Wednesday Thought – August 26, 2015

Good Morning Friends,

“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. They received from Moses all the offerings the Israelites had brought to carry out the work of constructing the sanctuary. The people continued to bring freewill offerings morning after morning. The skilled craftsmen who were doing all the work said to Moses, ‘The people are bringing more than enough for doing the work the Lord commanded to be done.’ 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.’ So the people were restrained from bringing more, because what they already had was more than enough to do all the work.” (Exodus 36:2-7)

Can you imagine a fund-raising effort like this one? The people gave too much! They kept bringing their offerings morning after morning and finally those who were leading the construction project stopped their work and came to Moses to say that they had more than enough to do all that needed to be done. Moses gave the order that the offerings were to stop! They had to restrain the people from giving more!

I’ve never known anything like that. There was such a desire to give, such a desire to honor the Lord with this new tabernacle that the people gave too much!

It reminds me of what Paul said about the Macedonians. “They gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the saints.” (2 Corinthians 8:3-4)

They gave as much as they were able to give.

They gave beyond their ability.

They gave with complete willingness, without pressure.

They pleaded for the privilege of giving.

They had tremendous hearts of generosity toward the work of the Lord.

How does your experience with giving compare to the Israelites giving for the tabernacle? How does your attitude toward giving to the work of the Lord compare to the attitude of the Macedonians as they shared with those in need?

His, by Grace, Steve