Read Exodus 25:1-9 & 1 Samuel 16:7

Have you ever tried to put together a gift you got for Christmas? Maybe it’s setting up a new phone? Or putting a basketball hoop together. The instructions go on for days. It’s hard enough to figure out which parts to use, much less how to put it together.

The attention to detail in basketball hoop construction is nothing compared to the attention God paid to every detail in the tabernacle. The tabernacle was a simple yet beautiful idea — a place where God would live among His people. God’s instructions were so specific they would make smartphone designers scratch their head. What was the reason for so much detail?

The items God told the Israelites to use to make the tabernacle — gold, silver, bronze, fine linen, spices, and gems — were not ordinary building materials. These were high quality, top of the line, valuable items. God asked Israel to give Him their best and most precious items, and He promised to do the same in return (Exodus 25:8-9).

This emphasis on giving God our best wasn’t just for the Israelites. God wants us to worship Him with our best as well.
Giving our best is not about how much we give or how fancy our church is. Man focuses on the size of a gift, but God cares about the heart behind it (1 Samuel 16:7). When we give God our first and our best, not our leftovers, it shows that we trust Him and value Him above all else.

Reflect:
What do you value most?

Is there anything in your life that you would not be willing to give to God if He asked? If so, you just identified an idol in your life.

What’s one step you can take this week to give God your best?