Morning Musing: Exodus 35:10-19

“Let all the skilled artisans among you come and make everything that the Lord has commanded: the tabernacle — its tent and covering, its clasps and supports, its crossbars, its pillars and bases; the ark with its poles, the mercy seat, and the curtain for the screen; the table with its poles, all its utensils, and the Bread of the Presence; the lampstand for light with its utensils and lamps as well as the oil for the light; the altar of incense with its poles; the anointing oil and the fragrant incense; the entryway screen for the entrance to the tabernacle; the altar of burnt offering with its bronze grate, its poles, and all its utensils; the basin with its stand; the hangings of the courtyard, its posts and bases, and the screen for the gate of the courtyard; the tent pegs for the tabernacle and the tent pegs for the courtyard, along with their ropes; and the specially woven garments for ministering in the sanctuary — the holy garments for the priest Aaron and the garments for his sons to serve as priests.” (CSB – Read the chapter)

Although I’ve never read it, there’s a rather famous from several years ago called “I, Pencil.” The whole thing is about how a pencil is made from the standpoint of the pencil itself. Pencils seem like remarkably simple things, but their construction is far more complicated and convoluted of a process than you might imagine. The whole argument of the author is that no one really knows how to make a pencil. It takes all of the different people involved each doing what they know how to do in order to bring one into reality. God was directing the people to build a place for worship, where they could go and experience His presence. Putting it together was going to be a group effort.

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Sticking with It

Pursuing a path of sacrificial living and surrendering to God’s call on our lives are very good and important things to do if we are going to have any chance to experience the growth and expansion of His work in our midst. But as good and important as they are, they cannot be a one-off affair. They have to be something we do and then keep doing over and over again over the long haul of life. This doing and then doing again is the substance of a third thing that is necessary if we want to see God’s work in and through our lives become more than we ever imagined that it could. Let’s talk about this third thing as we continue our series, Together.

Sticking with It

I grew up listening to rock and roll music from the 60s and 70s. That was what my own dad had grown up with and he was either listening to it or singing it or whistling it almost all the time. I took to it about as naturally as walking. It doesn’t hurt that it’s mostly all really good music. One of the songs out of that era I remember listening to more than most is called Cats in the Cradle by Harry Chapin. I suspect many of you have heard the song. It’s about a man who is so busy with work all the years that his son is born and growing up that he misses all the key moments and milestones in the boy’s life. Then, when things have finally slowed down for him and he’s ready to start pursuing a relationship with his son, the son is so busy doing his own life that he doesn’t have time for his dad anymore. It’s really a depressing song to be one of Chapin’s most popular. 

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Giving God Something Worthwhile

God is in the business of growing His kingdom. The primary way He does that is through the faithful labors of the people who have committed their lives to Him in Christ in small (and large) communities all over the world that we call churches. God is growing His kingdom through the ministries of First Baptist Oakboro, and we are on the cusp of taking a big step of faith as we follow Him in pursuit of even more. For the next month, I want to share with you a vision for how to experience more of God’s kingdom-growing work in your own life, as well as to invite you into a journey of experiencing that work alongside of us. The first thing experiencing this incredible work takes is a willingness to say no to the things that might prevent it. That is, it takes a commitment to sacrificial living. Let’s talk about it.

Giving God Something Worthwhile

Do you know what it takes to become a world class athlete? Or a world class woodworker? Or a world class singer? Or a world class anything? It takes just two things. I know that sounds a little crazy to say, but it’s true. It takes only two things. If you have these two things, you can be a world class ____________. The first thing it takes is some level of natural talent for whatever it is. Some people are just naturally good at playing the piano, for instance. Some are naturally good artists. I had a friend in high school who could draw anything. He didn’t really do anything to become that good, he just had a natural ability to take what was in his mind and translate it to a page. Some people have a natural talent for doing math. Different people are good at different things. If you don’t have any talent for something at all, you can probably develop an affinity for it, but there’s always going to be a difference between what you can accomplish with regard to that thing, and what someone who does can.

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