on earth as it is in heaven

Today in our reading from the One Year Bible, which you can listen to HERE and HERE, we read about the tabernacle that Moses and the children of Israel built.

And it's interesting to note that God clearly directed the construction of this place of worship. There are similarities to modern day churches. And when you read the descriptions of heaven, which are found in the books of Revelation, Isaiah, and Daniel, you see some similarities to what Moses built.

Moses put the tabernacle together from pre-fabricated pieces, which the Israelites made. One is almost tempted to think that the Israelites were the ancestors of the modern day people of Sweden. There is an IKEA feeling to the way these pieces were constructed to fit together perfectly, and then Moses took the pieces and made the thing that they were made for.

But all along the way, the reading tells us that Moses did these things "just as the Lord commanded him." And that brings us to our take home lesson. Moses made something rather like heaven, here on earth. And he did it in obedience to God. God gave him every little step along the way, and he walked the way God told him to.

We have that same privilege. God wants to bring His will "on earth as it is in heaven" in our lives, too. And if we are careful to do "just as the Lord commands" in our lives, we will find some amazing things coming into existence. And the things we find, more often than not, will be the result of a whole community of people who are doing God's will and following His teaching.

God, thank You for giving us such a great, tangible example of Your will on earth as it is in heaven. Please help us to do "just as You command."