DCLM Daily Manna 27 March 2023 Devotional By Pastor W. F. Kumuyi — Time To Give
TOPIC: Time To Give (DCLM Daily Manna 27 March 2023)
KEY VERSE: “Speak unto the children of Israel, that they bring me an offering: of every man that giveth it willingly with his heart ye shall take my offering” (Exodus 25:2).
TEXT: Exodus 25:1-22 (KJV)
1 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,
2 Speak unto the children of Israel, that they bring me an offering: of every man that giveth it willingly with his heart ye shall take my offering.
3 And this is the offering which ye shall take of them; gold, and silver, and brass,
4 And blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen, and goats’ hair,
5 And rams’ skins dyed red, and badgers’ skins, and shittim wood,
6 Oil for the light, spices for anointing oil, and for sweet incense,
7 Onyx stones, and stones to be set in the ephod, and in the breastplate.
8 And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them.
9 According to all that I shew thee, after the pattern of the tabernacle, and the pattern of all the instruments thereof, even so shall ye make it.
10 And they shall make an ark of shittim wood: two cubits and a half shall be the length thereof, and a cubit and a half the breadth thereof, and a cubit and a half the height thereof.
11 And thou shalt overlay it with pure gold, within and without shalt thou overlay it, and shalt make upon it a crown of gold round about.
12 And thou shalt cast four rings of gold for it, and put them in the four corners thereof; and two rings shall be in the one side of it, and two rings in the other side of it.
13 And thou shalt make staves of shittim wood, and overlay them with gold.
14 And thou shalt put the staves into the rings by the sides of the ark, that the ark may be borne with them.
15 The staves shall be in the rings of the ark: they shall not be taken from it.
16 And thou shalt put into the ark the testimony which I shall give thee.
17 And thou shalt make a mercy seat of pure gold: two cubits and a half shall be the length thereof, and a cubit and a half the breadth thereof.
18 And thou shalt make two cherubims of gold, of beaten work shalt thou make them, in the two ends of the mercy seat.
19 And make one cherub on the one end, and the other cherub on the other end: even of the mercy seat shall ye make the cherubims on the two ends thereof.
20 And the cherubims shall stretch forth their wings on high, covering the mercy seat with their wings, and their faces shall look one to another; toward the mercy seat shall the faces of the cherubims be.
21 And thou shalt put the mercy seat above upon the ark; and in the ark thou shalt put the testimony that I shall give thee.
22 And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubims which are upon the ark of the testimony, of all things which I will give thee in commandment unto the children of Israel.
MESSAGE:
Marquis de Lafayette was a French officer who provided invaluable assistance to George Washington and the struggling American army during their battles for independence. After the war was over, he returned to France and resumed his life as a farmer of many estates.
In 1783, the harvest was a terrible one, and there were many who suffered as a result. Lafayette’s farms were unaffected by the devastating crop failures. One of his workers offered what seemed to be good advice to Lafayette: “The bad harvest has raised the price of wheat. This is the time to sell”. After thinking about the hungry peasants in the surrounding villages, Lafayette disagreed and said, “No, this is the time to give”.
For the Israelites in our text, it was time to give. The Lord commanded Moses to ask them to give towards the building of the tabernacle of the congregation. The items to be given were specified by God. All would be used towards the construction of the Ark of the Covenant, the Mercy Seat, the altars for incense and the burnt offering, the candlesticks, curtains for the tabernacle, and garments of the priests, etc. They were to give voluntarily, out of a willing heart. It was part of their duty and expression of their thanksgiving to God.
We must take note of the conditions and restrictions of this kind of giving. It was not to be done by non-Israelites. They were not forced or coerced to give; it was something they did willingly. And what was given was strictly used for the purpose – of building a tabernacle.
God’s projects are meant to be executed by His people. He has blessed us with provisions and resources which we must make available to His projects and provide ‘meat’ in His house (Malachi 3:10). When we give willingly and sacrificially, the Lord rewards us abundantly.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
He cannot be spent by God who is not willing to spend for God.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
Deuteronomy 21-24
Deeper Life Daily Manna was written by Pastor W. F. Kumuyi; is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Life Bible Church situated at KM 42 on the busy Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Nigeria.
