So all the skilled workers who were doing all the work on the sanctuary left what they were doing and said to Moses, “The people are bringing more than enough for doing the work the LORD commanded to be done.” – Exodus 36:4-5

Today’s Scripture Reading (September 15, 2018): Exodus 36

Most people who run departments that receive money from some general budget to operate know that the one guiding principle is that you need to spend all that you receive. The reasoning behind the spending is that if you don’t spend it, you might not get the next year when the budget comes out, and next year you might need what you didn’t need in the current year. And so departments can sometimes be accused of spending money extravagantly, all because they want to make sure that they receive the money that they need in the next round of the budgeting process.

But the spending also means that sometimes needs go unaddressed because money is misallocated. Taxes continue to rise not because more money is needed, but because the money is not spent where it is needed. And under these conditions, there never seems to be enough.

“Not enough” is the truth of every ministry of which I have been apart. There is never enough money to do the things that we feel need to be done. There is never enough to care for each homeless person, or for every program that reaches out to disadvantaged youth – or even the myriad of children and youth programs to take care of the needs of our own youth.

Two amazing things seem to be taking place in this passage. The first is that there is more than enough donations to run the ministry. The reality is that, when God moves, and his people are obedient, we never have to worry about possessing enough in his church. The problem is that, for various reasons, we are often not obedient in our giving. And sometimes our disobedience is a direct result of the spending at the very top of the ministry chain. We have all seen the abuses of some pastors. The extravagant housing and the demand for private planes, or some other toy that is required for the ministry. Disobedience in the way that funds are spent often results in disobedience from the ones who donate the funds. But when we are obedient and good stewards of the money donated, and those within the ministry are obedient with their donations, the result is that there is enough to move the ministry forward, and to care for the “least of these” within our care. With most things, religious and secular, when the system is not abused in some way, the result is usually “enough.”

And that brings us to the second amazing thing in this passage. There was no abuse. Those responsible for the Tabernacle refused to hoard resources. They didn’t worry about unforeseen expenses, or whether they would get enough of what they needed in the future. They didn’t take from the funds to advance their own financial position within the community. They simply said “thanks for all that you have given. We have enough. And we will tell you when that changes.”

The idea of “enough” is the dream. And I am convinced that it is possible, but first, we all have to be obedient – both with the giving and with the spending.  

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Exodus 37