2 Chronicles 7:19,20a
“But if you turn away and forsake the decrees and commands I have
given you and go off to serve other gods and worship them, then I will uproot
Israel from my land”
For the longest time, I have been receiving text messages from this
person complaining about her choir, and their worship team in general. “They have
no commitment ate” she said. “They
come in late, sometimes they’re just a handful, and once or twice, they won’t
come at all. The saddest part is that
they won’t even drop an excuse nor any apology after.” Imagine her waiting on the piano every
weekend, clueless if anyone’s coming at all. I remember how I felt for that boy
in Little Man Tate when nobody showed up for his birthday party. Such makes us
frustrated and angry. We’d demand that someone takes the blame. Or at least
something.
As early as Eden, whenever God engages man to a relationship with
Him, or a task for Him, He makes sure pros and cons are in black in white. “Work
at the garden, take care of it, and you may enjoy its fruit. But not the middle
tree, or you will die.” He left no room for them to fall into sin because of
ignorance. When they ate the fruit and found themselves naked, He did not say, “Ok, let’s make some
rules here.” God established the system before He called people in. It was the same
in Exodus. When He gave the commandments, He made clear the blessings of
obedience, and the curses that come with disobedience. Same here with Solomon.
God reminded him the Davidic covenant and His desire that he’d follow his
father’s footsteps for the establishment of the royal kingdom. And then He
itemized what will happen if he and Israel will choose otherwise. All in print.
Out in the open.
We’ve seen broken relationships and breach of contracts left and
right, and sadly, the very offenders are the ones we see free and yes, carefree.
Adding insult to injury. And as much as we want to force them to make amends,
the fact that we entered that relationship without provisions for possible breach,
sealed that invisible right for them to ‘get away with it’. Now we know why it’s
wise to be God-like in our dealings. It’s one thing to have faith in someone,
but it’s another to teach them accountability and responsibility. This likewise
applies to parenting and marriage, even ministry organizations. Take time to draft
rules and make it clear to everyone. Otherwise, you know who’s to blame why
discipline can’t take its place.
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