Title: Proving Love
Exodus (111) Acts to prove love (Ex 38:21-31)
< Construction cost of tabernacle >
The cost of building the tabernacle was 29 talents and 730 shekels of gold (verse 24), 100 talents of silver and 1775 shekels (verse 25), and 70 talents and 2400 shekels of bronze (verse 29). One talent is about 30 kilograms, and a shekel is 10 grams, so one talent is about 3,000 shekels. 29 talents is 29X30 = 870 kilograms, and 730 shekels is 7.3 kilograms. Therefore, the total amount of gold spent was 877.3 kilograms. The price of the rest of silver, brass, twelve precious stones and other items other than gold cannot be accurately calculated, but a simple estimate is likely to cost more than 20 billion won.
You can see how much God and the people of Israel valued the tabernacle by paying such a high price. You can feel the heart, devotion, and faith of the people of Israel as they try to build the tabernacle at such a high price.
The best measure of a person's faith quality is determined by how the substance is used. In other words, where you spend your money determines where your interests and values are. There is a Western proverb that says money talks. As the saying goes, spending money speaks volumes about your faith and values.
Then, after believing in Jesus, “Have your attitudes to spend money really changed, and have your values of money really changed?” You should be able to honestly answer the questions you ask. If a certain believer says he loves God, meets with friends and spends hundreds of thousands of won on eating and disappearing, and doesn't waste a lot of money on educating his children, but feels sorry for the tens of thousands of won he offers to God. have the right to doubt.
< Acts to prove love >
Money reflects the values of the person behind it. Ultimately, “What do I want to spend my money on? Where do I want my money to show my interest?” This is an important question to always ask when it comes to spending money. Asking for money and asking for blessings without a serious answer to that question is neither pleasing to God nor giving what you ask for.
Use your material to help your neighbors in particular in need. Humans can only live by giving and receiving hearts. In addition, you need to be frugal in your material life and learn to share in order to gain deep spirituality. Develop the ability to live with material needs, but with less impact. Everything in the world is temporary. I am happy to share it before losing it all. Possession and happiness are not necessarily proportional, but sharing and happiness are. Because when you share material, you get neighbors to live with.
If a missionary gets sick, we need to support more. How do we live if we stop sponsoring at that time? How bittersweet would it be if missions became ‘work-centered’ rather than ‘people-centered’? So, in his ailing body, he even did the hard chores to earn a living. He was once a famous missionary, but he was ill and had a very difficult life. Even now, I am doing my best to do missionary work as far as I can. Wouldn't it be great if precious materials were shared for such people?
The problem of setting the value of money and the problem of the Christian's right view of materialism are questions that must be asked in order to become a blessed saint. Above all, make giving and sharing for good things really enjoyable and joyful. The Apostle Paul said that knowing how to share and empty your pockets is an act that proves the sincerity of love (2 Corinthians 8:8). Be blessed saints who always please God through a sanctified material life.