Position

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The Path to Position

Deuteronomy 28:10

"And all people of the earth shall see that thou art called by the name of the LORD; and they shall be afraid of thee."

One of the mistakes I see in our society is giving position to someone who has never earned it. I like the phrase our military uses, "Earned, never given." Often I see pastors who give their children a position on their staff when their children have not earned the right to be on staff. You see company owners give their children a position when their children have done nothing to deserve a position. Government officials often grant position to people who have not earned the right to a position. Position is something that should be earned.

God shows us the path to position in Deuteronomy 28. He was talking to the nation of Israel in this passage when He showed them four things that were necessary for them to have position. These four steps on this path to position should not be ignored, but it should be something that is required for anyone to get a position.

The first step on the path to position is a command. In verse 8 it says, "The LORD shall command..." If someone wants position, then they first need to learn to listen to the commands of authority. If a person won't listen to the commands of those above them before they have a position, then they will ignore the commands of their superiors once they get a position. A person who will listen to a command is one whose heart is eager to learn.

The second step on the path to position is obedience. Verse 8 says, "...and in all that thou settest thine hand unto:..." Once a person hears the command, then obedience is required. Obedience is immediately doing what you have been told. When a person delays doing what they are being told, then they are being disobedient. When you are considering whether someone should be promoted to a position, then watch to see if they immediately obey what they are told to do. If there is any delay, don't give them a position because they have not earned it.

The third step on the path to position is the proving ground. Verse 9 says, "The LORD shall establish thee..." This was a time of testing to see if they would continue obeying without position. Here is where many people make a mistake in giving position. Too many people don't let a person prove that they are going to do right whether or not they get a position. Wait a period of time to see if someone will continue doing right before you grant them a position.

The final step on the path to position is the granting of a position. Verse 10 says, "And all people of the earth shall see..." Let me make this very clear, when a person is ready to be promoted to a position, then it will be clear to everyone. You won't have to persuade people they are ready, for their previous actions will have already proven to everyone that they deserve it.

If you are one who has the authority to grant position in some area, use these four steps to determine whether someone deserves it. If you are one who has no position, simply follow these four steps without a concern for position, and you will find that others will notice you and give you position.

Truly

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Truly, God is Good

Psalm 73:1

Truly God is good to Israel, even to such as are of a clean heart."

I was recently taking a trip to a speaking engagement with my father-in-law, Dr. Steve Heidenreich, when we were discussing how good God has been to us. We discussed how many people seem to not see the goodness of God. As we drove, it was good to talk about the goodness of God.

The verse above reminds us of God's goodness. When the Psalmist said, "Truly God is good to Israel,..." he was not saying it in a time when everything was going good. When you read the psalm, you will see that he was declaring God's goodness in bad times. He declared the goodness of God emphatically by using the word, "Truly." The definition of this word shows us how good God really is.

First, "Truly" means, "In fact." In other words, factually God is good. When you read the facts of the Word of God, you will find that God is truly good. It doesn't matter what the world says about God's goodness, the facts show otherwise. God's goodness is never ending. The fact that God is good all the time is declared in Psalm 52:1 when it says, "Why boastest thou thyself in mischief, O mighty man? the goodness of God endureth continually." God is continually good to you, even when you don't think He is being good. Truly, when you look at the facts of God's Word, you will see that God is good.

Second, "Truly" means, "In deed."When you look at the deeds that God has done, you will have to declare that God is good. God is good because He is righteous. A righteous God cannot and will not do evil to His people. Christian, when you research God's works throughout history, you will find that His works declare His goodness. In fact, when you look at His deeds, you will say that truly God is good.

Finally, "Truly" means, "In reality." In other words, when you make a comparison of God's works by looking at the whole picture of your life, you will find that God is good. Sure, there may be times when you did not think that God was good, but when you look at the whole picture you will say, truly God is good. You cannot look at one portion of your life, but you must look at your whole life to see that God is good.

Just like my father-in-law and I were discussing God's goodness to us, you will also find that God is good when you consider the facts, deeds and reality of life. The message of the song, Count Your Blessings should be our message every day. The chorus says, "Count your blessings, name them one by one, Count your blessings, see what God hath done! Count your blessings, name them one by one, Count your many blessings, see what God hath done." When you count your blessings, you will truly be surprised at how God is good.

Today, take some time to sit down and write the blessings of God on your life. Don't be general when you write down His blessings, but be very specific. I believe if you will do this that you will say with the psalmist, truly God is good.

Looking

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Looking Through a Magnifying Glass

Deuteronomy 1:28

"Whither shall we go up? our brethren have discouraged our heart, saying, The people is greater and taller than we; the cities are great and walled up to heaven; and moreover we have seen the sons of the Anakims there."

I remember reading books years ago about detectives using magnifying glasses to help them investigate a clue. The reason they would use a magnifying glass is because it would help them see things that they could not see very well with the naked eye. The magnifying glass magnifies the object that it is on so that it can be seen distinctly and clearly.

The children of Israel made the mistake of looking at life through a mental magnifying glass. When the ten spies went to spy the land of Canaan, they should have laid the mental magnifying glass down so they could see the whole picture. Instead, they used their mental magnifying glass when they said, "The people is greater and taller than we; the cities are great and walled up to heaven; and moreover we have seen the sons of the Anakims there." If they would have laid the magnifying glass down, they would have seen a God Who was bigger than those giants, they would have seen a land that flowed with milk and honey, and they would have seen that the giants and walls were a small part of the whole picture. Because they used a mental magnifying glass to look at Canaan, they missed the great opportunity to go into the land God promised them.

You must be careful about using a magnifying glass to look at situations and relationships in your life. No, you may not physically pick up a magnifying glass to look at these, but mentally you have your magnifying glass out inspecting insignificant things that make no impact on the whole picture of the situation or relationship. Many people blow things way out of proportion because they have magnified one little thing in a situation or relationship instead of looking at the whole picture.

Be careful about looking at your relationships through a magnifying glass. You will destroy your marriage and family if you magnify every little situation. Many marriages and families could be much happier if people would look at the whole relationship. Instead, many will destroy their relationship with their parents, children or spouse because they magnify one little thing that they don't like. Lay down your magnifying glass in your relationships and look at the whole picture to get an honest view of the great relationships you have.

Furthermore, don't look at any one situation in your life with a magnifying glass. Often we have one bad situation in life and we look at it through a mental magnifying glass. We make the situation worse because we magnify it instead of looking at the whole picture. Christian, when you look at life as a whole, you will see that your one bad situation is simply a small part of a larger more beautiful picture. Don't ruin the picture that God has painted in your life because you look at it with a magnifying glass.

When you look at these things with a magnifying glass you magnify things that are a small part of the whole picture of your life or relationship. Not only are they a small part, but they are truthfully an insignificant part of that picture. Be careful about letting the small insignificant things in life and relationships ruin your whole picture. When you are tempted to use your mental magnifying glass, step back and look at the whole picture. By doing this you will keep the beautiful picture of your life and relationships in tact.

Miraculous

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From Marah to Elim and on to the Miraculous

Numbers 33:9-10

"And they removed from Marah, and came unto Elim: and in Elim were twelve fountains of water, and threescore and ten palm trees; and they pitched there. And they removed from Elim, and encamped by the Red sea."

The greatest shortages in life are often followed by the greatest blessings and miracles. However, many people fall short of the blessings and the miracles because they quit in the area where the shortages have come.

The children of Israel nearly missed one of the greatest miracles they would see because of their murmuring. One of the first stops after they left the land of Egypt was a place called Marah. Marah was a place where the water was so bitter that they could not drink it. The Scriptures teach us that the children of Israel began to murmur, and even said that they wished they had stayed in Egypt. Yet, the very next stop after Marah was a place called Elim. In Elim they found twelve fountains of water from which they could drink. The amazing thing about this is that Elim was only five miles from Marah. In other words, less than a days journey was the blessing of water that they complained for in Marah.

However, I want you to notice that right after Elim they journeyed to the great Red Sea. It was at the Red Sea where they saw God part the waters and were forever separated from those who had kept them captive for four hundred years. Imagine if they would had gone back to Egypt like they wanted in Marah, they would have never seen one of the greatest miracles of history. If they would had gone back to Egypt like they desired, many people who were helped by the Red Sea experience would have missed that help because they stopped short in Marah. Because they went forward and did not stop in their murmuring ways, they experienced a place of blessing and went on to the miraculous.

Christian, you must never stop in the Marah of your life. Though life's hardships may try to cause you to complain, you must realize that there is an Elim just down the road. It is a choice that you can make. You can either complain about the shortages and hardships you have in life, or you can continue on and have the place of refreshment where God strengthens your soul. However, if you stop in the Marah of your life, you will never have a Red Sea experience. Many people have missed the greatest miracles of their lives because they stopped in their Marah.

I ask you, how much are you missing because of your murmuring spirit? Has your murmuring and complaining caused you to stop and miss the Elim and the Red Sea of your life? If you will keep on going through the shortages and hardships of your life, you will find that not far down the road is an Elim and a Red Sea. Don't let your shortages and hardships keep you from seeing the blessings and miracles that God has for you. They are there, but you will never see them if you stop in your Marah.

Keep it

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Keep It in the Family

Numbers 27:7

"The daughters of Zelophehad speak right: thou shalt surely give them a possession of an inheritance among their father's brethren; and thou shalt cause the inheritance of their father to pass unto them."

The inheritance was very important to the children of Israel. It was not just parents leaving their money to their children, but it was the parents leaving the portion of land that God gave to them. This inheritance represented how they served God. It would be a big thing for a family to lose their inheritance.

The daughters of Zelophehad had a problem in that their father died in the wilderness without having any sons to whom he could pass the inheritance. These five daughters came to Moses and asked him if there was a way that they could keep the inheritance of their father. When Moses asked God, He told him that they were to receive their father's inheritance. God went further into the subject of the inheritance and told Moses that they were to keep the inheritance in their family. If a family had an inheritance in Israel, then that family had the responsibility to make sure that it would not be lost.

When you got saved, you received a spiritual inheritance. That inheritance is not only salvation, but it is also how the Scriptures teach us to serve God. It is the responsibility of the family to make sure every generation carries on this inheritance. The inheritance that God gave is not something we should be passive about, but it is something that we should protect with our lives. Let me give you three thoughts about our spiritual inheritance.

First, it is the responsibility of every parent to pass their spiritual inheritance down to their children. Parents, you should not treat what you believe lightly, but you should realize that it is your responsibility to teach your children what they should believe and how they should serve God. It is not the responsibility of the pastor, youth pastor, Christian school teacher or Sunday school teacher to train your children in what they should believe and how they should serve God. It is the responsibility of the parent. Too many parents are absent in training their children in these areas. Too many parents want to let the church ministries teach this when it is the parent's responsibility to teach their children what they believe and how to serve God.

Second, every child has a responsibility to carry on to the next generation what they have been taught. If your parents have trained you right, then you are responsible to make sure that you live what you have been taught. You have no right to let your spiritual inheritance slip away because you want to live in the world. You are privileged to have parents who taught you right, and with privilege comes responsibility. Don't squander the spiritual inheritance that your parents left you for worldly pleasures.

Third, every spiritual organization has a responsibility to support the family as they pass on their spiritual inheritance. The responsibility of the church and school is not to usurp the parent's authority, but it is their responsibility to reinforce what the parents are training their children. That means these organizations have no right to go liberal. When you compromise your stand on the old-time religion, then you are attacking the family's spiritual inheritance. A church and Christian school needs to constantly make sure that their stance on doctrine is what the Scriptures teach.

If the parents, children and spiritual organizations will do their part with the spiritual inheritance, then we can influence a nation for Christ. If one of these compromises their spiritual inheritance, then the nation in which we live will be destroyed. Be sure that you do your part in keeping your spiritual inheritance.

Addition?

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God Doesn't Like Addition

Numbers 20:12

"And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron, Because ye believed me not, to sanctify me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore ye shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given them."

Years ago when I was learning to fly airplanes, I learned a valuable lesson about adding just a little to the prescribed course. I was taking a long trip flying by what they call, "Visual Flight Rules." When I mapped the course, I wrote down the different headings that I needed to fly. When I was actually taking the trip, I was not closely watching my heading indicator. I allowed myself to add a couple degrees to the heading indicator, and did not correct it because I thought I would still see the airport. After flying for a couple of hours, I found that I was well of course. Just adding one or two degrees to the original heading caused me to be several miles off course.

This could have been deadly if I didn't have enough fuel in the airplane to get me to the nearest airport. Just like adding one degree to my heading indicator got me well off course, likewise, adding to what God tells us to do gets us off course spiritually. Not only will it get us off course spiritually, but it could be spiritually harmful if we don't follow God's instructions. I find in the Scriptures there are three areas where God doesn't like addition.

First, God doesn't like us to add to His Word. Proverbs 30:6 says, "Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar." We live in a day when there are many Bible versions from which to choose. However, when you closely look at each version you will find that many have changed God's Word by adding or taking away from what He said. This is why it is imperative for you to have the right Bible. The King James Bible has been proven over the years to be God's perfect Word for the English speaking people. Be careful about listening to preachers or reading books by authors who use something else other than the King James Bible. When you add to what God said, it could be harmful to your Christian life.

Second, God doesn't like us to add to His commandments. Deuteronomy 12:32 says, "What thing soever I command you, observe to do it: thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it." I have found that many times people will say God said something that is found nowhere in the Scriptures. Be careful about telling people that God said something just so you can get people to do what you want them to do. I am not to ask people to do something to benefit my agenda. If it is not in the Scriptures, then it is simply a preference and not a command.

Finally, God doesn't like us to add to His methods. In the text verse above, Moses changed how God told Him to get water from the rock. Though Moses' method got the desired result, God was upset that He changed the method to get it. God is as interested in us following His methods as He is in us obeying His Word. People will say, "As long as people get saved that is the only thing that matters." No, it is not the only thing that matters! We are to obey God's methods even if we think His methods no longer work. God says in 1 Samuel 15:22, "...to obey is better than sacrifice,..." God is as interested in how things are done as He is in us not adding to His Word.

Christian, be careful that you use the right Bible. Be careful about adding to what God said to satisfy your own agenda. Be careful about changing God's methods because you think your emphasis is better than God's. Just like Moses lost the opportunity to go into the Promised Land for changing God's methods, you will also lose opportunities God has for you if you add in any of these areas.