by George | Mar 15, 2021 | Community News
Doing It All Yourself
“Moreover you shall select from all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness; and place such over them to be rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens.”
Exodus 18:21
Moses’ father-in-law Jethro brought Moses’ wife and 2 sons to him in the wilderness.
It was a joyous reunion. It had probably been a long time since Moses saw his family.
A lot had happened since Moses and the Israelites came out of Egypt! Moses testified to Jethro about all that God had done.
“And Moses told his father-in-law all that the LORD had done to Pharaoh and to the Egyptians for Israel’s sake, all the hardship that had come upon them on the way, and how the LORD had delivered them.”
Exodus 18:8
Jethro rejoiced when he heard these things. He brought sacrifices and burnt offerings to God. Then, they broke bread together.
The next morning, Moses went to work, from morning until night, judging the people.
Jethro witnessed this, and had some advice for Moses.
“So Moses’ father-in-law said to him, “The thing that you do is not good. Both you and these people who are with you will surely wear yourselves out. For this thing is too much for you; you are not able to perform it by yourself. Listen now to my voice; I will give you counsel, and God will be with you: Stand before God for the people, so that you may bring the difficulties to God. And you shall teach them the statutes and the laws, and show them the way in which they must walk and the work they must do. Moreover you shall select from all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness; and place such over them to be rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens. And let them judge the people at all times. Then it will be that every great matter they shall bring to you, but every small matter they themselves shall judge. So it will be easier for you, for they will bear the burden with you.”
Exodus 18:17-22
In other words, don’t try to do it all yourself!
I don’t know about you, but I struggle with this sometimes, reasoning that it would be easier to do it all myself.
But, if you don’t ask for help, it could lead to burnout! Jethro told Moses that if he continued like this, it would wear him out, and all the people who had to wait in line all day!
Moses listened to Jethro’s advice. This freed him up to spend more time with God.
So, don’t try to do it all yourself. Ask God to give you wisdom to ask others to help carry the burden.
by George | Mar 11, 2021 | Community News, Devotional, Newsletter
More Than Enough
Last time we were together, we talked about the freewill offerings the Israelites brought to be used in the construction of the Tabernacle.
In this chapter, we find out that the need was met, and then some! They actually brought too much!
Can you imagine this happening at your church? The deacons or ushers count the offering and bring a joyous report to the pastor. “The offering plates are overflowing!!!”
While that is possible, it doesn’t happen all that often.
In today’s reading, the Israelites brought more than enough for the construction of the Tabernacle. The report was brought to Moses, and the people were told not to bring anything else for the work.
God had enabled the Israelites to give an abundance of materials.
God gives us an abundance of love, mercy and grace.
Here’s just a few examples of the “abundance” of God.
“And the LORD passed before him and proclaimed, “The LORD, the LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth,”
Exodus 34:6
“You crown the year with Your goodness, And Your paths drip with abundance.”
Psalms 65:11
“They are abundantly satisfied with the fullness of Your house, And You give them drink from the river of Your pleasures.”
Psalms 36:8
“For if by the one man’s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.)”
Romans 5:17
“But God, who is rich in mercy because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.”
Ephesians 2:4-7
“The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.”
John 10:10
“Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us,”
Ephesians 3:20
Father,
You are truly more than enough! Thank You for showering us with an abundance of love, mercy, and grace. Thanks for giving us abundant life and answering our prayers exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think. In Jesus Name amen.
by George | Mar 9, 2021 | Community News
Freewill Offering
“Then everyone came whose heart was stirred, and everyone whose spirit was willing, and they brought the LORD’s offering for the work of the tabernacle of meeting, for all its service, and for the holy garments.”
Exodus 35:21
Israel as a young nation was in the aftermath not a huge moral failure. While Moses had gone away to meet with God, they began worshipping a golden calf.
If not for God’s mercy, and Moses’ intercession, God would have wiped them out and started over with just Moses.
Being freshly forgiven, God renews the covenant with them.
Then, it was time to move forward. God wanted a Tabernacle to be built for worship. God had given Moses very specific instructions.
God wasn’t going to make it appear by saying “Let there be a Tabernacle!”
It would require work, and the contributions of the people.
Notice that the contributions are “freewill” not “mandatory.”
God was giving the people an opportunity to join in the building of a Tabernacle, a place that would serve as a reminder of God’s presence.
So, everyone “whose heart was stirred, and everyone whose spirit was willing…” brought their offerings.
This was going to be a collaborative effort. Each one brought what they had.
Look at this list from Exodus 35:22-28!
- Earrings and nose rings, rings and necklaces, all jewelry of gold
- Blue, purple, and scarlet thread, fine linen, and goats’ hair, red skins of rams, and badger skins.
- Silver and bronze
- Acacia wood
5. “All the women who were gifted artisans spun yarn with their hands, and brought what they had spun, of blue, purple, and scarlet, and fine linen. And all the women whose hearts stirred with wisdom spun yarn of goats’ hair.”
6. “The rulers brought onyx stones, and the stones to be set in the ephod and in the breastplate, and spices and oil for the light, for the anointing oil, and for the sweet incense.”
Male or female, common person or leader, all of them who had “willing hearts” brought an offering.
Each one of us brings something to our job every day. We may have different roles and responsibilities, but when they are brought together, it makes for a beautiful finished product!
The “freewill” part of our job is the commitment to having a positive attitude and giving our very best to our teammates and those we serve.
