Daily D – Exodus 25:1-7

by | Jan 25, 2024 | Daily D | 0 comments

David G Bowman Logo

Exodus 25:1-7  The Lord spoke to Moses: “Tell the Israelites to take an offering for me. You are to take my offering from everyone who is willing to give. This is the offering you are to receive from them: gold, silver, and bronze; blue, purple, and scarlet yarn; fine linen and goat hair; ram skins dyed red and fine leather; acacia wood; oil for the light; spices for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense; and onyx along with other gemstones for mounting on the ephod and breastpiece.“ (CSB)

Our city provided its annual hazardous waste and recycling event. We had a couple of things to offload and joined the queue in the parking lot of the city maintenance offices. The pickup in front of us had a camper shell over the bed. Within were all kinds of paint cans and similar scrap and refuse. It’s a pretty good bet that guy’s wife had been looking forward to that day for a while. 

We did not get to dump our stuff. We have some scrap metal and a tire we need to part with. We were told where else we could go with these items. They are, however, still in our possession. 

I purge stacks of paper every year or so. The stacks are smaller these days since we use much less paper and more electronic documents. It still feels good to Dumpit to Crumpit. 

We renovated our office building some years ago. We dumped and recycled to our limits several times over. One member of our staff took things away without telling us where. I’m not sure I want to know if his activity was legal or not. 

When the Hebrews left Egypt, the Egyptians were so favorably disposed toward them that they loaded them down with loot. (See Exodus 12:35, 36.) It doesn’t take long for a load of loot to become an unwanted burden when you have to tote it with you everywhere you go. 

When God told Moses to ask for an offering, this group of people who would spend the rest of their lives wandering in the wilderness were extraordinarily generous in giving what they had. More than enough was given. 

It’s much easier to bear heat, elevation changes, and rugged turf if you don’t have a pack on your back and your arms filled with pretty stuff of no practical value in the wilderness. 

What could you give away today that would enrich or delight someone else while at the same time lightening your load?

Who could benefit from what you no longer use?

I found a sword in a box yesterday. It’s not mine. Someone left it behind while moving on to what’s next. Of course, I recently gave away my sword, Sting, from The Lord Of the Rings, to my four-year-old granddaughter. And let me say, this is not as careless as it sounds. Her father is a Marine whose dress uniform has a saber. He has one of the other swords from the The Lord Of the Rings. They take these out and place them where they can reach them as necessary while watching Bilbo, Frodo, Gandalf, and Strider fight off orcs and other minions of Sauron.

Note: Please provide the discipline and protection of a well-seasoned Marine when children are around swords, knives, guns, and such. Help them understand these are tools, not toys. Help them understand as well that, unlike video games, we only get one life.

Back to our main point: We walk around many treasures others would treasure even more than we do. Photographs and memories suit us as well as the items themselves. Today is a good day to bless someone with stuff you will never again use. My bride will get to this point in this essay and begin making plans for my books. We can give away what others will consider junk one day, but we cannot give away our friends without assurance they are making new friends. 

I will lighten my load and brighten another’s life with treasure whose true value resides in my heart and mind. 

Our Father, who could use what I hoard? Whose life could I enrich with what I do not need? What would bless others now that someone will one day consider junk when they clean out and throw away what I leave behind? Amen. 

0 Comments

Submit a Comment

CONNECT WITH ME!

Interested in learning more about Church Unique or Life Younique? Send a note through the Get In Touch box or Message me through the Facebook link above.

          Church Unique Logo          Auxano Logo

GET IN TOUCH!

READ MY BLOG!

Daily D – Acts 20:22-24

Acts 20:22-24 “And now I am on my way to Jerusalem, compelled by the Spirit, not knowing what I will encounter there, except that in every town the Holy Spirit warns me that chains and afflictions are waiting for me. But I consider my life of no value to myself; my purpose is to finish my course and the ministry I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of God’s grace.”

Daily D – Acts 16:14

Acts 16:14 A God-fearing woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth from the city of Thyatira, was listening. The Lord opened her heart to respond to what Paul was saying.

Daily D – Acts 13:9

Acts 13:9 But Saul — also called Paul — filled with the Holy Spirit, stared straight at Elymas

Daily D – Acts 12:24

Acts 12:24 But the word of God spread and multiplied.

Daily D – Acts 9:19-22

Acts 9:19-22 And after taking some food, he regained his strength. Saul was with the disciples in Damascus for some time. Immediately he began proclaiming Jesus in the synagogues: “He is the Son of God.”
All who heard him were astounded and said, “Isn’t this the man in Jerusalem who was causing havoc for those who called on this name and came here for the purpose of taking them as prisoners to the chief priests?”
But Saul grew stronger and kept confounding the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving that Jesus is the Messiah.