Take a moment to read the entire chapter of Exodus 35 before reading the devotional below.
In today’s chapter, it is finally time to build the Tabernacle the way that God instructed. The people have repented. They have returned to God’s ways and instead of using their resources to craft idols they are bringing all that they have to make the building of the Tabernacle possible. Because of the precious gems and materials they received from the Egyptians in Exodus 12, they had the resources. And they gave them to the cause.
I’ve never seen a church building project go down quite like this one. The Spirit of God is moving in the hearts of the people. He is telling them exactly what to give and he is filling men and women with skills to complete the necessary tasks. There is a stirring in the whole community to fulfill the mission given by God. We often think of the early church described in Acts as the model of the body of Christ, but this chapter gives us an earlier example of God’s people as he intended them to be.
Here’s your freedom for today: accomplishing God’s work requires community. You can’t do the Christian journey alone. It is physically and spiritually impossible. The kinds of things God asks us to do are bigger than any one of us. We need help. We need to work together. We need to see that we are each one small part of something much bigger. If you are disconnected from a local church, get plugged in. Be a part of something. Find a church on a mission and do your one part with excellence. Let the Spirit lead you, whether your role is to give or to serve or to build or to preach. Amazing things can happen when we all move in the Spirit together.