A daily, Bible-based perspective of hope,
encouragement and exhortation.
Daily
Encouragement on
Monday, January
14, 2019
It was nice to get our first snowfall of the new year this last weekend.
This is a view of Espenshade farm which we see at the end of our road as we turn onto Donegal Springs Road.
"The
Importance Of Patterns"
Message
summary: God is
pleased and honored when
we follow the patterns
He sets for His people.
Listen to our message on your audio player.
Listen to our message on your audio player.
"Then have
them make a sanctuary
for Me, and I will
dwell among them. Make
this tabernacle and
all its furnishings
exactly like the
pattern I will show
you" (Exodus 25:9).
"Moses inspected the
work and saw that they
had done it just as
the Lord had
commanded. So Moses
blessed them" (Exodus
39:43).
Early
in our marriage
Brooksyne sewed her own
clothing, as her mother
had done for her and her
siblings. For Brooksyne
sewing her own clothing
became a means of
creativity as well as
thriftiness. For the
last twenty or so years
we have bought most of
our clothing from the
numerous thrift stores
that dot our area since
most of them raise
support for a cause we
are happy to contribute
to.
Early
in our marriage
Brooksyne sewed her own
clothing, as her mother
had done for her and her
siblings. For Brooksyne
sewing her own clothing
became a means of
creativity as well as
thriftiness. For the
last twenty or so years
we have bought most of
our clothing from the
numerous thrift stores
that dot our area since
most of them raise
support for a cause we
are happy to contribute
to. When sewing a
dress or other article
of clothing Brooksyne
started with a
"pattern", tissue paper
outlines of the various
components of the
article of clothing she
was working on. As long
as she followed the
pattern she was able to
make clothing that
looked and fit very
nicely, sometimes making
a few customized
adjustments.
This week let
us consider the concept
of "pattern" in the
Bible.
In
Exodus we read the very
detailed pattern for
making the Tabernacle
which takes up several
chapters for what most
of us find rather
tedious reading
material! Later in
Exodus there is
essentially a repeat of
this pattern and how the
Israelites had followed
through in full
obedience. Few would
count these chapters
among their favorites
but we have them for the
historic record.Today's first verse contains the very first use of the word "pattern" as translated in most standard versions such as the KJV, ESV, NASB, NIV and many others. So let us examine this verse as well as a verse later in Exodus demonstrating the Israelite's strict obedience in following the pattern.
The Lord instructed Moses, "Then have them make a sanctuary for Me, and I will dwell among them." This was a traveling sanctuary for use during their journey to the Promised Land, which ended up lasting forty years, which for most was the remainder of their lives!
"Make this tabernacle and all its furnishings exactly like the pattern I will show you." The instructions are in meticulous detail. These instructions, including the clothing worn by the priests, are covered in Exodus, chapters 25-28.
Later in Exodus we read concerning the completion of the Tabernacle project, "Moses inspected the work and saw that they had done it just as the Lord had commanded. So Moses blessed them." There are a lot of records regarding disobedience and partial obedience in the Bible but here we have an account of full obedience; they had done it "just as the Lord had commanded". This led to a blessing from Moses.
This fundamental teaching reminds us that God is pleased and honored when we follow the patterns He sets for His people.
In a broad sense the Bible provides a pattern on how life works and how we are to live our lives in obedience to God. Each individual will determine whether to follow this pattern or not. Later in the week we'll learn that a foundational responsibility of Christian ministry is teaching and practicing this pattern or we will face inevitable consequences to breaking God's pattern.
Be encouraged today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily
prayer:
Father,
because the Israelites
dwelt in tents in
their wilderness
wanderings, You
instructed that a
tabernacle be
constructed that would
travel with them,
where Your presence
would abide. Surely
the instructions You
provided Moses did not
always make sense nor
would they have fully
understood the purpose
of all the
particulars, yet the
Israelites followed
the instructions,
thereby honoring You
and blessing Moses as
their leader. They
responded to Moses'
instructions by
giving, doing, and
following in total the
directions You laid
out. Help us to
practice obedience
even when we can't see
the end results, for
that is what You ask
of us; to trust You,
yield to You, and
fully obey You. In the
name of Jesus we pray.
Amen.Today's
Suggested
Music and Supplemental Resources
"One Day (When We All Get To Heaven)" Video Matt Redman This was a song our church's choir sang yesterday during the worship service while those who had died over the past year were remembered as their photographs were presented in a power point presentation. Although we knew few that were on the screen it was a warm and honoring remembrance of those who had greatly influenced our lives over the years. Looking out at the congregation from the choir Brooksyne saw many wiping away tears including her own. Tomorrow we expect to place up our choir's version of this song. (They don't post the video until after the Monday evening service.)
Personal Note: In last
Thursday's message we mentioned
our 17˝ year old cat Dottie who
at that time seemed to be doing
reasonably well for her age. On
Friday afternoon Stephen noticed
she couldn't walk and was very
weak overall. We set her up in a
comfortable place and gave her
some milk which she tried to
drink. Ester stayed with her
through Friday night and early
on Saturday morning at 12:27 am
she died in Ester's arms. Apart
from being very weak Dottie did
not seem to be in pain or
distress.
She was the only
female from a litter of four
kittens that a barn cat
delivered in the dilapidated
summer kitchen in our rented
farmhouse three months after our
arrival in Lancaster County in
2001. For a year we rented the
hundred year old farm house
before buying the house where we
now live. Four weeks after the
barn cat gave birth she
disappeared and we became the
sole caregivers of the litter.
We found homes for the other
three kittens but kept Dottie.
Ester, at age 12, loved to
bottle feed Dottie. She also
dressed her, pushed her in a
doll stroller, and often treated
her like a doll which would
cause most cats to hiss,
scratch, and run away. But
Dottie soaked it all up and
became a very endearing pet. We
already miss her presence.
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Personal Mission Statement: "I am created by God to bring Him glory. Through God's Son Jesus Christ I have been redeemed and make it my life's goal to please the Lord. My mission in life is to honor God through my faith and obedience and prepare myself and all whom I may influence for eternity."
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