Following Directions
"Because you Levites did not carry the Ark the first time, the anger of the Lord our God burst out against us. We failed to ask God how to move it properly." -1 Chronicles 15:12, 13 Have you ever had to follow directions? We have to follow directions all of the time in order to have success in something. We follow directions to get to a particular destination, to make a cake, or to build something that requires assembly. So why would the assembly of our lives be any different?
Jesus said, "anyone who hears my teaching and doesn't obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand." -Matthew 7:26 It's true that for any area of life, we need to follow directions from someone who has had success in that area in order to see success ourselves. There are so many people who have had success in different areas of life - in faith, in marriage, in business, in ministry, with people, with a particular skill set, etc. Do you know anyone who has had success in these areas? Unfortunately, there is one simple thing that can keep us from the success others have experienced: We fail to follow directions. (This is especially true of those called to leadership - we are often strong-willed!) But, in order to gain success in any area of life, it requires following directions from someone more experienced than us. We need to get over our rebellion (yikes!) and do the thing or things advised. Uzzah the Levite reached out to steady the Ark of the Covenant in transport, even though he was instructed not to touch it. Although he did what he thought was the right thing, because he did not follow directions, he dropped dead!
Can you think of any areas of your life where you've been given direction, but you need to follow it? Pray and ask God to give you the grace to follow those directions, and see your life begin to change for the better. Related resource: The God I Love: A Lifetime of Walking with Jesus by Joni Eareckson Tada
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