Scripture
The entire lampstand, along with its accessories, was made from 75 pounds of pure gold.
~Exodus 37:24, NLT
Quote
Give God your best…He gave His.
Image Quotes
Hang on to your hat, you are about to be shocked. I know you are familiar with the tent used by Moses for worship in the wilderness. You would not compare it to our worship center, right! Actually, it is the other way around, we would not want to compare our sanctuary with that used by Moses and the Israelites. The lampstand by today’s prices was worth over a million dollars. As a matter of fact, if you care to study Exodus 37 and do the math, the metal in the Tabernacle was worth over 32 million dollars. Everything visible in the Holy Place and Holy of Holies was either pure gold or overlayed in pure gold. The tent post were overlayed by silver. They had two altars, the golden altar inside the Holy Place was for prayer {intercession}. The bronze altar by the entrance was for sacrifice or atonement for sin. All the tent stakes were made of bronze. You can see the progression: In the Holy places there was pure gold symbolizing the purity and holiness of God. As you move toward the entrance and humanity, there is bronze.
A couple of observations:
[1] We worship on stained carpet. Why is this a problem? The problem is in the way we think. Most of the women in our church would not allow this stained carpet in their homes but it just the church, right. Moses and the Israelites put the very best into their place of worship because they believed God deserves our best. By the way, they built this 32 million dollar worship center with one offering. We don’t have that kind of money right? On any given Sunday, take a note pad and do an inventory of the parking lot. You will be shocked at how many millions are parked outside our sanctuary. It only takes 20 large SUV’s or full size Trucks to equal a million dollars and there are more than twenty. We are not giving God our best: we give Him what we have left over. It is our attitude, not our pocket book that is the problem.
[2] There are some models of the ancient TABERNACLE. I think there is one in Hot Springs, Arkansas and I have been told there is one in Orlando, Florida. I am making it a goal to visit one or the other this year. If you have been to one or the other: I would be very interested in getting your take on the experience. LORD willing, I am going if there is one still in existance.
I love being retired. I love my new office complex. I love spring. I love 70 degree weather. LORD willing, I will be involved in another ARK today. I am the most blessed man on the planet.
If you missed the Frank Martin interview on ESPN yesterday, it would be worth your time and effort to find it. I cant remember what show I heard it on but it was very moving. Frank was raised by his mom. His dad abandoned he, his sister and his mom when Frank was a boy. It would make a great MOTHER’S DAY story.