Can I pray for you in any way? Send any prayer requests to faithhopegodlove@aol.com In Christ, Mark
"Then Moses said to the Israelites, "See, the Lord has chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, and he has filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, ability and knowledge in all kinds of crafts - to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, to cut and set stones, to work in wood and to engage in all kinds of artistic craftsmanship. And he has given both him and Oholiab son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, the ability to teach others. He has filled them with skill to do all kinds of work as craftsmen, designers, embroiderers in blue, purple and scarlet yarn and fine linen, and weavers—all of them master craftsmen and designers. 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." 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. 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. So all the skilled craftsmen who were doing all the work on the sanctuary left their work and 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." And so the people were restrained from bringing more, because what they already had was more than enough to do all the work." Exodus 35:30-35, 36:1-7
In yesterday’s devotional, we saw how the people of Israel were expected to give willingly in response to God’s expectations. As we see at the beginning of Exodus, Chapter 36, the people responded in such a powerful way that there was an abundance of materials to construct the tabernacle. Their contributions were "more than enough for doing the work the Lord commanded to be done" so "Moses gave an order" saying, "No man or woman is to make anything else as an offering for the sanctuary" and "the people were restrained from bringing more, because what they already had was more than enough to do all the work." This is an illustration of what can happen when the people of God come together in the spirit of obedient giving. Instead of worrying whether you will get what you need to accomplish God’s will, you end up with a bounty.
This principle leads me toward a truth that I have always believed in. We have so many problems in our world that are centered on poverty. Here are some telling statistics from World Vision, an organization that my wife and I partner with:
- A child dies every 3 seconds because of extreme poverty and disease.
- Some 854 million people—most of them women and children—suffer from chronic hunger or malnutrition.
- More than 1 billion people around the world who still live on less than $1 a day.
- 12.5 percent of all people in America are living in poverty.
World Vision has also proposed a rather interesting solution to defeating the world hunger problem. They did some math and found that if every person in the world who was not impoverished would donate a one time gift of 75 cents, then there would be more than enough money available to completely eradicate poverty, starvation and stem the death rate from disease, many of which are completely treatable.
God has lavished so much blessing on His creation and He didn’t intend for this to breed selfishness within our hearts and minds. He expected us to take what He has blessed us with and reach out to help others whenever and wherever possible. His only Son, Jesus, validated this statement when He said:
"When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. "Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 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, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'" Matthew 25:31-40
Friends, could Jesus be any clearer about our obligation to care for the "least of His brothers"? Do you really see caring for those in need as caring for Jesus Himself?
God has blessed most of us with more than we could ever ask for. Most of the time, we get ourselves into trouble, especially financially because we become so centered on materialism. We want to have everything and fail to see the difference between a need and a want. Well, consider this…God and His Son, Jesus, WANT us to help those in NEED. How can we live in grandeur when so many live in squalor? Won’t you consider this day how you might be able to assist someone who is down and out. You’ll be blessed…the one you help will be blessed…and you will find favor with the Lord…guaranteed.
In Christ,
Mark
PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.
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