Josh1Eight

Scripture: Exodus 38:24-29 "24 The people brought special offerings of gold totaling 2,193 pounds, as measured by the weight of the sanctuary shekel. This gold was used throughout the Tabernacle. 25 The whole community of Israel gave 7,545 pounds of silver, as measured by the weight of the sanctuary shekel. 26 This silver came from the tax collected from each man registered in the census... 29 The people also brought as special offerings 5,310 pounds of bronze..." Observations: The sheer amount of precious materials (stones, metals, etc.) used in the construction of the Tabernacle where God's presence dwelt among His people was no ordinary "tent". By the time it was all said and done, in our economy, the entire worship facility was worth well over $30 million!! And that was in the wilderness under the old covenant before they ever reached the promise land! What's even more interesting is that the bulk of the materials worth the most amount of money came from...

Scripture: Exodus 36:6-7 "So Moses gave the command, and this message was sent throughout the camp: "Men and women, don't prepare any more gifts for the sanctuary. We have enough!" So the people stopped bringing their sacred offerings. 7 Their contributions were more than enough to complete the whole project." Observations: As the people of Israel began constructing the Tabernacle in the wilderness, the Bible says that "all whose hearts were stirred and whose spirits were moved came and brought their sacred offerings to the Lord." (35:21). What's great about that is that the people of God were so motivated that Moses actually had to send an official memo ordering the people to stop giving! They had more than enough and yet the hearts of the people were so moved to give that they had to be stopped! Nobody forced them to give, they simply responded to the stirring of their hearts by God's Spirit. Another thought is that each person gave "as ...

Scripture: Exodus 34:10-`4 10 The Lord replied, “Listen, I am making a covenant with you in the presence of all your people. I will perform miracles that have never been performed anywhere in all the earth or in any nation. And all the people around you will see the power of the Lord—the awesome power I will display for you. 11 But listen carefully to everything I command you today. Then I will go ahead of you and drive out the Amorites, Canaanites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. 12 “Be very careful never to make a treaty with the people who live in the land where you are going. If you do, you will follow their evil ways and be trapped. 13 Instead, you must break down their pagan altars, smash their sacred pillars, and cut down their Asherah poles. 14 You must worship no other gods, for the Lord, whose very name is Jealous, is a God who is jealous about his relationship with you." Observations: At one of the low points in Israel's relationship with God, after ...

Scripture- Matthew 19:27-30 Then Peter said to him, "We've given up everything to follow you. What will we get?" Jesus replied, "I assure you that when the world is made new and the Son of Man sits upon his glorious throne, you who have been my followers will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 29 And everyone who has given up houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or property, for my sake, will receive a hundred times as much in return and will inherit eternal life. 30 But many who are the greatest now will be least important then, and those who seem least important now will be the greatest then." Observations: After watching what appeared to be a sincere seeker walk away from Jesus lost and confused, Jesus' disciples were astounded at how hard it must be for anyone to gain access to the Kingdom of Heaven. After realizing that this kind of access was beyond human ability Peter, concerned for his own soul, ...

Today's Reading: 2 Chronicles 15-16 ; John 12:27-50 Today’s Thoughts: Permanent Ink He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels. Revelation 3:5 When my son was in the first grade, he came home from school very concerned. He said to me, “Mom, I got in trouble at the lunch tables today. My teacher wrote my name down and put it in her desk.” Sensing his anxiety, I told him not to worry. I knew that the teacher would call me if she had any real concerns. He then said, “But mom, you don’t understand, she wrote my name in permanent ink.” So often in life, having our name written in ink signifies a remembrance of something we have done wrong, ranging from teachers’ notes to public court records. But there is one place that we all should desire to have our names written in permanent ink. That place is called the Book of Life and the ink is nothing less than ...