After some 15 years, I still remember some amazing words given to me from my master teacher while completing certification in Life Coaching. He stressed the idea that we should always pay attention to circumstances given to us, in that these very circumstances are God’s way of drawing our attention to our own “challenges.” He went on to clarify that when our issues are addressed, we will be better equipped to coach others. How true!
This week’s study of “Bo” is an amazing review on getting “our house in order” before we blame others, our circumstances, or even try to fix the world. Care to look?
Before Yahweh delivered the final plague on Egypt, He gave His people specific instructions on how to prepare themselves to avoid certain death. The solution centered around a Lamb that had to be taken into the home. The act of eating the Lamb, dividing the Lamb, and sharing the Lamb was detailed and very precise for this event. Why?
I believe the details of the Passover has to do with the introspection of our house—both physical and spiritual. Think about it for a moment. If you knew an angel of judgment would be passing over your home with permission to kill you if “the Lamb” was not present in your home, what would you be thinking about that night? I guarantee you wouldn’t be talking about the fitness of Moses to be leader, the latest conspiracy theory, or who was or wasn’t an Israelite. No, I believe your reflection would be centered around your personal life actions and belief in Yahweh. You would probably be asking, “Will I or my household be able to withstand judgment from the Almighty?”
“Now you shall eat it in this way: with your garment belted around your waist, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and you shall eat it in a hurry—it is the Lord’s Passover. For I will go through the land of Egypt on that night, and fatally strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the human firstborn to animals; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments—I am the Lord. The blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you live; and when I see the blood I will pass over you, and no plague will come upon you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt. Exodus 12:11-13
The practicality of this text is amazing to me. Notice the sense of urgency to Bo or go. No one is sitting down waiting to be a part of Yah’s Kingdom. Instead, they are instructed to be in a hurry to enter His work. But at the same time, it’s obvious that they would not be able to enter the work of the Kingdom until the blood of the Lamb was on their doorpost. This reminds me that a personal examination of the Messiah must be rendered before any of us go out into the world to change it.
The apostle Paul instructs the early church believers of the same thing when they were arguing over “church issues.” He states, “Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy way, shall be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord. But a person must examine himself, and in so doing he is to eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For the one who eats and drinks, eats and drinks judgment to himself if he does not properly recognize the body.”
I Corinthians 11: 27-29
Over the last few weeks, I keep running across articles and podcasts that are all talking about division. It’s not just about politics or the public square. Churches and families are being divided over all kinds of things. I think this is happening due to the amount of knowledge being dumped onto people via the internet versus people being able to weigh that knowledge with wisdom. Naturally, this would cause a population explosion of educated fools, for:
“a fool does not delight in understanding, but only in revealing his own mind.” Prov. 18:2
This is concerning to me. Why aren’t we able to recognize our human imperfections and therefore steer clear of division? When imperfect people get together, disagreements, hurt feelings and misunderstandings are inevitable. If our expectations of others are too high, disappointment is certain and can cause further feelings of hurt and resentment.
A church or family tear may happen when someone seeks to manipulate people and/or events for their own end. It may be that there is pride in rule-keeping and those who do not keep the same rules are ill-treated. It may be that one interpretation of a non-essential and obscure doctrine is emphasized and used as a measure of who is included or excluded. Or, it could be that someone wants to wrest leadership from a person who has been given headship. The excuses for conflict are numerous, but they all stem from the same root cause—pride and selfishness.
James 4:1-3 says, “What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? You want something but don’t get it.
I was reading a Twitter survey conducted by Thom Rainer. He complied with “25 Silly Things Church Members Fight Over.” I’ve listed just a few and his comments for your enjoyment:
- Argument over the appropriate length of the worship pastor’s beard (I think I saw a verse in Scripture that indicated it is to be no more than 1.5 inches longer than the pastor’s beard.).
- A deacon accusing another deacon of sending an anonymous letter, and deciding to settle the matter in the parking lot (The church could have sold tickets to this event and raised a lot of money.).
- A petition to have all church staff clean-shaven (No church planters are allowed.).
- An argument over whether to have gluten-free communion bread or not (I thought gluttony was a sin.).
- A dispute over whether the church should allow people to wear black t-shirts since black is the color of the devil (Are you sure he’s not red? That’s what I’ve heard.)
I can tell you right now from my travels and interviews that this also happens in the Hebrew Roots community. Some additions to Rainer’s silly arguments that cause division include:
- The evilness of certain kinds of symbols
- Leadership or no leadership
- Who is or isn’t in control over world events and governments
- Proper Hebraic dress
- Defending or correcting calendar observations
The list can be just as long as any good Sunday-keeping church. Why? Is it because our human nature is determined to support our own “called out” agenda to give ourselves fleshly value in this small little world of ours? Maybe if we took the time to actually read The Word we wouldn’t be so quick to quote or believe anything and everything that comes our way.
I would challenge you and myself to consider the concept of getting your house in order before plucking needles out of everyone’s eye. If our attitude is fixed on the works of Yah, then our circumstance of causing an argument or complaining will produce a valued objective. When saying this, I think about such great Biblical characters as Daniel and Joseph, two men who were specifically called by Yah to lead. At first glance, their circumstances seem rather terrible. They worked, lived, and operated with people who were pagan. Their environment embraced multiple god worship, immorality, spells, and potions, yet these two men kept their heads above it all.
I ask you. Would Daniel and Joseph have been as effective as they were had they worried about their circumstances? I dare to say no. They looked at the bigger “Yahweh” picture. They allowed the King of Kings to change hearts and minds. How were they able? I’m convinced they learned the secret of putting their house in order before ever trying to correct the world. They had staff in hand and sandals strapped to their feet to fulfill Yah’s calling and not their own calling.
Friends if your house still has strife, jealousy, anger, pride, lust, chaos, and confusion, then you are not in order. If you can’t show up to a church, to a family event, or fellowship because you aren’t winning a needless argument with them, then your house is not in order. Consider the Lamb. Partake of Him, share Him, and be ready to move according to His direction and you will find yourself in the middle of Kingdom work.
Be Blessed,
Rollyn
Yesterday Morning the Spirit took me to 2nd Corinthians 12: 11-12. He said to me: “Complaining is a behavior you learn in your home. When you give room to it in your heart, you give room to the enemy to incite you to sin. Like the Corinthians did. Look at the sins that fallow them. Look at Cain. He learned that behavior at his home with Adam complain about the woman I gave him; that she was the one that made him sin. Cain complained about his brother and that was the first step to been used by the enemy to kill the one he accused of taking his place and acceptance”.
I was so moved by this revelation that I talked to Jack about it. I apologized for my attitude in the pass, and he did the same. We talked to our children and now we are more careful in what comes out of our mouth.
Ana Davis