they made bells of pure gold and attached them around the hem between the pomegranates. 26 The bells and pomegranates alternated around the hem of the robe to be worn for ministering, as the Lord commanded Moses.

27 For Aaron and his sons, they made tunics of fine linen—the work of a weaver— 28 and the turban of fine linen, the linen caps and the undergarments of finely twisted linen. 29 The sash was made of finely twisted linen and blue, purple and scarlet yarn—the work of an embroiderer—as the Lord commanded Moses.

30 They made the plate, the sacred emblem, out of pure gold and engraved on it, like an inscription on a seal: holy to the Lord. 31 Then they fastened a blue cord to it to attach it to the turban, as the Lord commanded Moses.

Moses Inspects the Tabernacle

32 So all the work on the tabernacle, the tent of meeting, was completed. The Israelites did everything just as the Lord commanded Moses. 33 Then they brought the tabernacle to Moses: the tent and all its furnishings, its clasps, frames, crossbars, posts and bases; 34 the covering of ram skins dyed red and the covering of another durable leather and the shielding curtain; 35 the ark of the covenant law with its poles and the atonement cover; 36 the table with all its articles and the bread of the Presence; 37 the pure gold lampstand with its row of lamps and all its accessories, and the olive oil for the light; 38 the gold altar, the anointing oil, the fragrant incense, and the curtain for the entrance to the tent; 39 the bronze altar with its bronze grating, its poles and all its utensils; the basin with its stand; 40 the curtains of the courtyard with its posts and bases, and the curtain for the entrance to the courtyard; the ropes and tent pegs for the courtyard; all the furnishings for the tabernacle, the tent of meeting; 41 and the woven garments worn for ministering in the sanctuary, both the sacred garments for Aaron the priest and the garments for his sons when serving as priests.

42 The Israelites had done all the work just as the Lord had commanded Moses. 43 Moses inspected the work and saw that they had done it just as the Lord had commanded. So Moses blessed them.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

God loves to work in and through individuals while pulling them together in holy unity as a team!  He always has and always will.  God’s Son, Jesus came to earth to demonstrate the power of team work as he chose, trained, and sent his disciples in teams to do even greater things on earth than He did because His time on earth was coming to a close in person. 

“Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it. —Jesus, John 14:12-14


Our alone time is with God the Father, seeking His will, purpose and plan.  But the accomplish of His will and plan means that we will join with others who God has instilled with purpose in order to complete the work God has given all of us to be and do.  It begins with believing and trusting God who designed and holds the plan.  He is the One and Only who knows all the details as the plan is being completed.

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11

God will see to it that His work is completed.  One of God’s Team Leaders, Paul writes to the team in Philippi;

“I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” Philippians 1:3-6

JOY, UNSPEAKABLE JOY!

“The Israelites had done all the work just as the Lord had commanded Moses. Moses inspected the work and saw that they had done it just as the Lord had commanded. So Moses blessed them.”  Imagine the overwhelming joy of the people who all had a part in completing the detailed, exquisite work God had commanded them to accomplish!  I can feel the joy that must have been overflowing in the team leaders of woodcrafters, embroiderers, weavers, stone cutters and setters, gold overlayers, and sewers—just to name a few mentioned here as they brought all the completed projects to Moses for his inspection!

Think about it!  This huge project was accomplished in the wilderness! But God, the Master Designer, had provided all they needed. God put together people gifted by Him to complete the work.  The people responded in obedience to God.  They believed God and trusted the details God have commanded them to accomplish for His glory and worship of Him.  Belief and relentless focus accomplished God’s Plan!  The reward is knowing you contributed to the plan that was now completed.

What this massive project also provided from God to His People was to bring them together in unity for their good while accomplishing the work.  We do not read of any complaining among them or arguing with Moses during this project while they were focused on their God and His Plan, do we?  They completed the work “just as God commanded” and they were blessed by their obedience.

Trust and obey, for there’s no other way, to be happy (joyful) in Jesus—but to trust and obey.

Lord,

What joy the people felt then.  What joy I feel now when I give myself to You and trust and obey what you say.

In Jesus Name

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GOD’S GOT THIS!

Posted on December 20, 2024 by randscallawayffm

The center of worship to God with provisions made for atonement of sins was designed perfectly by God before the Israelites knew they were leaving town!  All the materials needed by the skilled artisans, weavers, and those skilled in woodwork and precious metal overlaying, according to God’s specific design, were readily available!  God provided.  God knew before they knew what would be needed.  Before crossing the Red Sea, God commanded the Israelites to take all that would be needed from the hands of those who called God’s People their slaves. And their Egyptian neighbors gave readily!  Let’s refresh our memories…

“The Israelites did as Moses instructed and asked the Egyptians for articles of silver and gold and for clothing. 36 The Lord had made the Egyptians favorably disposed toward the people, and they gave them what they asked for; so they plundered the Egyptians.” Exodus 12:35-36

This passage gives us a realization just how much gold, silver, and bronze that God’s people carried out of Egypt to be used in God’s Design for His portable place of meeting with Him. Here are the portions used translated into our system of measurement today:

  • Gold: The weight of the gold was a little over a ton or about 1 metric ton.
  • Bronze:  About 2 1/2 tons or about 2.4 metric tons.
  • Silver:  About 44 pounds or about 20 kilograms.

No wonder God provided dry land to cross the Red Sea!  Just the weight of their Egyptian plunder on their carts would have created a traffic jam if they got stuck in the mud!  And this doesn’t include the amounts they kept for themselves after God said to stop giving, we have enough to build! 

Yesterday, we talked about God being in the details. God is always in the details!  God is the chief Designer of Details!  God loves helping us in all the details of our lives today!  God knows what we need to do today so that we can fulfil what God’s plan will be for tomorrow.  Could this be why Jesus emphasized the “don’t worry” part of his sermon on the Mount?  Probably, because we so easily forget that God, not us, is the One in control and is in all the details! When we say, “God’s got this”, do we really believe it?

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?

“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”—Jesus, Matthew 6:25-34

Like me, I’m sure that you could tell wonderful stories of God’s provision—even before you knew you would need it!  I can and have many times in these writings.  God not only provides, God protects us by shutting doors, (and the windows), of those things that will hinder our relationship with Him and do harm to our hearts, minds, and souls. 

There are many trials provided by our imperfect world that will test our faith—we don’t need to add more pain through trials produced of our own making by foolishly disobeying God!  Trust and obey!

Exodus 38

The Altar of Burnt Offering

38 They built the altar of burnt offering of acacia wood, three cubits high; it was square, five cubits long and five cubits wide. 2 They made a horn at each of the four corners, so that the horns and the altar were of one piece, and they overlaid the altar with bronze. 3 They made all its utensils of bronze—its pots, shovels, sprinkling bowls, meat forks and firepans. 4 They made a grating for the altar, a bronze network, to be under its ledge, halfway up the altar. 5 They cast bronze rings to hold the poles for the four corners of the bronze grating. 6 They made the poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with bronze. 7 They inserted the poles into the rings so they would be on the sides of the altar for carrying it. They made it hollow, out of boards.

The Basin for Washing

8 They made the bronze basin and its bronze stand from the mirrors of the women who served at the entrance to the tent of meeting.

The Courtyard

9 Next they made the courtyard. The south side was a hundred cubits long and had curtains of finely twisted linen, 10 with twenty posts and twenty bronze bases, and with silver hooks and bands on the posts. 11 The north side was also a hundred cubits long and had twenty posts and twenty bronze bases, with silver hooks and bands on the posts.

12 The west end was fifty cubits wide and had curtains, with ten posts and ten bases, with silver hooks and bands on the posts. 13 The east end, toward the sunrise, was also fifty cubits wide. 14 Curtains fifteen cubits long were on one side of the entrance, with three posts and three bases, 15 and curtains fifteen cubits long were on the other side of the entrance to the courtyard, with three posts and three bases. 16 All the curtains around the courtyard were of finely twisted linen. 17 The bases for the posts were bronze. The hooks and bands on the posts were silver, and their tops were overlaid with silver; so all the posts of the courtyard had silver bands.

18 The curtain for the entrance to the courtyard was made of blue, purple and scarlet yarn and finely twisted linen—the work of an embroiderer. It was twenty cubits long and, like the curtains of the courtyard, five cubits high, 19 with four posts and four bronze bases. Their hooks and bands were silver, and their tops were overlaid with silver. 20 All the tent pegs of the tabernacle and of the surrounding courtyard were bronze.

The Materials Used

21 These are the amounts of the materials used for the tabernacle, the tabernacle of the covenant law, which were recorded at Moses’ command by the Levites under the direction of Ithamar son of Aaron, the priest. 22 (Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, made everything the Lord commanded Moses; 23 with him was Oholiab son of Ahisamak, of the tribe of Dan—an engraver and designer, and an embroiderer in blue, purple and scarlet yarn and fine linen.) 24 The total amount of the gold from the wave offering used for all the work on the sanctuary was 29 talents and 730 shekels, according to the sanctuary shekel.

25 The silver obtained from those of the community who were counted in the census was 100 talents and 1,775 shekels, according to the sanctuary shekel— 26 one beka per person, that is, half a shekel, according to the sanctuary shekel, from everyone who had crossed over to those counted, twenty years old or more, a total of 603,550 men. 27 The 100 talents of silver were used to cast the bases for the sanctuary and for the curtain—100 bases from the 100 talents, one talent for each base. 28 They used the 1,775 shekels to make the hooks for the posts, to overlay the tops of the posts, and to make their bands.

29 The bronze from the wave offering was 70 talents and 2,400 shekels. 30 They used it to make the bases for the entrance to the tent of meeting, the bronze altar with its bronze grating and all its utensils, 31 the bases for the surrounding courtyard and those for its entrance and all the tent pegs for the tabernacle and those for the surrounding courtyard.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

“In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.” Hebrews 9:22

The bronze altar was a place of bloodshed and death, for “without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness”—pause and let those words sink deep. If a sinner could manage to enter the tabernacle courtyard and wash in the laver, that wouldn’t save him.  Nor would he be forgiven if he entered the Holy Place and ate the bread or burned the incense. The way into the presence of God began at the bronze altar, where innocent victims (unblemished animals offered as a sacrifice) died for guilty sinners. 

This brings us once again to Calvary where the Son of God died for the sins of the world, once and for all sinners. (See Matthew 26:26–28; John 1:29; 3:14–16; Romans 5:8; 1 Peter 2:24).  Jesus, the one who knew no sin and was without sin, took all the sins of the world upon his shoulders and willingly laid down his life in sacrifice for our sins.  Jesus paid it all.  We come to the altar today to tell Jesus thank you with a repentant, humbled heart of faith that believes He removed all our sins so that we could be free from them—forever!

How do we respond?

  • Believe in all the details that God designed from the beginning until now that led to our salvation. 
  • Seek God and ask for His wisdom to follow all His details that include receiving His love, remaining in His love, so that we may love Him back and love each other with His love in us. 
  • Follow Jesus in all the details that He provided in His Word to us. Jesus is the Word! (John 1:1)
  • Live redeemed lives with expectant hope of eternal life that dissolves our propensity to worry and fear.

Lord,

You have provided all we need to live with expectant Hope.  Our future is secured because you fulfilled all the details to provide for us.  Thank you for removing our sins as we repent them to you. Thank you for being in all the details of my life.  I trust you with my life because you are Life!

In Jesus Name, for our good, and Your Glory, Amen!

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GOD IS IN THE DETAILS

Posted on December 19, 2024 by randscallawayffm

Whether we think about it often or don’t think about it at all; our God, the Creator of all we see, feel, touch, smell, and taste is very detailed in all He designed for us to enjoy!  He designed every tree with a system of veins to carry sustaining nourishment from root to stem!  He designed our bodies in such meticulously unique ways that doctors, with all their schooling, still must figure out how and why our hearts race or how other body parts fail us. God threw the moon and stars into the sky above us to reflect the sun, our light and heat source. He set the planets in perfect rotation as they revolve around the sun so that seasons of growing and resting could be accomplished. 

God who was at the beginning, who is leading Moses in all the details of life on a journey through the wilderness with thousands; is with us today on our journey. God is the same God who breathed life into His Son, the promised Messiah, as the newborn made His way through the birth canal of a devote young woman espoused to a devote man who listened to God and obeyed. And was it just luck that a particular star exploded in the expanse of the night sky to lead people, rich and poor, to the newborn King to worship Him?  Mm, there is no coincident with God.  God is sovereign.

God is a God of details.  There is not enough space or time to describe all the details designed and implemented by our God!  It is important not to slide over the repetition of words describing all the design work of God for His place of worship and atonement.  God is in the details of every part of our lives, too.  As humans, it is pleasing to God when we notice the detailed work of God in our lives with a pause to praise Him!  To God be the glory! 

God honors what we do for Him.  God bless our efforts to stick to His detailed instructions as we accomplish His work.  Our work is designed to be His way of teaching us His ways as He works in and through us.  All we think, say, and do must bring honor to him.  Trust God.  God leaves nothing to chance.  God is in the details!

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” Colossians 3:23-24

Observe how Bezalel and the other craftsmen and artisans work to fulfil every detailed instruction given to them by God, the Designer!

Exodus 37

The Ark

37 Bezalel made the ark of acacia wood—two and a half cubits long, a cubit and a half wide, and a cubit and a half high. 2 He overlaid it with pure gold, both inside and out, and made a gold molding around it. 3 He cast four gold rings for it and fastened them to its four feet, with two rings on one side and two rings on the other. 4 Then he made poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with gold. 5 And he inserted the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark to carry it.

6 He made the atonement cover of pure gold—two and a half cubits long and a cubit and a half wide. 7 Then he made two cherubim out of hammered gold at the ends of the cover. 8 He made one cherub on one end and the second cherub on the other; at the two ends he made them of one piece with the cover. 9 The cherubim had their wings spread upward, overshadowing the cover with them. The cherubim faced each other, looking toward the cover.

The Table

10 They made the table of acacia wood—two cubits long, a cubit wide and a cubit and a half high. 11 Then they overlaid it with pure gold and made a gold molding around it. 12 They also made around it a rim a handbreadth wide and put a gold molding on the rim. 13 They cast four gold rings for the table and fastened them to the four corners, where the four legs were. 14 The rings were put close to the rim to hold the poles used in carrying the table. 15 The poles for carrying the table were made of acacia wood and were overlaid with gold. 16 And they made from pure gold the articles for the table—its plates and dishes and bowls and its pitchers for the pouring out of drink offerings.

The Lampstand

17 They made the lampstand of pure gold. They hammered out its base and shaft, and made its flowerlike cups, buds and blossoms of one piece with them. 18 Six branches extended from the sides of the lampstand—three on one side and three on the other. 19 Three cups shaped like almond flowers with buds and blossoms were on one branch, three on the next branch and the same for all six branches extending from the lampstand. 20 And on the lampstand were four cups shaped like almond flowers with buds and blossoms. 21 One bud was under the first pair of branches extending from the lampstand, a second bud under the second pair, and a third bud under the third pair—six branches in all. 22 The buds and the branches were all of one piece with the lampstand, hammered out of pure gold.

23 They made its seven lamps, as well as its wick trimmers and trays, of pure gold. 24 They made the lampstand and all its accessories from one talent of pure gold.

The Altar of Incense

25 They made the altar of incense out of acacia wood. It was square, a cubit long and a cubit wide and two cubits high—its horns of one piece with it. 26 They overlaid the top and all the sides and the horns with pure gold, and made a gold molding around it. 27 They made two gold rings below the molding—two on each of the opposite sides—to hold the poles used to carry it. 28 They made the poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with gold.

29 They also made the sacred anointing oil and the pure, fragrant incense—the work of a perfumer.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

All details matter and have significance in worship to God for all He has done.  God is God alone.  There shall be no other gods worshiped.  There shall be no hint of other gods in the Tent of Meeting with God.  Maybe God’s specific and detailed instructions were commanded by Him to train their minds away from entertaining their old habits of the worship of other gods, learned as slaves in Egypt. Even so, God is in the details for even greater significance!

Although Bezalel oversaw the construction of each item for the tabernacle, Moses personally saw to it that every piece of furniture and every utensil was anointed and placed where it ought to be. God could not and would not dwell in the tabernacle unless everything was done according to the pattern He showed Moses on the mountain.

  • Since there was no way to let in natural light from the outside, the gold lampstand was the only source of light available in the Holy Place.  Consider these details:  Without light from the lampstand; the priests couldn’t have carried on their various ministries.
  • God wants us to offer Him intelligent worship, not ignorant worship (John 4:19–24; Acts 17:22–31; Romans 1:18–25), and to do that, we need the light of the Word of God to guide us (Ps. 119:105, 130; Prov. 6:23).  God is in the details!

Consider these details of significance:  In order to please God and not be in danger of death, the priest had to use not only the right fire on the altar but also the prescribed mixture of spices for the incense (Exodus 30:34–38). Later we will read of Nadab and Abihu who tried to worship God with “profane fire” and were killed (Leviticus 10). Any Israelite who tried to duplicate this special incense for his own personal use would be cut off, which could mean death.  The priests were warned not to use this golden altar for anything other than burning incense (Exodus 30:9), for there are no substitutes for prayer. No amount of sacrificing can take the place of true praying.

“What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures. James 4:1-4

The golden altar wasn’t a place for making bargains with God or trying to change His mind (James 4:1–4; 1 John 5:14, 15). It was a place for adoring Him and praying, “Thy will be done.”  (Jesus prayer to God, His Father!)

God made us. God sees what’s inside us and knows the motivations of our hearts.  “The heart wants what the heart wants” is today’s worldview mantra among many who have given up on life abundant and have fallen for The Deceiver who is leading us from God’s detailed design to death.  The Deceiver does all he can to distract us from our relationship with God long enough to pull us away from His protection.  He “separates the lambs from the herd for only one purpose—to devour, defeat and rob us of our Hope of eternal life.  But there is One who was, is, and always will be the Overcomer who rescues us and brings us back to God—Jesus.

Jesus was sent to earth centuries later to not only save us but to go back over all the details of God’s commandments that got lost and distorted by humans who sought to satisfy their desires instead of seeking the Lord.  See Matthew 5-7 for detailed instructions from God’s Son explaining the intent and implementation of God’s original commandments designed in detail for our good and God’s glory.

Yes, God is still in the details!  Watch for God sightings today! An alert mind who seeks God will indeed find Him and see His glory at work all around us and in us! To God be the glory!

Lord,

Cleanse our hearts by removing all that does not belong there.  Renew our minds; transform our behaviors.  Refresh our souls with today’s fresh mercies.  Restore the joy of your salvation at work within us and all around us—for our good and your glory!

In Jesus Name, Amen

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GIVERS GET TO WORK!

Posted on December 18, 2024 by randscallawayffm

I was a sophomore in high school when the walls of our new church building began to rise from the solid foundation laid.  Our church had been renting a building until enough funds were available to buy property and build.  I was a baby in arms when the vision began in the hearts of humbled leaders. God set the time, provided what was needed in all kinds of ways, along with skilled men and women to finish this project from the inside out outside in!  How exciting those days were for all who had poured their time, finances, labor, and most of all prayers for wisdom from God into His work He called us to accomplish.  His Word, His Way, His Time led us to experience the glorious and miraculous ways of God’s provision and help throughout this process of building His church.  

Willingly surrendering to what God wants is the key to opening the doors to new opportunities of pointing the way to salvation in Jesus to the lost from hearts who love and worship God supremely.  The first Sunday of worship is one I will never forget.  God’s vision brought us together and His Holy Spirit unified us in grateful praise for all that God had done in and through us for our good and His glory.  To God be the glory!

However, through it all, I don’t recall the leaders ever saying to the congregation; “Stop giving, we have more than enough to build.”  Wait, what?  This is want happened when the Israelites willingness to surrender all was more than what God needed to build His sanctuary!  These are but a few of the miracles God loves to provide as our willingness to surrender meters go over the top!

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 workers who were doing all the work on the sanctuary left what they were doing 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.

The Tabernacle

8 All those who were skilled among the workers made the tabernacle with ten curtains of finely twisted linen and blue, purple and scarlet yarn, with cherubim woven into them by expert hands. 9 All the curtains were the same size—twenty-eight cubits long and four cubits wide. 10 They joined five of the curtains together and did the same with the other five. 11 Then they made loops of blue material along the edge of the end curtain in one set, and the same was done with the end curtain in the other set. 12 They also made fifty loops on one curtain and fifty loops on the end curtain of the other set, with the loops opposite each other. 13 Then they made fifty gold clasps and used them to fasten the two sets of curtains together so that the tabernacle was a unit.

14 They made curtains of goat hair for the tent over the tabernacle—eleven altogether. 15 All eleven curtains were the same size—thirty cubits long and four cubits wide. 16 They joined five of the curtains into one set and the other six into another set. 17 Then they made fifty loops along the edge of the end curtain in one set and also along the edge of the end curtain in the other set. 18 They made fifty bronze clasps to fasten the tent together as a unit. 19 Then they made for the tent a covering of ram skins dyed red, and over that a covering of the other durable leather.

20 They made upright frames of acacia wood for the tabernacle. 21 Each frame was ten cubits long and a cubit and a half wide, 22 with two projections set parallel to each other. They made all the frames of the tabernacle in this way. 23 They made twenty frames for the south side of the tabernacle 24 and made forty silver bases to go under them—two bases for each frame, one under each projection. 25 For the other side, the north side of the tabernacle, they made twenty frames 26 and forty silver bases—two under each frame. 27 They made six frames for the far end, that is, the west end of the tabernacle, 28 and two frames were made for the corners of the tabernacle at the far end. 29 At these two corners the frames were double from the bottom all the way to the top and fitted into a single ring; both were made alike. 30 So there were eight frames and sixteen silver bases—two under each frame.

31 They also made crossbars of acacia wood: five for the frames on one side of the tabernacle, 32 five for those on the other side, and five for the frames on the west, at the far end of the tabernacle. 33 They made the center crossbar so that it extended from end to end at the middle of the frames. 34 They overlaid the frames with gold and made gold rings to hold the crossbars. They also overlaid the crossbars with gold.

35 They made the curtain of blue, purple and scarlet yarn and finely twisted linen, with cherubim woven into it by a skilled worker. 36 They made four posts of acacia wood for it and overlaid them with gold. They made gold hooks for them and cast their four silver bases. 37 For the entrance to the tent they made a curtain of blue, purple and scarlet yarn and finely twisted linen—the work of an embroiderer; 38 and they made five posts with hooks for them. They overlaid the tops of the posts and their bands with gold and made their five bases of bronze.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

Moses gave the Israelites instructions on how to build the tent of meeting. Those specific instructions came from God.  God designed each detail.  Skilled workers with God-given abilities were summoned to complete the work.  We learn that God always finishes what He starts. God, Master Architect, designed his house. Skilled people, such as Bezalel, worked to accomplish God’s plans. They wanted to honor and please God by their efforts.  The people gave—as a response to being part of God’s plan.  To God be the glory!

The Miracle of Giving was prompted by the surrender of His people!  God provided all that was needed to build when he told His people to gather the needed items from their Egyptian neighbors upon leaving Egypt.  They willingly obeyed God then and now they are giving back what was given to them which was more than enough to build. 

In fact, the willing hearts of surrender to the work of God caused them to give back more than was needed!  Moses had to make a announcement to the people—stop giving!  We have more than enough!  What a miracle of God whose plans do not fail—because He knows before we know exactly what is needed. 

What a lesson for the people to learn that their willingness to surrender what God had given to them on that last night of their rescue, would be more that enough now to build God’s sanctuary!  To God be the Glory!

I grew up with an old story repeated many times by preachers; 

There once was a preacher who announced one Sunday— “We have more than enough to build to build our new church!”  With the news, the people shouted, “Praise God!”  The preacher then said, but there’s one problem; “All that is needed is in your pockets.”  Silence.

What is our response to the goodness of God in our lives? 

Who do we praise with our first breath each day? 

Who gets the credit when a plan comes together that you have been working on for a long time? 

Will there be a time when God says to us—stop giving now, you have more than enough?  Mm.  Can we ever outgive God?  Nope.

We know that God as given more than enough to complete His Ultimate Plan to save the world.  Jesus, His One and Only Son was more than enough to free every person in this world from the bondage and hold that sin has on us.  God loves.  God loved then and God loves know.  His love never changes, never gives up, never runs out.  While were yet sinners, unwilling to surrender yet, God loved us and sent His Son to die for our sins and rise again to give us Hope for an eternal future with Him.  God gave.  We give ourselves in willing surrender back to Him. To God be the glory!  

I pray we who believe and are reading this today would live in ways that God will be seen and known as One who deserves all the credit, glory, and praise for all that is accomplished.  Peter, the disciple upon whom Jesus builds His church, writes;

“Everything in the world is about to be wrapped up, so take nothing for granted. Stay wide-awake in prayer. Most of all, love each other as if your life depended on it. Love makes up for practically anything. Be quick to give a meal to the hungry, a bed to the homeless—cheerfully. Be generous with the different things God gave you, passing them around so all get in on it: if words, let it be God’s words; if help, let it be God’s hearty help. That way, God’s bright presence will be evident in everything through Jesus, and he’ll get all the credit as the One mighty in everything—encores to the end of time. Oh, yes!” 1 Peter 4:7-11, MSG

As our response, may we exhibit God with our uniqueness. When we magnify our Creator with our strengths, when our contribution enriches God’s reputation, our days grow suddenly sweet. May we talk of our problems less and our Mighty God more. 

And to really spread the sweet fragrance of Christ to our world, may we use our uniqueness to make a big deal about God . . . every day of your life.  To God be the glory, great things He has done!

Lord,

Thank you for this lesson of willing surrender to you.  I give you my life today as an offering to you.  Cleanse my heart by removing all that does not belong. Renew my mind, transform my behaviors. Refresh my soul with your tender mercies.  Restore the everlasting, indescribable joy of your salvation at work within me always.  To you be the glory!

In Jesus Name, for our good and YOUR GLORY, Amen! Yes!

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