Exodus 27:19; 38:31; 39:40.

Exodus 27:19 All the vessels of the tabernacle in all the service thereof, and all the pins thereof, and all the pins of the court, shall be of brass.

Exodus 38:31 And the sockets of the court round about, and the sockets of the court gate, and all the pins of the tabernacle, and all the pins of the court round about.

Exodus 39:40 The hangings of the court, his pillars, and his sockets, and the hanging for the court gate, his cords, and his pins, and all the vessels of the service of the tabernacle, for the tent of the congregation

These verses teach us a great deal.

I. God's notice of little things.—He takes time to speak about them, and bids Moses write about them. He says as much about the 'pins' in these passages as He does about the work of creation.

II. God's notice of those who carried the pins (Num. 3:36, 37).—The pins and the cords were under the charge of the sons of Merari, and God looked on those who carried the pins—the very smallest things connected with His work. They marched through the desert—they got the same gleams from the Pillar-Cloud as those who carried the Ark or the Candlestick. It is just like our God to attend to the small things very carefully: the wing of a fly, a blade of grass. It is characteristic of His greatness that He can attend to the small things as well as to the great—while He is listening to the praises of eternity He can be thinking on those who are carrying the pins of the tabernacle. Does not this appear in what Christ says, 'Not a sparrow falls to the ground without your Father'? 'The very hairs of your head are all numbered.' What comfort there is in this! Are you ever afraid to tell God your small things, as if they were not worth while His attending to? But your great things are not any more worth attending to. This should lead us to lay our care upon Him, to trust Him better.

III. This teaches us to be contented with out lot.—The sons of Merari might say, 'Why do our brethren the Kohathites carry the Ark?' Because God said it; that is all. He that serves most is the greatest in the kingdom. He who carries the pins may get the greatest reward. You may think you are in a very small sphere. God says, 'Here is your sphere, here stand.' The poorest Israelite, serving God in his dwelling, might get as much of the divine favour as did Daniel, who was governor over a hundred and twenty-seven provinces. Do not say, 'I want to get out of the rut into another place.' If you get out of the rut of carrying pins when God put you there, you will not be blessed. Are we in the camp with God? That is the great thing. Come to the altar and lay your hand on the sacrifice, and thus claim a sinner's access to a holy God. Then God will give you your place, and, whether it be large or small, He will shine on you with the brightness of His face for ever and ever!

* * *

"God never sends any of His servants on a needless errand..."
(George Whitefield)

Jeremiah 45:5
And seekest thou great things for thyself? seek them not..

Luke 12:31-32, 34-40
But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you.
Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.

 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. Let your loins be girded about, and your lights burning; And ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord, when he will return from the wedding; that when he cometh and knocketh, they may open unto him immediately. Blessed are those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching: verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them. And if he shall come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants. And this know, that if the goodman of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched, and not have suffered his house to be broken through. Be ye therefore ready also: for the Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not.

From Strong's Concordance:

blessed = makarios (mak-ar'-ee-os) -

a prolonged form of the poetical makar (meaning the same);
supremely blest; by extension, fortunate, well off:-- blessed, happy(X -ier).

"Trust and obey, for there's no other way,
to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey."
(John H. Sammis)

Psalm 100:2
Serve the LORD with gladness:
come before his presence with singing.

Romans 1:1 Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus

"The person who writes the epistle described (1): Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ; this is his title of honour, which he glories in, not as the Jewish teachers, Rabbi, Rabbi; but a servant, a more immediate attendant, a steward in the house."

1) a slave, bondman, man of servile condition

2) a servant, attendant

1401 doulos (doo'-los) from 1210; a slave (literal or figurative, involuntary or voluntary; frequently, therefore in a qualified sense of subjection or subserviency):--bond(-man), servant. see GREEK for 1210

 a primary verb; to bind (in various applications, literally or figuratively):--bind, be in bonds, knit, tie, wind. See also 1163, 1189.

O LORD, truly I am thy servant; I am thy servant, and the son of thine handmaid: thou hast loosed my bonds.

He that procured the release of a captive took him for his servant. "Lord, thou hast loosed my bonds; those sorrows of death that compassed me, thou hast discharged me from them, and therefore I am thy servant, and entitled to thy protection as well as obliged to thy work." The very bonds which thou hast loosed shall tie me faster unto thee. Patrick.

John 8:34  Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin. 35  The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. 36  So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”

Matthew 11:28  “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29  Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30  For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

Romans 6:1  What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? 2  By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? 3  Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4  We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.

5  For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. 6  We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. 7  For one who has died has been set free from sin. 8  Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9  We know that Christ being raised from the dead will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. 10  For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. 11  So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

12  Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal bodies, to make you obey their passions. 13  Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. 14  For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.

15  What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! 16  Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? 17  But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, 18  and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness. 19  I am speaking in human terms, because of your natural limitations. For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification.

20  When you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. 21  But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? The end of those things is death. 22  But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. 23  For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

7:1  Or do you not know, brothers—for I am speaking to those who know the law—that the law is binding on a person only as long as he lives? 2  Thus a married woman is bound by law to her husband while he lives, but if her husband dies she is released from the law of marriage. 3  Accordingly, she will be called an adulteress if she lives with another man while her husband is alive. But if her husband dies, she is free from that law, and if she marries another man she is not an adulteress.

4  Likewise, my brothers, you also have died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to him who has been raised from the dead, in order that we may bear fruit for God. 5  For while we were living in the flesh, our sinful passions, aroused by the law, were at work in our members to bear fruit for death. 6  But now we are released from the law, having died to that which held us captive, so that we serve not under the old written code but in the new life of the Spirit.

Philippians 2:5  Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: 6  Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: 7  But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: 8  And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

Mark 10:35  And James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came up to him and said to him, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.” 36  And he said to them, “What do you want me to do for you?” 37  And they said to him, “Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory.” 38  Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?” 39  And they said to him, “We are able.” And Jesus said to them, “The cup that I drink you will drink, and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized, 40  but to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared.” 41  And when the ten heard it, they began to be indignant at James and John. 42  And Jesus called them to him and said to them, “You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. 43  But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, 44  and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. 45  For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (See also Matthew 18 and 20, Mark 9, and Luke 22.)

Must be
(not an option)

slave...

of all.

Philippians 1:12  I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, 13  so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ. 14  And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.

15  Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will. 16  The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. 17  The former proclaim Christ out of rivalry, not sincerely but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment. 18  What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice.

Yes, and I will rejoice...

May God's grace abound to us so we might glory in Christ and glory in being His slaves, so we might shine forth as a testimony to the glorious grace of God to all the nations who are still in darkness!

That is God's desire for us:

Isaiah 62:1-2
For Zion's sake I will not keep silent,
and for Jerusalem's sake I will not be quiet,
until her righteousness goes forth as brightness,
and her salvation as a burning torch.
The nations shall see your righteousness,
and all the kings your glory,
and you shall be called by a new name
that the mouth of the LORD will give.

I Corinthians 6:19-20
Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you,
whom you have from God?
You are not your own,
for you were bought with a price.
So glorify God in your body.

  
Come now, consider – Consider His ways!
Come now, consider – Consider His grace!

Freely rendered Himself a sacrifice
For all our sin, spotless Lamb paid the price

For all us rebels, first the Jew, then the Gentile
He was crucified at the Place of a Skull

Jesus, God's ransom, bought our release
There Immanuel hung, between two thieves

Became a curse, died upon the tree
It pleased the LORD to put Him to grief

Wounded, bruised, and chastised for our peace
Through the cross our souls He did redeem

God's just wrath our Savior fully absorbed
Glory's grace from Calvary richly poured

Sovereign mercy spanned the great gulf fixed
From the burning, we were called and plucked

"Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated."
What shall we say then? Is there injustice with God?

To show His power in us, God's glorious display:
Vessels of mercy for the renown of His great name

Born of God – not of blood, nor of the will of flesh or man
Not of works, that God's purpose of election might stand

Enmity ceased, the end of all strife
No longer dead, but quickened to life

His sheep once scattered among the nations
Now gathered and seated in heav'nly places

Our iniquities purged, we sup with Him above!
Yet how scant our devotion! How puny my love!

Reconciled through His precious blood
How dare we sin against matchless Love?

O! Consider Him! Consider His ways!
O! Consider Him! Consider His grace!

Can we claim to know Christ's all-surpassing worth
If our affections remain fixed on this earth?

Come now, consider – Consider His grace!
Come now, consider – Consider your ways!

Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Consider your ways.
(Haggai 1:7)

I have overthrown some of you, as God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah, and ye were as a firebrand plucked out of the burning: yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the LORD.
(Amos 4:11)

Colossians 3:1  If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. 2  Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. 3  For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. 4  When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory. 5  Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth...