Going Through The Motions
I am afraid sometimes we, as believers, find ourselves going through the motions of the things we do, but we do not think about the meaning behind what we do. When that happens, everything becomes very sterile and mechanical. It is a recipe for sliding away from the Lord, instead of growing closer to Him. The priests had duties in the Tabernacle and the Temple, which they did every day.(Numbers 4:16) Each one had an important meaning, but I am sure there was a danger for them to simply do the duties and not consider the meaning. We have the same danger today. Let's consider this for a minute.
The High Priest was to do several things each day. He put the oil in the light. Did he stop to think about the oil and the light being symbolic of the the Spirit giving us understanding to light our way each day? He burned the sweet incense on the altar, but did he consider that it was symbolic of our prayers being very pleasing to God? He gave the grain sacrifice morning and evening, but did he do it out of habit, or did he really start and end the day by worshiping God in his heart? He put out the anointing oil and used it for anointing things and people as God commanded. Did he think of God's consecration of all of those things to be holy to God? As he oversaw everything in the Tabernacle and Temple, did it become a job or was it a calling? Was he just going through the motions every day, or was he connecting with God?
See what I mean? We have a lot of "duties" we do, as believers. We must make sure that we do them with our whole hearts, set on the Lord, and not just go through the motions. It is possible to read our Bibles morning and evening, pray daily, go to church weekly and serve in some position, but still miss what the Lord has for us, because it simply becomes a job or a habit. If we go through the motions, it is meaningless. We must do it out of a relationship with God, and allow Him to speak to us in everything we do. When He speaks, we obey. That is when the Christian life is more than going through the motions.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Numbers 5-8.
The High Priest was to do several things each day. He put the oil in the light. Did he stop to think about the oil and the light being symbolic of the the Spirit giving us understanding to light our way each day? He burned the sweet incense on the altar, but did he consider that it was symbolic of our prayers being very pleasing to God? He gave the grain sacrifice morning and evening, but did he do it out of habit, or did he really start and end the day by worshiping God in his heart? He put out the anointing oil and used it for anointing things and people as God commanded. Did he think of God's consecration of all of those things to be holy to God? As he oversaw everything in the Tabernacle and Temple, did it become a job or was it a calling? Was he just going through the motions every day, or was he connecting with God?
See what I mean? We have a lot of "duties" we do, as believers. We must make sure that we do them with our whole hearts, set on the Lord, and not just go through the motions. It is possible to read our Bibles morning and evening, pray daily, go to church weekly and serve in some position, but still miss what the Lord has for us, because it simply becomes a job or a habit. If we go through the motions, it is meaningless. We must do it out of a relationship with God, and allow Him to speak to us in everything we do. When He speaks, we obey. That is when the Christian life is more than going through the motions.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Numbers 5-8.