I've Found a Fortune!

Scripture: Exodus 25:11, 24, 29 "And you shall overlay it with pure gold, inside and out you shall overlay it, and shall make on it a molding of gold all around." ... "And you shall overlay it with pure gold, and make a molding of gold all around." ... "You shall make its dishes, its pans, its pitchers, and its bowls for pouring. You shall make them of pure gold."

Observation: So much of the tabernacle was made of gold or silver, or was covered in them. When the temple was built later there was gold all over it!

Application: People have rejected Christianity because they are turned off by the idea of having to give money. The first thing that comes to my mind is that there were poor people among the Jews at the time that God spoke these words and yet he still commanded much gold be used.

Answers:
1. Money and riches are the great revealer of the state of my soul. Jesus' words "for where your treasure is, there your heart is" were nothing to sneeze at. At the root of this rejection is materialism. Love God more than money.

2. Interestingly, this has very sharp parallelism with Jesus' response to Judas over the rejection of Mary pouring expensive oil or perfume on Jesus. Jesus called out the greed in Judas' heart and corrected anyone that thought that Jesus was not worth the thousands of dollars worth of oil. Love God more than money.

3. God promised to provide for their needs if they would put him and his commands first. He said two chapters earlier that they would lack nothing (Ex. 23:25-26). Love God more than money.

4. Ultimately, the question to asked is, is God worthy of all my gold? Is his value the highest value of all things? Should my worship of him be of the highest and purest quality? Do I think God is worthy of my best? Do I love God more than money?

When I am willing to give God nothing less than my richest, strongest, purest, and highest praise and worship, then is my understanding of God's worth correct. Then, also, will I be fully and truly satisfied, by that which alone is capable of fully and truly satisfactory in this world. All my good deeds are rubbish compared to his holiness and all my gifts are feeble compared to his glory, yet I will bring my absolute best because that is what he is worth.

Prayer: Change my heart, O God. Let me see you as your are. Let me know and praise your great worth! May I treasure you. May you be my portion and my reward forever! I love you. Amen.