He gave instructions... to Moses... for His dwelling place on earth... the tabernacle...
Exactly as I show you concerning the pattern of the tabernacle,
and of all its furniture, so you shall make it.
Exodus 25:3 ESV
Three of the things... the people were called to contribute for its construction... caught my attention...
"You shall command the people of Israel that they bring
to you pure beaten olive oil for the light,
that a lamp may regularly be set up to burn.
Exodus 27:20 ESV
The first... to catch my eye... pure oil...
And I wonder... What is this a spiritual picture of...? this oil that burns...?
I believe... it's passion...
To prepare our hearts... as a sanctuary for Him... we need... pure passion... passion for His Word... for His people... for Him...
"They shall make an ark of acacia wood. ...
You shall overlay it with pure gold,
inside and outside shall you overlay it,
and you shall make on it a molding of gold around it.
Exodus 25:10-11 ESV
The second item required... pure gold...
Not only was the ark to be covered in gold... but all the utensils... lamp stands... and the table for the bread... were to be covered in pure gold...
So what is this gold covering about...? spiritually speaking...?
The thought came... The pure gold overly... represents our righteous actions...
Our presentation to the world... what people see... should be... pure righteousness...
Living a life of right relationships... being Christ-centered... rather than self-centered... a fountain of grace...
Then there's the incense...
And the incense that you shall make
according to its composition, you shall not make for yourselves.
It shall be for you holy to the Lord.
Exodus 30:37 ESV
This incense is to be unique... not used for any other purpose... other than for the Lord...
I believe... the incense... represents... our worship...
He alone... is worthy of worship...
Worship comes in the form of praise... adoration... dependence... all expressed with a heart of prayer...
Let my prayer be counted as incense before you,
and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice!
Psalm 141:2 ESV
These are three of the requirements... three of the items needed... to prepare a heart as a sanctuary for Him...
Checking our hearts... for where we are with these... is the first step... in cleaning up our hearts...
Is our passion pure...? what are we passionate about...? Him...? or the things of this world...?
Our actions...? are they righteous...? full of grace...? or are they divisive...? prideful...? self-centered...?
What do we worship...? Him alone...? is He the One we count on to fulfill our lives...? provide for our needs...?
Hmmm...
Just some thoughts... about preparing a sanctuary... for Him...
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