Tuesday, May 17 – Exodus 35:22-29

Then all whose hearts moved them, both men and women, came and brought brooches and earrings and signet rings and bracelets, all articles of gold; so did everyone who presented an offering of gold to the Lord. Everyone who was in possession of violet, purple, or scarlet material or fine linen or goats’ hair, or rams’ skins dyed red or fine leather, brought them. Everyone who could make a contribution of silver and bronze brought the Lord’s contribution; and everyone who was in possession of acacia wood for any work of the service brought it. And all the skilled women spun with their hands, and brought what they had spun, in violet, purple, and scarlet material, and in fine linen. And all the women whose heart stirred with a skill spun the goats’ hair. The rulers, moreover, brought the onyx stones and the stones for setting for the ephod and for the breastpiece; and the spice and the oil for the light and for the anointing oil, and for the fragrant incense. The Israelites, all the men women, whose heart moved them to bring material for all the work, which the Lord had commanded through Moses to be done, brought a voluntary offering to the Lord.

Think about the people in your family. How is each person gifted? Are they all gifted in the same way? What about your friends, do they all share the same talents? One of the beautiful things about how God made people is that He gifted everyone differently. We read about this in the New Testament when Paul listed the spiritual gifts (see 1 Corinthians 12), but here we see God did the same thing in the Old Testament. He gave people different abilities and different resources to contribute to the Tabernacle. Though the gifts were different, they were all given voluntarily as offerings to the Lord.

At points in our faith walk, we may start to feel an obligation to serve God and serve Him out of guilt instead of a with a willing heart. The gifts the Israelite people contributed were not spiritual gifts, they were talents or resources they chose to use them for the kingdom of God instead of their own gain. What if the things you own or the job you hold have a deeper purpose than its face value? What if God used your hobbies for His glory? When these people’s hearts were moved by God, they started to see their possessions as more than simply the things they had—these were things they could give. As the people of God, we are called to live a life that glorifies Him in service, attitude, and joy.

• How might your hobbies or work be used for God’s glory?
• What are some of the unique ways God has gifted you in talent or resources?
• Pray and ask God to show you where you can use your gifts to glorify Him.