Doing His work our way is a recipe for disaster. A certain man learned the hard way, and paid the ultimate price. An ancient story requires that we understand the times and the situation. Yahweh God had given specific instructions to the people of Israel concerning an object closely associated with His presence - the ark of the covenant. God was meticulous in both the details of its construction, and in how it was to be transported. In particular, a series of metal rings were attached to both sides of the ark, so that poles could be inserted, and the ark carried (picture pallbearers carrying a coffin). Trouble began when another method of transportation was used for God's sacred object: "They placed the ark of God on a new cart ... But when they came to the threshing floor of Nacon, Uzzah reached out toward the ark of God and took hold of it, for the oxen nearly upset it. And the anger of the LORD burned against Uzzah, and God struck him down there for his irreverence; and he died there by the ark of God." (2 Samuel 6.3,6-7) God specified that His ark was to be carried by poles. A disastrous plan was devised to transport it on new cart. A man named Uzzah presumptuously tried to prevent the ark from sliding or flipping off the cart - something that would never have happened if the ark was transported per God's directives. Tragically, Uzzah died while attempting to touch that which was forbidden, while transporting it in a way God never intended. God's work is always to be done His way. The best of intentions will never make up for blatant disregard of His directives. Uzzah and his men are not alone in acting presumptuously; we just might find we've done similar things! In spite of what we know He has specified, have we acted and done things that were - in our estimation - "a better idea and plan"? Have we dared believe certain plans and methods - seemingly effective in the secular realm - might work better than what God has outlined? Second-guessing God can be dangerous business. A man named Uzzah would emphatically agree, if he could. So, let's lift a phrase from an ancient story that serves as an important guide today - and always: His plan, His way. May you be blessed in doing both. Steve Be sure to also visithttp://thetruthrevolution.wordpress.com/
Apply yourself. That's the advice I often heard about school work while growing up. Like many - if not most - young people, I spent far more time questioning the value of the curriculum than applying myself diligently to learn it. "Incline your ear and hear the words of the wise, And apply your mind to my knowledge; For it will be pleasant if you keep them within you, That they may be ready on your lips. So that your trust may be in the LORD, I have taught you today, even you." (Proverbs 22.17-19) The wise advice, "apply yourself", very definitely applies in the area of biblical truth. Jesus often stated, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear." (i.e, Matthew 11.15) There is wisdom in being an attentive listener; one who truly hears and allows truth to penetrate heart and mind. To truly hear is to "apply your mind", gain insight, and keep truth within - to be lived out in daily life. Internalized truth provides us with a ready and wise answer and, ultimately, true trust in the LORD. I fear than many dabble in biblical truth, when instead they should be enrolled in it as they would in a college or university course. God's truth is far too important to merely sample and casually read. The "university of truth" is a course for living that demands our best efforts. "Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth." (2 Timothy 2.15) Apply yourself. The danger with dabbling in truth is that it in no way prepares us to discern error. Deception prevention requires diligence. And, nothing could be more unwise than to divert from the pathway to the kingdom. The most tempting shortcut - in both school work and biblical study - is to cheat by using someone else' work. While a passing school grade can be deceptively obtained this way, it will never work in the realm of biblical truth. Personally handling, studying, and applying God's word is all that can, and will, work. There is no such thing as secondhand truth. Either you have personally grappled with it and claimed it, or you have not. I've often asked people, "what do you believe strongly enough that you would be willing to die for?" I believe it to be an important question, because such passionate beliefs will not come from secondhand knowledge and information. That which we believe that passionately is that which we have diligently studied, applied, and embodied. Apply yourself. Every believer is enrolled in God's "university of truth". As such, we each are accountable for what we have done in our course of study. May we "approved to God", with no cause to be ashamed, when the time of accounting comes. Steve Be sure to also visithttp://thetruthrevolution.wordpress.com/
Plenty of people are fascinated by it, but most have great difficulty understanding it. The Book of Revelation, with its vivid and sometimes bizarre images, has perplexed many for nearly two thousand years. Is it about the future, things already fulfilled, or an allegory depicting the triumph of good over evil? Regardless of its meaning, there are blessing reserved for those who read and observe its message: "Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy, and heed the things which are written in it; for the time is near." (Revelation 1:3) The human writer of Revelation, the apostle John, identifies himself as, "I, John, your brother and fellow partaker in the tribulation and kingdom and perseverance which are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus." (Revelation 1:9) John states three things which we share together in as followers of Christ: (1) tribulation; (2) the kingdom; (3) perseverance. John was intimately familiar with all three as he recorded these words from his lonely exile on the island of Patmos. His motivation was at the heart of these three things - his participation in the kingdom. He says, "He has made us to be a kingdom, priests to His God and Father--to Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen. BEHOLD, HE IS COMING WITH THE CLOUDS, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him. So it is to be. Amen." (Revelation 1:6-7) If we are to suffer and endure for something, it had better be worthwhile! John knew his participation in the kingdom, and anticipation of the Second Coming of Jesus, was well worth it. Having sat directly under the teaching of Jesus, he understood the radical kingdom plan. John knew that this plan was the most important life-changing plan in all the world, and no amount of suffering was too much to deter him from sharing in it. Oh, that we might see it as John did! John is instructed by Jesus to "Therefore write the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which will take place after these things." (Revelation 1:19). Revelation is a fascinating account of things past, present and yet future. In this time of great turmoil and upheaval in our world, it is reassuring to look at the authoritative word of God and be reminded of the "big picture" kingdom plan. As we live, serve, and endure, we eagerly await the inauguration of the restoration plan at the coming of Jesus. Even so come, Lord Jesus! Steve Be sure to also visithttp://thetruthrevolution.wordpress.com/
Love is a verb, contrary to the fact that most people consider it to be an emotion. It's not so much about how you FEEL as about what you DO. "Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love. By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another." (1 John 4.7-11) The call to love one another, based on God's example and precedent, is far more than warm feelings for one another. It is not a call to invoke emotion, but rather definitive action. It is well stated in the previous chapter: "let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth." (1 John 3.18) Genuine love is costly. It involves something of sacrifice, and service. The precedent is clearly seen in the best-known Bible verse - John 3.16: "for God so loved the world that He gave ..." Imagine that His love was only expressed in fond feelings for us from a distance. I shudder to think how utterly lost we would be if that were the extent of His love! The call to love one another is a call to deliberate action and strategy. It is not unreasonable for us to ask ourselves, then: What specific steps and plans do I have in place for actively loving the people of God? If someone were to look at my schedule, plans, and activities this day, would it be abundantly clear that active love is my priority? Would there be evidence of sacrificial love in action? There is an old saying that "love isn't love until you give it away". The love we are called to exhibit - agape, from the Greek language - is exactly that, and is precisely described by Jesus: "Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends." May the love we exhibit to and for the people of God be actively expressed through humble service. Steve Be sure to also visithttp://thetruthrevolution.wordpress.com/
