Exodus 40:34
– Then the cloud covered the tent of
meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.
In
this story, God had given very specific instructions to Moses as to how He
wanted the tabernacle built. In verses 19, 21, 23, 25, 27, 29, and 32, it
repeats seven times that each directive was followed, “...just as the Lord
commanded Moses”. It was only after Moses did all he was commanded, that the Lord
came down and filled the tabernacle with His glory. His complete obedience was the
key.
As
most good cooks will tell you, one missing or incorrect ingredient in a recipe can
mean the difference between a delicious feast and an unpalatable disaster. I remember the first birthday cake I made for
my husband. We were newly married and
this was my first attempt to make something like this from scratch. I dreamed of producing the moistest, tastiest,
most delicious cake he had ever eaten. That
afternoon, I left work early and rushed home to start on this masterpiece. The
recipe I used was one I had borrowed from my mother and I followed it
carefully. I remember that feeling of anticipation
as I mixed ingredients, poured the resulting batter into three round cake pans, and placed them carefully in
the oven. I waited patiently for them to fully cook and then removed them to
cool. Immediately, I realized that something
wasn’t quite right as the layers seemed unusually thin. I was out of time, however, as my husband was due home shortly. In a panic, I whipped up an extra
batch of icing in hopes that he wouldn’t notice the lack of actual cake if I
used lots of icing in between each layer and on top.
After dinner that night, I proudly brought out my “masterpiece”. In truth, it wasn’t the prettiest cake and definitely not what I had envisioned, but he was thrilled that I had gone to the trouble to make him a homemade cake. I cut us each a slice, then took a bite. I chewed…and chewed… and chewed. With difficulty, I managed to swallow, only to have it settle in the bottom of my stomach with a resounding “thunk”. It was painfully clear that the cake was much too dense and barely edible - no amount of extra icing could conceal it! I was heartbroken. Seeing my distress, my sweet husband shouldered on and ate every last bit of cake on his plate. In between bites, he told me over and over that he loved it, really loved it. I knew he wasn’t telling the truth, but he wasn’t about to admit that. Needless to say, neither of us wanted seconds, and I hastily threw the remainder in the garbage. Later, when reviewing the ingredients, I realized I had failed to notice something very important – the baking powder was over two years out of date. That one simple ingredient had affected the
entire cake and turned my delicious masterpiece into an unpalatable disaster. It made the difference between success and
failure.
The Bible contains the only recipe for a successful life. Success, however, is contingent on one very
important ingredient: obedience. Your
life will rise and fall based on your obedience. Moses followed God’s
instructions to the letter. As a result,
God’s glory came down and filled the tabernacle. God desires that same level of
commitment from each of us. He desires to fill us with his glory and surround
us with his presence. However, we must make a choice - will we obey or disobey?
Our obedience to Him and His Word affects everything we do. It isn’t about what we want, but what we
need. Obedience is the crucial ingredient
that will determine the difference between our success and failure - through our
obedience, we will ultimately find the greatest joy.
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