Be Organized And Ready

1 Chronicles 27:1-2 - This is the list of Israelite generals and captains, and their officers, who served the king by supervising the army divisions that were on duty each month of the year. Each division served for one month and had twenty-four thousand troops.  Jashobeam son of Zabdiel was commander of the first division, which was on duty during the first month. There were twenty-four thousand troops in his division.

 

David was a master organizer…some of his last years spent recording the brilliant plans for providing year round military protection.  He divided his 288,000 troops into divisions of 24,000 per clan…and assigned them active duty only one month of the year. The plan accommodated the needs of all the people in times of peace.  David’s plan accommodated the necessary…constant watch we must have in our lives for trouble.

 

Perhaps David was preparing the kingdom for concentrating on building the temple.  He knew it would take a massive amount of people to complete the huge temple that had been planned….but he did not want to leave the nation unguarded or weak against enemy attacks. David understood the concept that Paul wrote about in 1 Corinthians 16:13… “Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong.”

 

I have to admit…I sat longer than usual at the computer this morning…wondering what organizing the military had to do with me.  I pondered the cool concept of a soldier only being on active duty for a month….and how that could strengthen the broken families and stress of the way our nation currently deploys way more than David’s system. 

 

Then God broke through my unfocused brain…and allowed me to see the hidden wisdom in just being organized and ready for anything. Whether it be our military…our families… our church…or the new school year I am getting ready to start. God calls for us to be organized and ready for anything….so we will be strong…courageous….and stand firm in what God has trained us to do for him.

 

Jesus spoke firmly to the disciples that last night before he gave us the best gift anyone ever gave to anyone.  He told them in Matthew 26:41…. “Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”  Pretty calm and sweet words if you ask me… for a bunch of men who had fallen asleep when Jesus had asked them to pray. So loving of our Savior to just simply remind them to be more watchful…instead of bash them for being so selfish and sleeping when he was dying in a few hours.

 

So I guess I had better work a little harder at being organized… so I can spend more time watching for satan to throw a trick into my pathway. My flesh is as weak as the next guys…and teaching hasn’t gotten any easier over the 31 years I have been in the classroom. I need to watch…and pray…and study…so I can be ready whatever God tells me to do.

 

Father…I thank you for this reminder that I need to be organized and ready to do the work you call me to do. I need to keep a close watch on the enemy…so satan can’t trick me into falling away from your will.  Instill in me the strength …and courage…and wisdom I need to recognize the work you call me to do.  Amen.