“So the Israelites did everything just as the LORD had commanded Moses.” Numbers 1:54
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.
Numbers 1-4 details numbers (surprise) and organization. But tucked in these verses I was struck by the words 𝐀𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝. (Numbers 3:10) and 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞. (Numbers 4:16) I was also taken in by the word 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠. “𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐈𝐬𝐫𝐚𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐝𝐢𝐝 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐌𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐬.”
𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠.
And another word rose in my Spirit. 𝐅𝐚𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐟𝐮𝐥. 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.
But there’s something about the word appointed. I think we look at responsibilities as drudgery, as “have to’s” instead of “get to’s”.
∷ I 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 to go to work
∷ I 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 to do school work
∷ I 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 to clean
∷ I 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 to serve
VERSUS
∷ I 𝒈𝒆𝒕 to go to work – thank God I have a job!
∷ I 𝒈𝒆𝒕 to do school work. What a privilege to be able to learn!
∷ I 𝒈𝒆𝒕 to clean a home or a car. God has made me a steward!
∷ 𝑰 𝒂𝒎 𝒄𝒉𝒐𝒔𝒆𝒏 to serve God in church and . . .
𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝, 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?
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.
So will we be responsible and faithful with what God has appointed to us? It will be hard. Sometimes it won’t be fun. But there is no greater joy than being exactly where God has you and trusting him and his calling.
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 𝐅𝐚𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐟𝐮𝐥? 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 life’s daily grind. We never know how God will use it all.