Tag: tabernacle

Attention to Details

On By vickleaIn praise, Scripture, testimony1 Comment

My husband constantly reminds me that I am a “detail person.” I notice things that others might not notice, like one thing out of place in a room full of things. He says I am a Type A personality and he is probably right. I think of it as modeling God because God pays attention to details. If you don’t believe me, read the description that He gave to Moses about how to prepare and set up the tabernacle.

Notice that word “exactly.” God had a plan and he trusts Moses to carry it out, exactly as He has shown him. God has a plan for each of us, too and we have to ask for directions daily about what we are to do that day to carry out His plan for us.

We are the Lord’s dwelling place here on earth, and just as He has exact plans for the tabernacle, He created each of us in a unique way and just the way He wants us to be. I used to question God’s wisdom in giving me defective lungs, one kidney and an extra rib. But I got over that a long time ago. What a blessing it is to be able to share with people that I didn’t even know I have a single kidney until I was in my 50’s. That single kidney has continued to do its job well, even though the doctors say I am in Stage 3 kidney failure. I go to see my nephrologist every few months (today is the day again!) who does lab work and encourages me to eat the foods my kidney will process and omit the foods that it can no longer handle. So, my diet is low sodium because of my stroke and low potassium and low nitrates because of my kidney. Do I miss not being able to have foods like potatoes and bananas and few carrots and salad mix? Honestly, not so much anymore. But when I first had to give them up, I was not a happy camper. Now, I am used to it. And I don’t think God made a mistake in creating me this way. It’s my “thorn in the flesh” that lets me be a better witness for Jesus. God is a God of details and the fact that I was born with one kidney was not a surprise to Him. When my kidney started not working as well, God didn’t say, “Really? That’s strange. I never expected that!” God knew that detail already and was prepared to bring me down this path of life, holding my hand and leading me the whole way, even during my whining phase.

I may not be 100% the way I would like to be, but I know that I am perfectly made in God’s eyes. Just as He told Moses how to make the tabernacle, God had a plan for how I would be made and it has been a good one for over seventy years. As I told my children, I am not leaving this earth until God tells me it’s time. He created me, established my number of days on the earth and my various health issues don’t change His plans for me.

God is not a mediocre Creator who halfway does His job and then sits back idly waiting for bad things to happen to what He created. Not at all! God pays attention to every detail and is an excellent and loving Creator. Much as I notice small details in rooms I have visited before, God notices every detail of our lives. He created each of us and called that creation. “Very good.” I want to use all of the time that He has given me on earth to glorify Him, giving Him praise for the wonderful work He did when He made me and the continued good work that He is doing daily in my soul as He reaches out to me daily and gives me His loving wisdom from His Word. May each of you remember to praise God today, thanking Him that you are His living tabernacle!

God and Details

On By vickleaIn Scripture3 Comments

In one of my devotionals, we are studying the book of Exodus and just got to the chapters about building the tabernacle. Goodness! Such minute attention and detail God gives to each part of that Holy dwelling! The curtains, a certain length, the altar a certain wood, everything measured and made just so. As I read, I got a little weary with the all of the minutiae, but God spoke clearly into my heart and asked me aren’t I glad that He is concerned with details because that lets me know He cares about the little things in my life. Wow! Talk about getting hit over the head with truth! Nothing is too small that it escapes God’s attention, not when He was instructing the Israelites on building the tabernacle where He would meet with them and not when He is dealing with the little things in my life that are sometimes big things to me.

With that being said, I also studied the a chapter in Hebrews today. From this marvelous book, I got a blessing to share with you and a promise. First, the promise:

We don’t have to be a High Priest to enter in the Most Holy Place. In fact, we don’t have to go into the Most Holy Place to be in God’s presence. He is everywhere we are because of Jesus’s sacrifice for us that provided a way for open communication with the Father. What a blessing that we don’t need to go through priests of any kind but can go before the Father ourselves and make our praises and petitions to Him!

This is a blessing that I will leave you with today. May God truly equip you with all you need to do His will and may He produce in you all that is pleasing to Him. Read the verses, meditate on them, and thank God for these blessings for they are ours to hold on to and cherish. Just another detail that God has included in His Word to show us how much He truly cares!

God Meets Us

On By vickleaIn Scripture2 Comments

Have you ever had to go on a long trip and the person at the other end generously offered to meet you halfway? I did that when I was a teen and going to visit my aunt in North Carolina. And I am doing it in the present time in order to visit my sister who moved to NC last year. My niece meets me and my husband half way, making the trip less arduous for us.

But, did you know that God meets you right where you are? You don’t even have to go halfway! When the Israelites were wandering around in the wilderness, God was right there with them, leading the way in a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. When they built a tabernacle according to what the Lord told them to do, God inhabited it. When Moses visited God there, his face shone with God’s glory. Then, Solomon built the Temple and God was right there, His presence with His people. So, where is God meeting us today?

We are His temple, so He is right here with us always. He gives us His Holy Spirit who dwells in us from the moment that we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior. The Holy Spirit gives us the power we need to be witnesses for the Lord, to face the challenges of daily life and to live a life that honors God. We don’t have to look for God…He is right here inside us. That boggles my mind, and I confess that I don’t totally understand this truth, but I do know that it’s true. I only breathe a prayer about needing comfort or assurance and God is right there. He helps me to help others because I am part of His plan to spread the Good News to mankind. If you are a Christian, you, too, are part of God’s plan and you, too, are His temple on earth until Jesus returns. No more wandering in the wilderness or building huge, fancy buildings. God’s pinnacle of creation was each of us, and we need to do the jobs He left us to do and recognize the power He left for each of us to tap into in order to fulfill His desires for ourselves and others.