"Blessings always follow challenges, for one cannot exist without the other."

-Anonymous

-Love, GinniePark

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Memory Verse of the Week:

"Do not follow the crowd in doing wrong. When you give testimony in a lawsuit, do not ert justice by siding with the crowd." - Exodus 23:2

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The Offering - Exodus 25:1-22

The Home

1: "The LORD said to Moses,"

2: "'Tell the Israelites to bring me an offering. You are to receive the offering for me from everyone whose heart prompts them to give."

3: "These are the offerings you are to receive from them: gold, silver, and bronze;"

4: "blue, purple, and scarlet yarn and fine linen; goat hair;"

5: "ram skins dyed red and another type of durable leather; acacia wood;"

6: "olive oil for the light; spices for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense;"

7: "and onyx stones and other gems to be mounted on the ephod and piece.'"

8: "Then have them make a sanctuary for m, and I will dwell among thm."

9: "Make this tabernacle and all its furnishings exactly like the pattern I will show you."

 

The Ark

10: "Have them make an ark of acacia wood - two and a half cubits long, a cubit and a half wide, and a cubit and a half high."

11: "Overlay it with pure gold, both inside and out, and make a gold molding around it."

12: "Cast four gold rings for it and fasten them to its four feet, with two rings on one side and two rings on the other."

13: "Then make poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold."

14: "Insert th poles into the rings on the sides of the ark to carry it."

15: "The poles are to remain in the rings of this ark; they are not to be removed."

16: "Then put in the ark the tablets of the covenant law, which I will give you."

17: "Make an atonement cover of pure gold - two and a half cubits long and a cubit and a half wide."

18: "And make two cherubim out of hammered gold at the ends of the cover."

19: "Make one cherub on one end and the second cherub on the other; make the cherubim of one piece with the cover, at the two ends."

20: "The cherubim are to have their wings spread upward, overshadowing the cover with them. The cherubim are to face each other, looking towards the cover."

21: "Place the cover on top of the ark and put in the ark the tablets of the covenant law that I will give you."

22: "There, above the cover between the two cherubim that are over the ark of the covenant law, I will meet with you and give you all my commands for the Israelites."

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Reflection

The Home (25:1-9)

What is home? To many people, home is "where the heart is" or "where mom is." When I go away on a trip, I often find myself missing home because I miss my family and the comforts of being in my own house. In today's passage, God instructs Moses to collect offerings for the construction of His own home, the tabernacle. God announces His intention to dwell among His people; He will live - like His people - in a tent. In constructing this home for Himself, God asks for a voluntary offering. God does not force this offering, but instead, He initiates a freewill offering. He initiates a freewill offering out of the conviction of people's hearts. Today, God's home is our hearts, and He does not barge in and take up residence forcefully. He desires not to be an unwelcomed guest, but to be welcomed joyfully and in total surrender.

 

The Ark (25:10-22)

The ark of the covenant was the central symbol of God's presence with His people Israel. It was like a big trunk that carried the Ten Commandments (also called the terms of the Covenant). In Verse 22, God says that He will meet with His people at the atonement cover between the two angel sculptures that sit on top of the cover, or lid, of the ark. The ark was placed in the holiest plce in the tabernacle while the Israelites were on the move in the wilderness. Later, it was placed in the Most Holy Place in the temply in Jerusalem. This is where God met with His people through the Jewish priests who served Him in the temple. Jesus came to earth and acted as a walking and talking ark of the covenant. He was God's Son, and where Jesus was, God's presence was also.

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Application

-What kind of offering does God want you to bring to Him today? Do you offer God just the leftovers of your life, or do you truly give Him your very best?

-Have you come to a place of refuge and peace in your life? Be reminded that God wants to offer you sanctuary. Seek Him first in your life; He has a perfect plan for you.

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"Just remaining quietly in the presence of God, listening to Him, being attentive to Him, requires a lot of courage and know-how."

-Thomas Merton

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Honoring Our Spiritual Family Financially

At this year's National Prayer Breakfast held in Washington, D.C. on February 2, 2012, President Barack Obama challenged those who attended to support a raise in taxes. He referred to the Golden Rule (Matt. 7:12) as well as Luke 12:48. As a result, many critics lambasted the President of combining the Gospel with politics. Critics declared, among other things, that the wealthy elite of America had not been given their wealth, but had earned it.

Rather than focus on the political beliefs behind these two statements, consider that final statement: Where exactly does our wealth come from? Many people, especially in Western societies, believe they have earned their wealth. But in doing so, thy forget that everything they own comes from God (Acts 17:25). Jesus makes it clear that we cannot serve two masters. We either serve God, or we serve the world.

When Israel was challenged to give from the wealth of their possesions, they did not cling to their gold or silver, but gave willingly. As J.C. Philpot writes, "Thus all the children of Israel might freely bring an offering, each according to his substance, and each according to hsi willing mind." In this same way, God wants us to continue to give (2 Cor. 9:6-7). God does not call us to give up our resources because He is poor. He calls us to surrender our money and possessions so that we might be part of a larger blessing.

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A Letter to God

Dear Lord, thank You for Your presence in my life.

May Your presence always be the sanctuary for my soul, and may Your love fill my heart every single day.

May my life be an offering unto You! In Jesus' name. Amen.