Order
Good Morning,
A little recklessness can be found in each of us. Well, perhaps there are a few who have OCD issues, but most of us understand the relaxed world of “letting it happen” and “don’t worry about it.” In spite of the natural desire to be a slob or to have no real schedule, God is the God of order.
1 Corinthians 14:40 “Let all things be done decently and in order.”
Colossians 2:5 “For though I be absent in the flesh, yet am I with you in the spirit, joying and beholding your order, and the stedfastness of your faith in Christ.”
Titus 1:5 “For this cause left I thee in Crete, that thou shouldest set in order the things that are wanting, and ordain elders in every city, as I had appointed thee:”
Order (and schedule which is nothing but order in our time and activities) brings about unity; that way we all know what is going to happen next, where we are to go, and what we are to do. Order brings about unity, and unity brings peaceful living and blessing from God.
Matthew 12:26 “Every house divided against itself it brought to desolation”
Before bed, plan clothes for the morning. It will bring peace and blessing on your day. Plan a day to clean, to shop, or to date your spouse; plans bring order, security, and unity. The fact that you intend to do the laundry means nothing; it needs to be done and should be done before it is needed.
Plan and have order in your menu at home. You cannot wait until 7:00 PM to start thinking about dinner; it just does not work that way. You will spend a fortune on eating out, or you will fail to have healthy food for your family, and confusion will reign. That is certainly displeasing to God.
Knowing that on a certain day at a certain time you will take your wife out for a walk or to eat dinner helps her with the busy days when she wonders if she matters. I always dated our pre-teen children. There was a specific day and time we went out for a while. I wanted to be very much in touch with my children. I was not going to be the absent father. With all the hours we work, time with family will not happen if there is no order or schedule. The same is true of Bible reading, prayer, and soul winning. Without a plan, you will become terribly backslidden. The famous Susanna Wesley raised and educated more than a dozen children. She trained them in English, Latin, and Greek, but at a set time, daily, she sat in a chair in the kitchen, buried her face in her apron and spent a lengthy time in prayer. Her children were taught to sit quietly until she was done talking to God. There was a plan; without it, there would be no time with God.
When we cannot find the shoes, there is no coffee, when the car is out of gas, or the child’s homework is not done: these things bring struggle and dissension to the home, and ultimately disunity and anger. All of that separates us from the blessing of God. Order really does matter.
Jesus was born on schedule. Galatians 4:4 “…when the fullness of time was come…” Clear back in Daniel 9, the prophecy was written to date the coming of the Messiah. His birth was on schedule and was planned hundreds of years earlier.
For some, this life of order and planning is very difficult, but it can be learned. Do not make schedule a god, but a guide; make it a tool to better serve your family and society, not a club to beat those who have had less grooming than you received.
We know when the sun will come up tomorrow and next year. We know how long it will take to mature corn crops. I know that in June, I will have plums ripe and July will bring an abundance of peaches. We know the movements of Halley's Comet and countless other things in creation. The world teaches us about order and the importance of planning. May we strive to achieve it in our lives as well.
Pastor