The Israelites who fled from Egypt had a lot of problems. Their willingness to give for a greater purpose was not one of them. Sometimes it got them in trouble, as in the day of the golden calf. When it came to building the Tabernacle, though, their willingness was amazing. “Finally, all the skilled workers building the sanctuary left their work that they were doing one by one to come and say to Moses, ‘The people are contributing way too much material for doing the work that the LORD has commanded us to do.’” (Exodus 36:4-5) They were wandering around in the desert wit no chance to accumulate anything, or so it would appear. The call went out to bring materials for the Tabernacle and the workmen were overwhelmed. They finally had to ask people to stop giving. It’s hard to imagine that scenario today. We live in a world of need and so any church that was receiving too much money would probably find a way to do more ministry. As individuals, though, how do we give? Jesus reminded that our heart would follow our treasure. If we are intent on accumulating stuff, what does that say about the location of our heart. As followers of Christ, we need to find ways to support our church, to support people in need and spread the gospel to a world that needs the love and forgiveness of Jesus. The old cliché is that you can tell where a person’s heart is by looking at their checkbook and their appointment calendar. Is your heart in your stuff or is your heart focused on the work of God?
Lord God, how easy it is to let stuff override our better nature. We want it bigger and better. We can’t wait for the new and improved version to come out. Forgive me when those desires outweigh my desire to see Your work done. Grant me the grace to keep You first in all things.
Daily Devotion by Bob James
https://dailyenduringtruth.com/
https://www.amazon.com/Daily-Enduring-Truth-January-February/dp/1983973955
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