The Sanctuary Shekel Week 30, 2011

“What’s that?” The standard of measurement in God’s business: And all your judgments shall be according to the shekel of the sanctuary, twenty gerahs shall be the shekel Lev 27:25(MKJV). “So how do you translate that to pounds and kilograms today?” It’s not that type of measurement that I refer to. “Which?”
Once the culvert and gutter in front of my gate was being built up, it cost me some money to do it... “What has this got to do with sanctuary shekels?” Hold on. It cost me a bit to build it, and the supervisor assured me it met recognised standards. For a couple of years or more there was no incident. Do you remember when the government began tarring the street roads? “How could I forget? The drainage was worked on at the same time.” Yes; the government workmen were digging up gutters and got to my place. “It’s up to standard” I insisted. “You don’t have to dig it up.” “We’ll see about that” he said. After looking it up he started digging, dismantled the culvert, and found it was indeed up to standard so they put it back for me. The workmanship of each person will become evident, for the day will show what it is, because it will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person's work 1Cor 3:13(ISV). Boy did that teach me a lesson!
“So what has that got to do with the sanctuary shekel?” Don’t you get it yet? The sanctuary shekel represents God’s standard; the divine standard which never devalues or changes Jud 1:3 … the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints. It is not the common place shekel, the shifting standard of this world. "When will the new moon be over, that we may sell grain? And the Sabbath, that we may offer wheat for sale, that we may make the ephah small and the shekel great and deal deceitfully with false balances Amos 8:5(ESV). The world has deceitful standards you know. You may get along with your standard for years, just like for so many years many people had their structures undisturbed and it appeared it did not matter so far you have something, but one of these days God will come and actually measure. If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. If anyone's work is burned up, he will suffer loss… 1Cor 3:14, 15 (ESV). Any structure not up to standard will be destroyed.
“So how do I know if I am building to standard? How do I get this sanctuary shekel?” Why not get familiar with the standard himself? Take my yoke and put it on you, and learn from me, Mat 11:29(GNB). What’s your standard?