January 30

Daily Bible Reading; Exodus 38, 39, 40; Psalm 30, 60, 90, 120, 150; Proverbs 30

“According to all that the LORD commanded Moses, so the children of Israel made all the work. And Moses did look upon all the work, and, behold, they had done it as the LORD had commanded, even so had they done it: and Moses blessed them.” Exodus 39:42-43

When I was growing up on the farm of my Uncle and Aunt, I often experienced having to do things over and over until they were done correctly. I must have a thick head as it took me several times to get them done correctly. One area I struggled in the most was to drive in a straight line. I mean, I drove tractors, trucks and cars starting at the age of eight years old so I had ample experience. However, I still could not drive in a straight line. My uncle could almost close his eyes and drive in a straight line. It made me sick. Not only did I struggle with driving in a straight line but I also struggled with when to engage the implement behind me and when to disengage the same implement. I remember one year that I was allowed to drive the breaking plow behind the tractor. I drove an International 560, tricycle type tractor which has a very narrow front end. There are no shock absorbers on tractors like there are on most motor vehicles. Needless to say I had a rough ride. This was made worse when my uncle surveyed my work and was absolutely mortified at the sight of my finished product. You see the plow was engaged at one length and disengaged at another length. It was horrible. He was so upset that I was sent out to plow the ends of the rows so that it would beat my brains out and I would learn a valuable lesson. I was never allowed to plow again. I always wanted to, but was never allowed to again. Such is life. There have been times that I have mowed the yard all over again. I have cleaned out the stalls in the barn again. Anything you can do on a farm, I have probably done all over again. The sad truth is that in our Christian life, many of us look to God as I did my Uncle. We keep repeating the same things over and over again. We never seem to learn the lessons. God forbid! You see, if something is worth doing, it is worth doing correctly. Oh, how many times have I heard that old phrase? So many people today who name the name of Christ are completely satisfied to half do half the things that need to be done. This equates to 25% of a job. This is not acceptable in the Christian life. If you consistently perform at this level you will one day be sorry for it. Imagine standing at the throne of God one day and giving account for only accomplishing 25%. Wow! This is a sobering thought to me and I hope to you. So today I must ask myself, “Have you given your all to Jesus?”