Recently, I read about the details with which the craftsmen Bezalel built the Ark of the Covenant and the accompanying items in and around the Tabernacle. You can read about it in Exodus 36-39. Some of the preparations stood out in my mind, as I realized the Tabernacle and Ark were not built haphazardly nor in a quick moment.

They used specific materials that were of the utmost quality. They didn’t skimp, take shortcuts, use leftovers, or “value shop.” From the readily available acacia wood to the exquisite metals like gold and brass, the craftsmen used the BEST materials available to them.

Also, I noticed the time and attention to details he gave to the project. This was not a shade tree project or something he did on weekends or in their spare time. This was his primary task and to it he devoted his BEST time and attention. He didn’t take short cuts or gloss over even the slightest detail thinking no one would notice.

Additionally, I thought about the breadth of the sacrifice for the project. People from throughout the camp sacrificed items they owned that were made of the metals needed for the project. They didn’t bring God left overs, they didn’t donate used up, broken, or outgrown things; they brought God the BEST.

Then, lastly, I realized they meticulously carried out the plans God gave them. They gave God what He wanted in the way that He wanted it. They didn’t build it their way but His.

As I thought about this, I thought about what I give God each day. Do I set apart the best part of my day to hear from Him and talk to Him? Do I give my BEST effort to speak for Him, serve Him, and live for Him? After all, the Tabernacle of the wilderness and the Temple of the Old Testament are pictures of the heart of the New Testament believer. Is my heart as meticulously designed as those structures and the articles within them?

Let me suggest some BEST practices for letting our heart reflect the same holiness as the Tabernacle and the Ark.

• I should give God the time of each day when my head and heart are at their most attentive. I should read His word and meditate on its meaning and application for my life.
• I should reassess and rearrange my priorities and schedules to reflect His place in my life. All other things on my schedule should revolve around my heart being His Temple and my life being His testimony.
• I should not take shortcuts in my thoughts, attitudes, or actions, but rather keep my head clear and heart clean. I should immerse my life in the truth of His Word so that I am shaped by it and empowered by His Spirit.
• I should do what GOD wants me to do for HIM, not what I want to do for HIM. I should build my days, one moment at a time, according to His building plan for that day.

These are but a beginning. In the comments below, feel free to share some ways you prepare your heart to be God’s Temple.