Extravagance

 Scripture:

“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.”  ‭‭Exodus‬ ‭38‬:‭24‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Observation:

God spared no expense when having the people of Israel build a portable Tabernacle where He could meet with Moses. Just in gold, this is equivalent to $66,246,144 in gold at today’s gold prices. That doesn’t include the silver and the bronze that the people brought for the building of the Tabernacle. Reading through these chapters this morning, I came to realize the incredible detail, precision, and expense of putting this thing together, as a portable worship place.

Application:

It seems nowadays, that we give God the cheapest things we can give Him and call it being frugal or “wise” with His money. When we are installing equipment in our church, we always look for the cheapest solution instead of the best solution. Finances govern our decision making rather than doing things with absolute excellence for our Lord. Sometimes God may want us to go extravagant in our worship and devotion to Him. A couple years ago we did “He is worthy of our very best” as out annual theme. Maybe we didn’t take it far enough. 

Prayer:

Father, help me to walk the balance of giving You the best of the best and being a wise financial steward of God’s money. As a pastor, help me to know where to spend and not compromise. I want to stand before You and hear, “well done good and faithful servant”. I want to do exactly what You want me to do. Help me to give You my very best and yet walk in wisdom. Give our church property so we can build a place for You.

Your Son,

Jeff