Life Community Church
Life Community Church
Day 13 | Dream Big Devotional | Kelly Bridges
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We trace Israel’s slip from bold promises to the golden calf and the mercy that invited them back into generous obedience. We reflect on how willing hearts turn resources into worship and how daily attentiveness helps us partner with God’s work.
• the shift from pledge to impatience and idolatry
• Moses’ intercession and the renewed covenant
• Exodus 35’s call for willing offerings
• obedience reframed as participation, not pressure
• a parenting lens for simple, timely obedience
• daily prayer to notice people in need
• generosity as worship that builds community
God, help me to see the people that you want me to engage today
Welcome And Day 18 Focus
SPEAKER_00Good morning. Welcome to day 18 of our spiritual journey. I am praying that you have found this time really fruitful in your walk with the Lord and that you're hearing from Him and that some of the practices that you've been doing the last 18 days will continue on and it's just not for the 21 days and that we've been doing this for February, but um it put into motion a constant thing for you for the future. Um today we're gonna be in Exodus 35, and I'm gonna uh be piggybacking kind of off of what Shelly's lesson was yesterday. So if you haven't listened to the devotion for yesterday, go do that and then come back. Um so we are in 35. I'm gonna read verse 4 and then we're gonna skip to verse 20. 35, 4. Then Moses said to the whole community of Israel, This is what the Lord has commanded. And then we skip ahead to 20, and it says, So the whole community of Israel left Moses and returned to their tents and were moved. Sorry. All whose hearts were stirred and whose spirits were moved came and brought their sacred offerings to the Lord. They brought all the materials needed for the tabernacle for the performance of its rituals and for the sacred garments. Both men and women came, all who hearts were willing, they brought to the Lord their offerings of gold, brooches, earrings, rings from their fingers and necklaces. They presented gold objects of every kind as a special offering to the Lord. All those who owned the following items willingly brought them purple, blue, and scarlet thread, fine linen and goat hair for cloth, and tan ramskins for the fine goat skin leather. And all who had silver and bronze objects gave them a sacred offering, gave them as a sacred offering to the Lord, and those who had acacia wood brought it in for the use of the project. Um, I want to kind of backtrack a little bit. Yesterday, um, Shelley was in chapter 25, which kind of basically says the same thing, but when you read like 24 through 37, you you figure out these are two different instances, and we'll find out why. Um in 24 though, verse uh chapter 24, verse 3. Moses goes down to the people and repeats the instructions and regulations that the Lord had given him. And all the people answered with one voice, we will do everything the Lord has commanded. Keep that in mind. Okay, so then we move on to 25, 26, 27, and Moses is on Mount Sinai getting the instructions from the Lord for the tabernacle, the burnt offerings, all of you know, everything that needs to go in it, um, the Ten Commandments, and then we come to chapter 32, which doesn't seem like a lot of time, but it's been about 40 days, 40 nights-ish at this point. Um, and the people are getting tired and weary because Moses has not come back yet. So we're just shy of the 40 days and 40 nights. Um, he has not come back, and they're saying, Aaron, make us a God who can lead us. We don't know what happened to this fellow Moses who brought us out of the out of here from the Egypt. So Aaron says, Bring me your gold rings and earrings from the wives of your son, your from your wives, your sons, your daughters, bring them to me, and he bring makes them a golden calf. So Moses comes down the mountain and he comes onto this scene where they're having a festival for the God that they created, and they're worshiping the God that they created. And you know, he throws the tablets down, he breaks the Ten Commandments, some people die. It's a real, you know, kind of a tragedy when you read it. You're like, ew, that was rough, God. Um, and then he goes and he intercedes for Israel. So then we kind of repeat: Moses goes back up the mountain another 40 days, 40 nights, uh, gets a new covenant from the Lord, the Ten Commandments again. And then he comes back down, and that's where we end up in 35, where he actually gives the instructions. The first time they didn't hear the instructions that God had given them because they were disobedient. The second time they were obedient, and he gives the instructions, and that's where he said the whole community comes and he says, This is what the Lord has commanded. Those of you with willing hearts, bring these things before the Lord. And I think I want us to just ponder today and to reflect on that God really just wants obedient hearts, willing hearts, and us to participate in what he is doing. Um, I think as parents, we know that's what we want from our children, just obedient hearts, right? It's like the obedient children are so much more, are so much easier to parent than the disobedient ones, obviously. Um, and I had a situation this weekend where my girls were not being obedient. They did not want to brush their teeth, and I don't know why, for the life of me, that little kids why they don't want to brush their teeth. It's like the hardest thing to get kids to do. And I've had six, and I can tell you all six of them have gone through this the same thing. Um, and so we were trying, I was trying to get us out the door for church. I just need you to go brush your teeth. And it was like, you know, three, four times, and they're rolling around on the couch like they can't function in life. And I was like, okay, you guys, you're gonna have a consequence now because you're not listening to me. And we're on our way to church, and one of them says to me, Do you hate us? I'm like, no, why would I hate you? It's because they got a consequence. And I said to them, Well, do you hate me? Because I asked you to brush your teeth and it's so simple to do, but you didn't want to do it. That doesn't mean you hate me, but you were not being obedient to me. And I need you to just, I need obedient children. I'm trying to get you to be obedient, not just to me, but to your teachers, to other people in your life when they ask you to do things, you need to do it within, you know, within reason, obviously. Um, you need to just do what you're asked. And so I think God looks at us a lot of times like the same way. I just need you to be obedient. I need you to be willing, and I need you to be open to participating in what I am doing. So as you go throughout your day today, just be have wide open eyes. And I pray this a lot from out and about wherever I am. God, help me to see the people that you want me to engage today. Don't let me get so focused on myself that I'm not looking and seeing your creation and the people that are hurting in the world. And so, God just wants our willing hearts and our obedience and our participation in what He's doing. I hope you guys have a great day. Let me pray for us. God, thank you so much that you come and you use us as the vessels to get your work done on the earth. And God, if that looks like bringing you the things that we own to say, here you are, Lord, do within what you what you wish, God, then so be it. If it's God being obedient to talk to someone in a store or pull over on the side of the road to help somebody, God, I pray that we have willing hearts and obedient hearts, and that when we hear your spirit, that we do what you are asking us to do. God, I pray over Life Community Church as we move forward, God, as we continue to grow, that we are people that have willing and obedient hearts, and that we are ready to participate with you and what you have for us. God, thank you so much, and I pray blessings over everyone watching and listening today. In Jesus' name. Amen.