A LIFE LIVED TO HIS GLORY AND HONOUR
SCRIPTURE READING:
Exodus 25:8-9‘Have the people build Me a holy sanctuary so I can live among them. You must build this Tabernacle and its furnishings exactly according to the pattern I will show you.’ (NLT)
1. GOD HAS A PLAN AND A PURPOSE FOR YOU
– In this story we see how God had a plan to build a tabernacle, or a sanctuary.
– The purpose was so that He could have a place where He could meet with His people and live with them.
– It’s always been God’s plan to engage with us and for us to know and experience His presence.
– But the people had a role to play in this plan – they had to build this place of meeting.
– They had to bring what they had and put it towards making the plan a possibility.
– Exodus 25:8 ‘Have the people build Me a holy sanctuary…’
– Part of God’s plan and purpose for your life is for you to make space for Him in your life.
– It is something you have to actively work on and deliberately pursue.
– He wants you to actively pursue Him so that you can experience Him for yourself.
– The truth is that God wants to be with you.
– He wants to make His dwelling (live among) with you.
– Exodus 25:8 ‘…so I can live among them.’
– God has a plan to use your life and to involve you in the process.
– Psalm 90:1 ‘Lord, You have been our dwelling place throughout all generations.’
2. WE NEED TO GET BUSY MAKING ROOM FOR GOD
– In this story the people were on a journey and that journey took them through a wilderness.
– In this wilderness they had frustrations and spent much of their time going round and round the same mountain.
– Now the time had come for them to make a priority out of making space for God in their lives.
– The Lord instructed them to make this space where He could meet with them.
– In each of our lives we need to make space for more of God in our lives.
– We tend to get so busy and distracted that we don’t end up spending time with God or focusing on the Lord.
– We need to restructure our lives so that we make room for Him in our lives, and He can become the priority He should be.
– Even if our journey is long and frustrating and we find ourselves wandering in the wilderness of life, we can redeem the time by making time for God.
– Let us make those quality decisions and set aside time and effort to make room for God in our lives.
3. GOD PROVIDES FOR WHAT HE HAS ASKED US TO DO
– When God told them to build the sanctuary, He told everyone to bring what they had available.
– They brought what they had, and it was exactly what was needed to build the Tabernacle.
– God provided them with what they needed so that they could do what was requested in order to experience Him and His presence in their lives.
– God provides for what He wants to do and for what He wants to see happen.
– If they had decided that they wanted to do more or include more than what He had requested, they would have had to find it themselves.
– This is often where we make our mistake.
– Work with what God has given you, use the time you have and follow the passion He has placed in your heart for Him.
– Don’t get fancy and don’t get distracted by waiting for perfect conditions before you pursue Him.
– Take what you have, give Him your heart and He will work with what you have offered and begin to make Himself a living reality to you.
4. DO EXACTLY AS HE SHOWS YOU TO AVOID ANXIETY
– Following God involves doing what He tells us to do and obeying His instructions.
– Exodus 25:9 ‘You must build this Tabernacle and its furnishings exactly according to the pattern I will show you.‘
– Often when we follow our own ideas or do what seems good to us, we take on burdens and responsibilities that God did not intend for us to carry.
– When we think we can do it (life) on our own or on our own terms we bring anxiety into our lives.
– When we insist on doing it our way, we have to carry something that we were never meant to carry.
– Sometimes we take on so many unnecessary things that the load becomes too much to carry.
– How much better things could be if we just did what He told us to do and learnt to be content with God’s pattern and program.
– He wants to meet with you and show you which way to go.
– Exodus 25:22 ‘I will meet with you and give you all My commands…’
5. IN THE PROCESS GOD WANTS TO WORK IN OUR LIVES
– Your life is important to God.
– He loves you just the way you are but loves you too much to leave you just the way you are.
– He wants each one of us to learn from Him and in the process our very natures can be changed, and we can become more like Him.
– Romans 8:28 ‘And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose for them.’
– This is one of the greatest joys we can know in life, the joy of knowing that we are called for His purposes and plans.
– In my years of being in the ministry, I have discovered that I am at my happiest and at my most fulfilled when I am doing what God destined, called and purposed for me to do. When I take a detour along the road of my own making, I find myself to be anxious and troubled. This is because I need to get back to the main thing and that is loving and serving God and seeking His presence in my life daily.
– At the end of the day God is particularly concerned about us as individuals and He wants to see His nature reflected in our character because of our interaction and relationship with Him.
6. ASK HIM TO LEAD YOU DAY BY DAY
– A life lived to His glory and honour is a life that is determined to pursue Him and to do what He says we should do.
– Our hearts should be open and yield to His leading in our lives.
– Often He will lead us step by step and day by day.
– We may not always see the big picture, but as we do what honours Him in each small decision of the day, we will find we have made progress on the path He has for us.
– Let us stay connected to God.
– Let us do what He shows us to do.
– Let us not do anything that we know He would not have us do.
– Let us follow His example and let us be changed to look more like Him, do more of what He would do and live a life that pleases Him.
– Then our lives will become a living tabernacle, a living sanctuary where we can experience and enjoy His presence.
– And in that place we will find His presence and experience His glory like we have not known it before.
– 2 Corinthians 3:18 ‘So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord – Who is the Spirit – makes us more and more like Him as we are changed into His glorious image.’
– Ask Him to lead you day by day and step by step and live life to His glory and honour.
By Pastor Andrew W. Roebert
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