Heart of Missions

Last night, we met one of our missionary families, the Oana's. Many of us have prayed for them for years, but when we saw them in person, sensed their sweet spirit for God's work, and saw how they have impacted so many lives for Christ, it adds a dimension of reality to our prayers.

Brother Eugen said that we have a part in their ministry by praying and giving. It was amazing to see all the Romanian people who have come to know Christ as a direct result of this family's commitment to God. Let's not forget to raise up this family in prayer.

I was also moved by the testimony of Asheritah. Although a teen herself, she has taken an active role in reaching out to the teens around her and pointing them to Jesus. "O God, please burden more of our teens to serve you whole-heartedly...Amen."

The Right Thing, The Wrong Way

In 1 Chronicles 13, David began to have the ark of the Lord moved to the place it ought to be. This was the right thing to do, and the people were very excited to see this happen. There was a lot of fanfare surrounding this great move. They loaded the ark onto wagons which were pulled by oxen, and the move was under way!

People were rejoicing, David was overjoyed with what they were accomplishing, when suddenly disaster struck...one of the oxen stumbled, and the ark started to slide. One man, Uzza, who was helping with this event saw the impending disaster, and stabilized the ark with his hand. For that reason, God killed him on the spot. Wow - the spirit of rejoicing was instantly squashed, and replaced with fear.

Why did this happen? I'm sure that Uzza loved God, and that he was only trying to help. The reason can be found earlier in the Bible where God told the people in Numbers 7:9 that the ark was only to be carried on the shoulders of people. (The ark was built with a series of rings that poles were inserted into so people could carry it.) When David transported the ark on a wagon, this was in direct disobedience to God's law. Also, they were warned in Numbers 4:15 that if anyone touched it, they would die. So they had been warned.

I wonder - what right thing am I doing the wrong way? How about you?

One Heart

In 1 Chronicles 12, we find a detailed list of David's army. If you remember the circumstances around him becoming king, you'll remember that the current king (Saul) wanted him dead! Therefore, David had to be on his guard and protect himself against those who were not loyal to him and his cause.

After giving a list of men who were on David's side in chapter 12, we see in verses 33 & 38 something very enlightening. Something that David looked for in men who would serve along side him:

v.33 - "...they were not of double heart."
v.38 - "...with a perfect heart..."
v.38 - "...were of one heart..."

David realized that if he was going to accomplish his mission, he needed to surround himself with people who were in agreement with him, and could fully support him. James 1:8 says, "A double minded man is unstable in all his ways." If there wasn't full support from David's men, he likely would have ended up dead.

As we serve God together, He has established certain people to lead. If those people will accomplish their mission, they must be surrounded with people who will support them and keep guard for them. If someone feels they cannot do that, they should go find a leader that they can support.