“So the Israelites did everything just as the LORD had commanded Moses.” Numbers 1:54
ย
Reading from the book of Numbers this morning (I know what you’re thinking . . . probably not one of the favored books of the Bible) but it is part of the inspired word of God and I love it when God inspires in the neatest places . . . places we did not expect.
ย
Numbers 1-4 details numbers (surprise) and organization. But tucked in these verses I was struck by the words ๐๐ฉ๐ฉ๐จ๐ข๐ง๐ญ๐๐. (Numbers 3:10) and ๐๐๐ฌ๐ฉ๐จ๐ง๐ฌ๐ข๐๐ฅ๐. (Numbers 4:16) I was also taken in by the word ๐๐ฏ๐๐ซ๐ฒ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ง๐ . “๐๐ก๐ ๐๐ฌ๐ซ๐๐๐ฅ๐ข๐ญ๐๐ฌ ๐๐ข๐ ๐๐ฏ๐๐ซ๐ฒ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐จ๐ซ๐ ๐ก๐๐ ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐๐ง๐๐๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ฆ ๐ญ๐ก๐ซ๐จ๐ฎ๐ ๐ก ๐๐จ๐ฌ๐๐ฌ.”
ย
๐๐ฏ๐๐ซ๐ฒ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ง๐ .
ย
And another word rose in my Spirit. ๐
๐๐ข๐ญ๐ก๐๐ฎ๐ฅ. Such faithfulness to do everything that God asks us to do is daunting. Our flesh recoils at the goody-two-shoes peeps who always seems to do everything perfectly. I felt that ire growing up as I tried to be such a good person. But we know the end of the story, right? The Israelites messed up just like we do. Yes, even this goody-two-shoes has, too.
ย
But thereโs something about the word appointed. I think we look at responsibilities as drudgery, as “have toโs” instead of “get toโsโ.
ย
โท I ๐๐๐๐ to go to work
โท I ๐๐๐๐ to do school work
โท I ๐๐๐๐ to clean
โท I ๐๐๐๐ to serve
ย
VERSUS
ย
โท I ๐๐๐ to go to work – thank God I have a job!
โท I ๐๐๐ to do school work. What a privilege to be able to learn!
โท I ๐๐๐ to clean a home or a car. God has made me a steward!
โท ๐ฐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ to serve God in church and . . .
ย
๐๐จ๐ฎ ๐๐ซ๐ ๐๐ฉ๐ฉ๐จ๐ข๐ง๐ญ๐๐, friend. And so am I. Whatever our position in this life, we are appointed by a sovereign loving God who has a specific plan for us. The question is will we be faithful in our respective callings? Or will we become distracted by the daily grind and no longer prize the privilege to serve our great God?
ย
Responsibility is often avoided today. Like a game of hot potato, no one wants to own up to their errors; i.e. taking responsibility, or to do the grunt work, or to be responsible over something that is not deemed as rewarding. But taking on tasks that are challenging and being responsible especially when it gets hard, this is truly beautiful. It is sacrificial. It is selfless.
ย
So will we be responsible and faithful with what God has appointed to us? It will be hard. Sometimes it wonโt be fun. But there is no greater joy than being exactly where God has you and trusting him and his calling.
ย
What if we saw all of our duties as a mighty calling from God? What if we saw our responsibilities as a divine gift? Will we be ๐
๐๐ข๐ญ๐ก๐๐ฎ๐ฅ? As it says in the book of Numbers, the Israelites did all the Lord had commanded them to do through Moses. If only it had stayed that way. But then we would not have needed a Savior. Thank God that He grades on the grace curve. May we be faithful in lifeโs daily grind. We never know how God will use it all.