Travel light: Let's eat Grandma!

“The total number of those chosen to be gatekeepers at the thresholds was 212. They were registered by genealogy in their villages. David and Samuel the seer had appointed them to their trusted positions.”

1 Chronicles 9:22

Your work matters to God.

I thought of this as packed up my computer this morning, preparing for a day at the office. The job I have now — and have had for the past 16 years — is the job I always wanted: writing (and now editing) about God’s work through His people around the world. 

But never could I have envisioned that this work would be as fulfilling as it is. God has given me the desires of my heart. What an amazing privilege.

I realize, of course, that not everybody sees writing and editing the same way I do. Not everyone appreciates the value of a word fitly spoken or a well-placed comma. But consider the comma’s importance in this sentence:

Let’s eat, Grandma!

Versus

Let’s eat Grandma! 

Commas matter, especially to Grandma, as do the other seemingly mundane details of our day-to-day lives. This is true today, and it was true when David appointed the 212 gatekeepers in 1 Chronicles 9.

Gatekeepers, bread bakers and singers — as menial as they may seem — were trusted positions in the house of God. Perhaps David wrote Psalm 84 after appointing the 212 gatekeepers:

"Better a day in Your courts than a thousand anywhere else. 
I would rather be at the door of the house of my God 

than to live in the tents of wicked people." 

(Psalm 84:10, HCSB)

As we seek God, not only will He give us the “desires of our heart,” He will also take pleasure in our journey. David wrote in Psalm 37:4, “A man’s steps are established by the Lord, and He takes pleasure in his way” (HCSB).

What an amazing privilege to know that the God who created the Grand Canyon enjoyed watching me see it for the very first time.

What an amazing privilege to know that the God who led me around the world and back, takes pleasure in seeing me do my job well.

Whether you are a gatekeeper, a bread baker, a singer or a warrior, your work is significant to God, and He has uniquely equipped you to do it.

So do the work God has placed before you “as unto the Lord,” and know that He takes pleasure in you and your journey.

Travel light!


This week's reading: 1 Chronicles 1-10, Psalm 43-45, 49, 73, 77-78, 81, 84-85, 87-88, 92-93

Post #17: Discovering how to live missionally through a chronological reading of God's Word. 

#travellight

Travel light: Three ways to avoid burnout

“Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu each took his own firepan, put fire in it, placed incense on it, and presented unauthorized fire before the Lord, which He had not commanded them to do. Then fire came from the Lord and burned them to death before the Lord.”
Leviticus 10:1-2, HCSB

Leviticus 10:1-4 illustrates the danger of taking on more responsibility than God requires. By presenting “unauthorized fire” before the Lord, Aaron’s sons took on responsibility that was not meant for them. As a result, God’s fire literally burned them up. 

Christian workers are often tempted to take on more responsibility than God requires. When we do — either through usurping the authority of others or taking on responsibilities meant for someone else — we risk not burning up but burning out! When burnout occurs, the work will go on. No one will mourn for us. 

So what can you do to avoid burnout? Here are a few suggestions:

1. Be still. “Cease striving and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth” (Psalm 46:10, NASB). God invites you to be part of His work for your joy and His glory, not so you can fret and worry and fear. His plans are unfolding just as He intended. He will be exalted among the nations! 
2. Seek God. “You will seek me and find me when you search for me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:13, HCSB). God created you for relationship with Him. When seeking Him takes priority over every other pursuit, you will find yourself serving Him with joy, knowing that He is directing your every step. 
3. Give up control. “A man’s heart plans his way, but the Lord determines his steps” (Proverbs 16:9, HCSB). Control is an illusion. True rest and abundant life come when we hold the life God has given us loosely, recognizing that He has called us to a life of sojourn, a life that seeks to make Him known wherever He has placed us, for our joy and His glory. 

Travel light!

This week’s reading: Exodus 39-Leviticus 18

Post #7: Discovering how to live missionally through a chronological reading of God’s Word.

#travellight