More Than Enough happens to be a song by Chris Tomlin. It’s about how God’s supply is more than enough for our needs. I’ve borrowed the title, but tonight I was thinking about something other than his song. Take a look at these verses from Exodus 36:
2 And Moses called Bezalel and Oholiab and every craftsman in whose mind the Lord had put skill, everyone whose heart stirred him up to come to do the work. 3 And they received from Moses all the contribution that the people of Israel had brought for doing the work on the sanctuary. They still kept bringing him freewill offerings every morning, 4 so that all the craftsmen who were doing every sort of task on the sanctuary came, each from the task that he was doing, 5 and said to Moses, “The people bring much more than enough for doing the work that the Lord has commanded us to do.” 6 So Moses gave command, and word was proclaimed throughout the camp, “Let no man or woman do anything more for the contribution for the sanctuary.” So the people were restrained from bringing, 7 for the material they had was sufficient to do all the work, and more.
In order to build the tabernacle according to God’s instructions, the Hebrews were asked to donate the materials. Carpenters, goldsmiths and seamstresses were asked to do the skilled labor. In this passage, stuff just poured in until Moses had to command them to STOP giving. Wow. Can you imagine that happening today? What if the ushers had to push people away from the offering plates because they were full? What if the soup kitchen had more food than they had hungry people to feed? What if the local coat closet was busting at the seams, and they ask people to stop giving them winter coats, gloves and scarves? The Hebrews had an abundance of materials because they had basically plundered Egypt as they were leaving. They didn’t steal anything; the Egyptians not only let them leave, they begged them to take whatever they wanted and get out. They were commanded to leave quickly. God provided them with an abundance of loot before asking them to make a donation.
Whatever God asks us to do, he has already provided us with more than enough to do it with. Whether its material, or finances, or talent and ability, God provides for us all we need and more, then asks us to trust him with it. Whatever God has called us to, he equips us to be able to do. Even if we can’t see it yet. God knows what he can do; sometimes he just wants to prove it to us.
September 11, 2001. Chances are you remember exactly where you were and what you were doing when you first heard the news. We spent the next several hours – perhaps days – listening to the radio and watching the news reels again and again. It’s been nine years, and with debate raging over a Ground Zero mosque and Terry Jones’s Burn a Koran Day the issues are still very much alive. Discussion continues over exactly what to do at the site of where the Twin Towers once stood, because everyone cannot agree on exactly how to honor those that died. One thing is as clear as ever: we will always remember that day.
