Whispers of Grace
Walking with God is filled with mountaintops and valleys. Join passionate yet flawed Jesus-lover and mother of four Julie Colbeth as she delves into the Scriptures with a refreshingly honest perspective that will bring hope and encouragement to your day.
Whispers of Grace
For His Eyes Only: Rediscovering Pure Motivation in Christian Service (Part 1 of 3)
The Life of Moses- Episode #32 (Part 1 of 3) 🩺 Have you ever questioned your purpose or wondered if you're spending your time on the right things? Once we are do start serving and working in our calling, how do we maintain the right heart and motivation?? Today's episode dives deep into the heart of service by examining the building of the Tabernacle in Exodus 35.
When Moses invited the Israelites to donate materials for God's dwelling place, he revealed some solid principles that can transform how we approach service today. This episode challenges us to examine our motivations in all areas of service. Whether you're uncertain about your gifts or have been serving for years, this message will help you rediscover the purpose and purity in your service to God.
Kia ora, and welcome to Whispers of Grace, a place for women to be encouraged by God's Holy Word. I'm your host, julie Colbeth, and I am overjoyed to dig into the Bible with you today. Kia ora, friends, and welcome back to Whispers of Grace. I am so happy to have you here as we continue our walk through the life of Moses. Do you ever have those days or long nights where you're wondering what your life is really for and questioning if you're spending your time on the right things? I've had long seasons of being in between things that felt really, really long and I felt absolutely useless. I constantly asked the Lord what am I for? I still ask that question a lot. Understanding your calling and purpose is so essential to living a confident and fulfilling life, and I'm just so excited to get into all of this with you guys today. And I'm just so excited to get into all of this with you guys today. God has placed us in a beautiful little bundle of examples to examine in Exodus, to help us answer these questions and do some really deep soul-searching. So this is the first episode in a mini-series where we will be looking at a few things the Israelites donating items to build the tabernacle, the artisans that crafted God's house. We're going to read about the elders that were called to support Moses and dive into establishing the priesthood, and then, finally, we're going to reflect on the mistakes of Nadab and Abihu that offered profane fire before the Lord. The three episodes will be called Mot method and mistakes. Today we're going to be getting into motivation, which is the perfect place to start. We all need to examine why we choose to serve God and others, so let's open up our hearts and our hands and hear what God would say to us today.
Julie:So where we are in the book of Exodus, chapter 35, and the life of Moses. Israel is rapidly changing as a nation. If you remember for a minute their origins, the nation of Israel started out with a man named Abraham that God spoke to and called out of his homeland. Abraham's calling and covenant with God passed on to his son, isaac, and then his grandson, jacob, whose name God changed to Israel. And it's from this man and his wives, leah and Rachel, that the 12 tribes of Israel were born. Those boys betrayed their brother Joseph by selling him into slavery. But remember, god had plans that they didn't understand and he used that betrayal to bring Joseph to power in Egypt. Now, eventually, all of those brothers and their families moved down to Egypt following a massive famine, and eventually they were enslaved after they lost their connection to Pharaoh. So 400 years passed as Israel multiplied in the midst of this pagan nation.
Julie:And that is when Moses enters the scene. God sends his enslaved people, a leader, to usher them out of Egypt and into the promised land, but now at the foot of Mount Sinai. These recently freed slaves that have the call and the promises of God in their lives are being shaped into a nation. It's here that they're given a more specific identity and culture and a rhythm of life through Sabbath and festival observances, commandments and rules to govern life. The sacrificial system is set up, the priesthood is established and the tabernacle is erected. There's so much happening here at the base of Mount Sinai, roughly three months freed from slavery, and this massive family of millions is shaped and the terms of the covenant with God are expanded.
Julie:So the rest of the book of Exodus and the books of Leviticus and Numbers outline all the details of establishing this nation, and then all those details are revisited again in the book of Deuteronomy, which is spoken by Moses to a new generation of Israelites. It was his last act as Israel's leader to narrate Israel's story back to them and remind them of the covenant and the laws that God had passed to them. So, for our purposes, I'm going to continue to follow the life of Moses, but I'm going to weave in different themes as I see them emerge, because it's spread over so many of these books. So as I was looking through the next huge pieces of scripture that follow the Mount Sinai accounts, I saw a theme of purpose and service, and at the end of my last episode I shared one of my favorite scriptures 2 Corinthians 3, 4-6, and it's in the same heart of the scripture that I want to continue in today. It says this and we have such trust through Christ, toward God, not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God, who has made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter but of the spirit, for the letter kills but the spirit gives life.
Julie:Did you know that if you are a blood-bought believer of Jesus Christ, then you are called and gifted into service for the Lord? Because maybe you hear the words ministry or service thrown around and you don't feel like those terms apply to you at all. They apply to a pastor or a missionary or an elder, a priest, a bishop or a deacon at your church, but you don't associate those terms with yourself and you don't really think of yourself in service to the Lord. Or maybe you don't feel worthy to be serving God because you don't think your skills fit the description of service to the Lord. Today, as we dive into a few different texts, let's just have open hearts to hear what God would say to us.
Julie:It's interesting to note that in God's perfect world, all the way back in Genesis, god created a beautiful garden and then he created man to live and work in that garden with him. Exodus 2.15 says Then the Lord God, took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and to keep it. Since the beginning, god created and man was put to work caring for the earth. While this God-ordained work or service was happening, they also enjoyed fellowship with God. Scripture tells us that they walked in the garden together, no doubt enjoying and discussing all that was around them. I can just imagine Adam telling God about the names that he chose for the animals and his plans for this amazing garden, talking about the taste of the fruit that was coming off of these trees. I'm sure their fellowship was beautiful. But our reality today is vastly different from this scene, because sin has corrupted the perfection that God created in Eden, but the simple concept of God creating and humans working within that plan. It still endures because God is still the giver of good gifts, he still fellowships with us. Us and we are still called to serve in his world.
Julie:Now I'm going to share a verse with you that I really want us to try to tune into, because it really sets each of us in a place to be a part of what God is doing here on the earth. 1 Peter 4, 10-11 tells us Do you have the gift of helping others? Do it with all the strength and energy that God supplies. Then everything you do will bring glory to God through Jesus Christ. All glory and power to Him forever and ever. Amen. Do you hear this message? God has equipped you and called you to be an active part of his plan. It's not just for your pastor or missionaries. He has gifted you for service. These verses in Peter heartily tell us to use our gifts to serve one another and to do it with all of the strength and energy that God supplies. You are called to minister. As we get into Exodus today, I want you to keep these encouragements in mind.
Julie:The first piece of our text today is in Exodus 35, verses 4 through 9. We're going to see that God wanted to work with the people of Israel to build his house, the tabernacle, it says. Then Moses said to the whole community of Israel this is what the Lord has commanded. Take a sacred offering for the Lord. Let those with generous hearts present the following gifts to the Lord Gold, silver and bronze, blue, purple and scarlet thread, fine linen and goat hair for cloth, tanned ram skins and fine goat skin, leather, acacia wood, olive oil for the lamps, spices for the anointing oil and the fragrant incense, onyx stones and other gemstones to be set in the ephod and the priest's chest piece. So Moses made a proclamation that the Lord's place of worship was going to be built, just as God had instructed Moses on Mount Sinai, and the materials to assemble God's house were to be supplied by the Israelites. God's dwelling place among man was about to be built and he invited the people of Israel to be a part of that work.
Julie:I want to take some time and just hone in on verse 5, because there are a lot of great things to take away from this simple scripture. It reads take a sacred offering for the Lord. Let those with generous hearts present the following gifts to the Lord. Now I see a few things in this verse worth pointing out. Number one the whole community of Israel is invited to be involved in the work of the tabernacle. No one was excluded from supplying things to build God's house. They were all invited to partake in the blessing of giving to God. This reminds me of God's invitation in the Garden of Eden for man to walk alongside him and work in his garden. There is a beautiful unity born through this invitation. Everyone worked together to achieve the goal of building the sacred space for God. The community would all be seen as equals in this work, even though Israel had sinned and screwed up many times before this moment. They've complained and doubted God every step of the way. They built a golden calf and worshipped it, yet God, because of his covenant promises to Abraham, his great mercy and his undying love, still invited Israel to be a part of building his house. God's heart for partnership is amazing and it can soothe even the most condemned hearts among us.
Julie:If you feel unworthy to help build the house of God, to call yourself a servant of the king, to be involved in building the kingdom of God. No, your worth does not rest on your ability to perform perfectly, but it rests on Christ's completed work on the cross that removes all the stains of your sins. Yesterday, today and tomorrow. You stand as a priest before the Lord because of his work on the cross. Your shortcomings can't overcome the grace of God. You can't undo the work of the cross through your failures. You are called forgiven. Holy, beloved saints and priests because of Jesus. Israel didn't earn the ability to partake in the work of building God's house. They were gifted this honor because of the faithfulness of God's love and his desire to partner with his called out ones. We are not perfect, far from it, but God delights in using weak and imperfect things to highlight his greatness. He is big enough to overcome every obstacle, and he makes the biggest messes beautiful. So rejoice, my friends. Like Israel, we are all invited to build God's house.
Julie:1 Corinthians 12 talks about spiritual gifts that are given to the whole body of believers. If you've put your trust in Jesus Christ, that means you too. You've been given something to share with others, to build up the body of Christ. You have a part to play in the family of God. Every single person is unique and valuable and invited to be a part of building God's kingdom.
Julie:I want to read out 2 Corinthians 3, 4-6 for you again, because it is the heart of this message. And we have such trust through Christ toward God. Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God, who has made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter, but of the spirit, for the letter kills, but the spirit gives life. God has paid the price. He has called you out of darkness and into his glorious light to be a part of what he is doing. Are you showing up to work and to walk in the garden with God? To work and to walk in the garden with God?
Julie:The second thing that I see in Exodus 35, 5 is that the offerings that Israel brings to build God's house are not to be given for the sake of Moses, or to prove the status of the giver, or to be seen by other people. It says that these gifts were offered to the Lord and given for him alone. This slight detail makes all the difference in the world and it speaks volumes about our heart intentions. Israel was told that their offerings were being brought to the Lord and for the Lord's use alone. If we could apply this simple mentality to our areas of service, our lives could really be transformed.
Julie:Personally, I know that I need to check my heart motivation on a daily basis Not that I always do, but I know I need to. I find that I can easily slip into just ticking boxes in my mind and I don't understand why I'm really even doing things sometimes, and often the real reason is quite shameful. I like to be thought of well by others. I want to be loved and respected and noticed and thought of. I often want to prove to myself that I'm worth the price that Jesus paid for me or I need to feel needed or important.
Julie:When we offer to help at church, are we doing it because we feel guilty or pressured? When you watch your neighbor's kids or you help someone move into a new house, are you doing it to be seen by others or fulfill some unwritten requirement? When you bring a meal to a new family on the block or put in extra hours at work to complete a job? Are you doing it to make yourself feel useful or more important when you drive your kids to soccer practice or go to prayer meeting in the evening when you're tired, is it to prove something to yourself? When you give financially or of your time, who are you looking to please? What is your heart motivation?
Julie:Do you know who ticked every box and never missed a Sabbath or feast day, always gave to the poor and read the scriptures more than anyone? The Pharisees. They literally tithed from their herb garden and put in hours of observance and community outreach, but their hearts were corrupt, self-serving. They were prideful and empty, puffed up and vain. Our heart's intent is essential to examine and examine often. These are the people that Jesus despised the most and spoke out against, even though they were ticking every box and looked like they were faithful followers on the outside.
Julie:This is the crux of the Sermon on the Mount, which is the longest recorded sermon that we have of our Lord. He wanted to show everyone that following the rules really meant nothing if the inner man was corrupt. He showed that without the touch and the power of God, man's absolute best efforts would never satisfy God's requirements. So back to our text. In Exodus, god only wanted items donated to the work of his house that were given for his sake alone and not for a lesser reason. Are you giving of yourself and your time to please an audience of one? Are we solely motivated by our love for God? Do we serve and bring our gifts straight to Jesus for his glory alone? I think this is one of our biggest challenges in walking with God. Because God, help us. Our hearts are deceitful and wicked and it's our job to be constantly turning our lives and our hearts over to Jesus and letting him do his work of conviction. He's always aiming to conform us more and more into his image.
Julie:A prayer of David from Psalm 139, verses 23 and 24, is very helpful for sifting motives. It says search me, oh God, and know my heart, try me and know my anxieties and see if there's any wicked way in me and lead me in the way everlasting. I love the New Living Translation of it. It says this search me, oh God, and know my heart, test me and know my anxious thoughts, point out anything in me that offends you and lead me along the path of everlasting life. We need the Holy Spirit to consistently do the work of pointing out what is offensive to God and our service for him. We need to do the work of God in the way that he has prescribed it to be done. We need to live and move and breathe for an audience of one.
Julie:Now, I know that this is not easy. Many of us perform service every day, especially those of us that are parents, because we are constantly pouring out to our kids, and I think that's where things can get a bit confusing, because you have these instincts as parents to care for your kids. But it is also exhausting and we often do it out of duty. But how different would it be if we could see our service to our children as service to God and we woke up and made them breakfast and got them to school, or cleaned snotty noses in the middle of the night and tied shoes for the thousandth time and played the same game and read the same book over and over again, not just because we love our children, but because we love our God. And I'm telling you, when I serve my kids to the glory of God, I last so much longer as a parent, I'm a better mother, I have more patience, because it's not about this kid who doesn't even realize what they're getting. Most of the time, right, they don't see it, but God does, and he has called me to serve my kids. So I think this is one of the areas that I apply this to pretty directly, because God has given me four amazing kids that I am called to be their mama. But if I serve them for their own sake I will burn out, I will be exhausted, I will be frustrated. But if I can serve them, because I know that Jesus has called me to do it and I'm really serving him, his children, that I can do over and over again without thanks because it is for him. So let's try and take this mindset and apply it to all the areas of service that God has given us.
Julie:The third thing that I see in our text today is that the items that were donated to build the tabernacle were to be given in a spirit of generosity. I'll read our verse again to remind you. Exodus 35, 5 says the tabernacle would only contain items that were sourced from an overflowing and willing heart. There was absolutely no compulsion to give to the work of building God's house, the Hebrew word used in verse 5. That is translated as generous or willing. In some translations is also used to describe a prince or a noble. This word gives the idea that the items that were given were from a noble or princely heart, a magnanimous heart that was free and willing and not coerced or pressured at all. It was a gift that could not be demanded or forced, but was offered with a ready, generous, willing spirit.
Julie:It's amazing to see that God had equipped his people with all that was required for the work of the tabernacle before it was even needed. If you'll remember, back when the Israelites were being freed from slavery in Egypt, god told them to ask their Egyptian neighbors for treasures as they were leaving. Exodus 12, 36 tells us. And the Lord gave the people such favor in the sight of the Egyptians that they granted their request. In this way they plundered the Egyptians. The Lord had made the Egyptians favorably disposed toward the people and they gave them what they asked for. So they plundered the Egyptians. So it was the Egyptians that supplied the Israelites with the items that they are now donating, in this section of scripture, to the work of their tabernacle.
Julie:This just goes to show us that God knows what he's doing. He is not broke. He does not need to beg or manipulate people into giving. If you ever encounter Christians that act as though the work of the ministry will fall apart unless you give now, please know that this is not a reflection of God's heart, but evidence of a spirit of fear or greed. The true work of God is sustained by his spirit, because God is not in need of anything. He is the God that fed Elijah with ravens, he miraculously extended the widow's oil, he pays taxes from the mouth of a fish, he multiplies loaves and fish, he owns the cattle on a thousand hills, and his true work will continue, with or without us. He is sovereign and he does not need the works of man to accomplish his goals. God invites us to be a part of what he's doing. He welcomes us into fellowship and service with him, through him and for him. But the reason we serve and the reason we give is because our hearts overflow with love and gratitude and, yes, obedience to God as well. But that obedience is a God-facing one. God is our master and he tells us to pick up our cross and follow him. We obey him because he is God, but he never wants it to be a cold-hearted obedience that is based in a pharisaical heart.
Julie:It's worth taking a look at the areas of service or giving, and asking God to reveal our deepest motivations behind them. Are you overflowing with joy when you give to the work of the Lord? 2 Corinthians 9 7 says you must each decide in your heart how much to give, and don't give reluctantly or in response to pressure, for God loves a person who gives cheerfully. I love the Greek word for cheerful in this verse. It's the root word for hilarious. God loves a hilarious giver. God wants us to be smiling and joyful when we give of our money or our time and our efforts. He is worthy to be served in this manner.
Julie:And before we wrap up, I want to read the section in Exodus that tells us about Israel's response in giving for the work of the tabernacle. Exodus 35, 20 through 29 reads so the whole community of Israel left Moses and returned to their tents. All whose hearts were stirred and whose spirits were moved came and brought their sacred offerings to the Lord. They brought all the materials needed for the tabernacle, for the performance of its rituals and for the sacred garments. Both men and women came. All whose hearts were willing, they brought to the Lord their offerings of gold brooches, earrings, rings from their fingers and necklaces. They presented gold objects of every kind as a special offering to the Lord.
Julie:All those who owned the following items willingly brought them Blue, purple and scarlet thread, fine linen and goat hair for cloth and tanned rimskins and fine goatskin leather. And all who had silver and bronze objects gave them as a sacred offering to the Lord. And those who had acacia wood brought it for the use in the project. All the women who were skilled in sewing and spinning prepared blue, purple and scarlet thread and fine linen cloth. All the women who were willing used their skills to spin the goat hair into yarn. The leaders brought onyx stones and the special gemstones to be set in the ephod and the priest's chest piece. They also brought spices and olive oil for the light, the anointing oil and the fragrant incense. So the people of Israel, every man and woman who was eager to help in the work the Lord had given them through Moses, brought their gifts and gave them freely to the Lord. Did you catch how often the word all was used? God moved in the hearts of everyone who was gifted in various areas to be a part of the work. And in the next chapter down, we're told that Moses had to tell the people to stop bringing items because they already had more than enough for the project.
Julie:The people of God rallying together to complete a divine task is one of the most beautiful things to witness. This is how the church is to function. God designed us to work as a team. You are a valuable member of that team, even if you don't know what your role is yet. Ephesians 4.16 says he makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love. That is how God designed us to work together.
Julie:So if you don't know what your role is yet, press into prayer and ask God what he's gifted you to do, and ask your friends and family members what they see in you, because often the people that are closest to us can see things that we judge too harshly in ourselves. If you are already serving, this is a good time to do a heart check. Are you serving to please God? Are you working and serving for some lesser reason? Are you serving from a willing heart that is overflowing with generosity and joy. Was there some compulsion somewhere? Are we looking to please or to impress man or God?
Julie:These are all great questions that we need to ask ourselves over and over again, because often we start out like the Israelites giving freely and joyously, but somewhere along the way we start to get jaded. We get impatient or prideful, unkind and judgmental, self-righteous or burned out because our hearts have gone astray. It's really easy to forget our why and for our eyes to slip from looking at Jesus. This is why the word tells us to fix our eyes on Jesus, who is the author and the finisher of our faith. We need to be working for that audience of one, just for him. We need to keep ourselves motivated and centered by remembering that Jesus came before us and he will never leave us or forsake us. He is the finisher of our faith. He is the one that brings things to completion. Faith, he is the one that brings things to completion.
Julie:Philippians 1.6 tells us he who began a good work in you will complete it until the day of Christ Jesus. That is a promise that you can believe in. I'm going to leave you with the encouragements of the Apostle Peter from 1 Peter 4.10-11. God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts, so use them well to serve one another. Do you have the gift of speaking, then speak as though God himself were speaking through you. Do you have the gift of helping others, do it with all the strength and energy that God supplies, then everything you do will bring glory to God through Jesus Christ. All glory and power to him forever and ever. Amen. Thank you.
