“All who are skilled among you are to come and make everything the Lord has commanded.”
— Exodus 35:10
After God led the Israelites out of Egypt, God wanted them to recognize that he was making all the good things happen for them, and that meant they needed to worship him. Because they were such a clueless bunch, he gave them specific instructions for how to do that, starting with the place where they were to gather on the Sabbath.
God was still leading the Israelites to the Promised Land, a trip that was going to take forty years, so their place of worship — their tabernacle — had to be sort of portable. But that didn’t mean it should be tacky or thrown together. God knew it would mean a lot more to the people if they each had a part in building it. He had a job for each of them.
This project was to be done only by those who were willing. God still expects us to take part in building his church, whether it’s babysitting in the nursery or making cheer-up cards for the old folks or singing in the kids’ choir — not because we have to, but because we’re willing to share our skills and ourselves.
That’s actually the fun part. With so many “right things to do,” it’s great to have one that is pure joy, all the way.
More to Explore: Romans 12:4 – 5
Girl Talk: What’s one little thing you can do for your church? What about for your family or group of friends?
God Talk: “Jesus, thank you for giving me talents and skills that I can use to serve others. Show me how I can use my gifts to help my church. Amen.”
From That Is So Me by Nancy Rue