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Wednesday, October 12, 2005
The Lord's Work The Lord's Way
When I was a kid we could take our bikes to the local pharmacy. We could get gum there. Baseball cards. If you were really loaded, you could even pick up an 8-track tape by your favorite band. I loaded up on Kiss and Aerosmith as soon as the grass-cutting money came in.
To get there, I'd leave my house and have to turn right on Cloudland Drive. The problem there was that Cloudland had a big hill right off the bat. And in my hometown, the hills were actually pretty big. It was a 45-degree angle for about 1/3 of a mile...no kidding...which is huge when you're that age on a bike. Of course, the payoff was pretty good because once you got to the top, you'd turn right down this service road which was a gradual downhill ride all the way to the shopping center.
But that payoff was short-lived. You always had to ride back. Long, gradual uphill climb that way up the service road. We'd actually zig-zag to get up the hill once our legs got tired.
Often, we'd decide not to go to the store because we dreaded one hill or the other.
Until Mike, the teenager next door, showed us all...
...the shortcut.
See, Cloudland and the service road actually went around this clump of trees we called "the woods." We played army back there and built forts and the whole deal.
Well, Mike showed us this pathway through the woods where if we turned left out of my driveway we could be at the store in about two minutes...not to mention that it was perfectly flat. We loved it...which increased our trips to the store. Lots of times we'd just go to hang out.
But, in retrospect the shortcut turned out to be a bad thing when you think about it. For example, we were getting less exercise. We were getting into more trouble because we were bored and just hanging out. We weren't playing sports as much because it was cooler to hang out. We were spending more money. It had all sorts of "hidden" drawbacks.
And the same is true in the spiritual life as well...as we learn from David in 2 Samuel 6.
Remember from yesterday how David wanted to build a home for the Ark after everything he'd been through on his way to the kingship?
Well, in 2 Samuel 6, we find that he'd found the Ark in a town called Baale-judah and intended to bring it back to Jerusalem. In fact, he'd arranged for a huge, joyful celebration...which was in full-swing by the time the guys who were in charge of bringing it back had gotten to it.
Well, the put it on a cart.
They had to roll it downhill.
In verse 6 we see that it almost fell over, and Uzzah tried to keep in upright.
Then God struck him dead...end of parade. End of celebration back in Jerusalem.
In verse 9 we read, "So David was afraid of the Lord that day; and he said, 'How can the Ark of the Lord come to me?'"
It all sounds so harsh and bizzare, right?
Not until you realize that David had taken a shortcut. See, there were, in Scripture, prescribed ways to carry and transport the Ark. Very detailed. You couldn't miss them...and generally they have to do with priests carrying it with specific poles and steps.
And David took a shortcut.
He put it on a cart. Had to get it back to Jerusalem for the celebration, right. Lot of cash put into that party and we don't have a party unless we get the Ark here...so let's just put it on a cart instead of walking six paces and resting. It's a little thing. No biggie, right?
Except, with the Lord, there are no shortcuts.
You either obey or you don't.
And, spiritual growth is a slow business. There aren't any shortcuts, and you always lose out in the end by taking them in the Spiritual life.
So, for today, what are some "shortcuts" teenagers tend to take when it comes to spiritual things? Why do they take them? What are the long-term consequences of taking those shortcuts right now?
Brent 4:45 AM
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