“Without oxen the stable stays clean, but you need a strong ox for a large harvest”. I’m glad I read this today. I already knew it, but I had forgotten. That’s the simple beauty of reading through the Bible, it helps you remember things you already knew, but had forgotten….as well as teaching you new things.
What does that verse mean to you? The first time I read it I chuckled, because it seemed out of place. But within a few seconds the insight of the verse settled into me. Churches without people in them are easy places to manage. The chairs are never moved, no one has taken the wrong casserole dish home with them, no one has said something that made another person upset.. There aren’t any personality conflicts or power struggles….The church is nice and clean and orderly when there aren’t a lot of people around. The problem is, churches are for people, and ministry, and that gets messy sometimes…but if you have a large ministry, or if you are praying for a large harvest, then you need people, and that means extra work. When the church was smaller I used to fantasize about how much easier ministry would be with a few more people. I say “fantasize” because that’s what it is..a fantasy. With more people come more ideas, more opportunities, and more issues. You become busier, not less busy. But this verse reminds me that it is a wonderful thing to be in a church where there are people coming I haven’t met, ministries taking place that I don’t oversee and people leading others in serving in a variety of ways that I am not in charge of. The harvest in large, and the church is growing to meet the needs, and the “barn is sometimes messy”…but that’s okay.
Maybe just a couple of quick thoughts today: here are some things that caught my eye..
13:18 – criticism is hard to hear, but I am reminded that if I am truly humble I will be able to listen and accept it as needed. No one likes to be reminded of how they have fallen short, and it helps to remember when being criticized that God loves us even when we aren’t perfect. Having said that, there is a thing as unhealthy criticism, but I think this verse is speaking of wise counsel given to me from a godly person.
13:23 – injustice robs us. There is much in life that isn’t fair, like the misfortune that sometimes befalls a poor person, who doesn’t have the resources to keep their head above water. We should be upset about injustice…and not just when it affects us or our friends…but all the time. People who lead or govern in an unjust manner should be removed.
14:1 – I wonder how a foolish woman tears down her own home?
14:12 – a popular saying. The way that seems right but leads to death is the one that appeals to our carnal nature. If we are holy, the way that seems right (to the Spirit) leads to life.
14:16,17,29 – all remind me that sometimes it’s better to get a second opinion. Leading people forward is only good if you aren’t going over a cliff.
14:34 – I wonder what God thinks of the United States?
15:22 and 15:31 are both saying the same things that I have recognized earlier. I wonder if I am seeing them because the Holy Spirit wants me to learn something? Maybe I will need those bits of wisdom sometime in the near future. I hope I don’t forget them before I need to remember. Actually, I hope the Holy Spirit reminds me of them when I need to remember them.
Faithfully,
PR