As I walked through a temple open house, one of our ushers told my group that the reason why the church only wants the best and most beautiful craftsmanship within temples is not to show off or spend money needlessly.
Instead, the usher actually drew a comparison to the tabernacle of ancient Israel.
The Israelites set the pattern of using the best materials that they could, spending countless hours preparing every detail, as a symbol of their sacrifice and dedication to the Lord!
If the tabernacle was going to be used to worship the Lord, then they wanted to put forth their best effort in every single detail.
“And he overlaid it with pure gold within and without, and made a crown of gold to it round about.” (Exodus 37:2)
This lesson from my temple open house usher really stuck with me.
Am I giving my absolute best to the Lord as a symbol of how I feel about Him?
Or is He getting my leftovers from whatever else I have going on that day?
Don’t get me wrong, life is busy and crazy and insane.
With everything I have going on as a mortal human being, it’s not really possible to spend all day every day giving Him my best.
And I hope those questions don’t weigh you down with shame.
Instead, I hope they inspire you to do a little better in some small way.
Can I give more of my best self to the Lord?
Can I make sure He isn’t ever the one getting pushed off my to-do list due to over scheduling?
Can I give Him time when I know my mind is in the best shape it can be?
Do I make sacrifices to give Him time?
My little inspiration, my little nudge from the Spirit in response to these questions probably looks different than yours.
“My best” changes every day.
But just like ancient Israel, I think I can do a little better at choosing to give my best to the Lord as a symbol of what He means to me.
Happy Studying!
-Cali Black
