LIVING ACCURATELY ROSS SMITH
If we were to truly analyse the spiritual health of the church today we would probably find that it is a “hit and miss” affair, characterised by many different denominations and within each denomination, a collection of doctrinal differences that are frequently only pet theories perpetuated by men, or as Romans 12:2 says, “zeal without knowledge”, and lacking the qualities of the Bereans, who made it their goal to ensure what they were hearing was “ACCURATE.”
We have for a long time now been made aware that “ACCURACY ACCENTUATES INTEGRITY”, and integrity and credibility are fruits of a life lived in recognition of the total right Father has over our existence. But few attain to the heights of spiritual commitment that the bible demands, as recorded in Psalm 27:8 and repeated over and over again throughout scripture.
Psalm 27:8 You have said, Seek My face [inquire for and require My presence as your vital need]. My heart says to You, Your face (Your presence), Lord, will I seek, inquire for, and require [of necessity and on the authority of Your Word].
I wonder if the Lord gets tired of scanning humanity, and in particular the church, to see if we are at least endeavouring to fulfil His requirements, if there is a real trace of genuine love and commitment that is required of “LIVING ACCURATELY?’
Psalm 14:2 The Lord looked down from heaven upon the children of men to see if there were any who understood, dealt wisely, and sought after God, inquiring for and of Him and requiring Him [of vital necessity].
The requirement is five fold and has a deep intensity.
- (1) understood,
- (2) dealt wisely,
- (3) sought after God,
- (4) enquiring for and of Him,
- (5) requiring Him.
And ends up describing the effort required as “Our vital necessity”, or “LIVE ACCURATELY”.
Many in the church are in the body and many in the body are not in the church. That’s why Father is critically reviewing the state of the world to see if there is a people He can depend upon, mainly because the church is not representative of what He intended, or intends for the future, that is, that accurate or spotless bride, unwrinkled and finely attired.
My interest was sparked by the record of men in the Old Testament who were recognised for their accuracy, not just sometimes, but every time.
Judges 20:16 Among all these (26,000) were 700 CHOSEN left-handed men; everyone could sling stones at a hair AND NOT MISS.
I think it is important that we also see in this verse that the men were “LEFT HANDED”, for there is some rarity of skills attributed to left handed people, and to watch them write is always a fascinating experience, their manner of holding a pen is quite unique. And I think that those whom FATHER CHOOSES to fight His battles will be similarly “unique”, they will be fascinating to observe.
Further, the name of the tribe was BENJAMIN, which is translated “son of the right hand”, and so there was this quirk comprising seven hundred men, who were deadly accurate, they never missed, but were left handed. Surely there is a lesson in this colourful description of a mob of men, whose job it was to throw stones.
So I ask, were these warriors from the tribe of Benjamin left-handed by nature or nurture? I would suggest there was a “mentality” amongst these men that just because they were left handed they had a disadvantage, so they have set themselves to prove a point. We face the same challenge, our original nature was towards God, we were made in His image and likeness, but WE NEED TO NURTURE THAT INTRINSIC NATURE/QUALITY BY LIVING ACCURATELY. We must adopt that mentality that we are different and have to set ourselves to prove a point, God’s point, that He is in the midst of His people.
I am not sure that being left handed provides any recommendation, however I found an interesting fact, a lengthy list of left-handed leaders includes four of the last seven USA commanders in chief — President Obama, Bill Clinton, George H.W. Bush, and Gerald Ford — as well as past presidents James Garfield and Harry Truman. In fact, there’s a rumor that Ronald Reagan was born a leftie, but stringent schoolteachers converted him to a “righty” when he was young.
I am not sure that the above quote is accurate, however it is important that “WE CANNOT LIVE ON HEARSAY AND HYPOTHESES, we have to know the truth so that we can live accurately.
Proverbs 19:2 Desire WITHOUT KNOWLEDGE is not good, and to be overhasty is to sin and MISS THE MARK.
“AMBITION” or “DESIRE” has to become “DETERMINATION”.
So already we have a basis to work from, it is no good wanting God and His blessings and directions if we do not apply ourselves to intense study of His Word, for that is the only way we will be able to accumulate the ”KNOWLEDGE” that Proverbs refers to.
The attitude “Yes I want it but don’t want to work at it”, the bible says “is not good”. Stupidity is bad, so is ignorance, when we lack knowledge, that is, when we do not know what to do, how to act in the circumstances of his life, we lack the practical wisdom provided by the directions of the Word.
The “near enough is good enough” mentality has overtaken many and it is a recipe for disaster. If we are doing just enough to scrape through, whether it be work, housework, school work, prayer, reading, study, relationships, then how can we expect Father to look after our concerns when we do not respond to His concerns. I recall that last week the message was on “INDIFFERENCE”, and that is what constitutes “near enough”.
Ephesians 6:13 THEREFORE put on God’s complete armour, that you may be able to resist and stand your ground on the evil day [of danger], and, having done all [the crisis demands], to stand [firmly in your place].
Allow me the liberty of listing some of the areas that we need to address in our pursuit of that degree is precision required in our walk
- ACCURACY ACCENTUATES INTEGRITY
- AMBIVALENCE CLONES APATHY
- CARELESSNESS CULTIVATES COMPROMISE
- FRUSTRATION FATHERS FAILURE
- LETHARGY LICENCES LAZINESS
- PRECISION PROHIBITS PERJURY
- UNCERTAINTY EQUALS DOUBLE MINDEDNESS
And so the list could go on and on, but should not go on and on!!!! But to reach the goal WE HAVE TO HAVE AN AIM. It would seem from Judges 20 that these men had very good aim, but how did they achieve it, FROM PRACTICE!!! To be able to this, to hurl a stone at a hair from a sling, and hit it every time involved commitment, and in this environment, “Competition”. We are fortunate that we do not have to compete for Gods Graciousness, but need to be just as accurate. But none of these men had the attitude, “NEAR ENOUGH”, they had to “NEVER MISS”, otherwise they would not have their name on the honour roll, or as 1 Thessalonians 4:12 says, “be correct and honourable and command the respect of the outside world.
ACCURACY IS REQUIRED IN EVERYTHING, in our relationships, conversation, example, work, study, finances, intentions, but most consequentially, in our walk with the Lord, He waits, but we must not, we must realise that we are at the point in time where we need TO LIVE URGENTLY
Ephesians 5:15 LOOK CAREFULLY then how you walk! Live purposefully and worthily and ACCURATELY, not as the unwise and witless, but as wise (sensible, intelligent people),
We need to break up this verse a little so that we imbibe the real essence of the truth so that we apply the principles and not “MISS THE MARK”.
“LOOK CAREFULLY” This is the first requirement, and suggests “accuracy”, and to do so requires that we have our eyes open, eyes to see, not like the eyes of MARK 8:18 where the faculty of “seeing” was not evidenced. It means that the MANNER of walking is regarded as well as the ACT of walking.
The left handed “slingers” would not have been so accurate if they took a cursory glance at the hair before they let go with the sling, they had looked carefully at how far it was, how high it was, what orientation it was, and the surrounding conditions that existed, and then “stepped out”, each time putting their reputation squarely on the line. If they missed just once they could not be included as one of the seven hundred.
I can imagine that they had undergone intense study of what we know now as aerodynamics, the trajectory and the things that affected it like, the four forces of flight which are lift, weight, thrust and drag. These forces make an object move up and down, and faster or slower. How much of each force there is changes how the object moves through the air.
Our study needs to be just as comprehensive, not a “hit and miss” but unerring accuracy, that “righty dividing the Word of Truth”. 2 Timothy 2:15 mirrors the demands of the slingers study habits as follows with four affective forces: –
(1) “correctly analysing and
- (2) accurately dividing
- (3) rightly handling and
- (4) skilfully teaching”
THESE ARE RIGHT HANDED SLINGERS, SEEMS LEFT HANDED IS BETTER!!!
“Carefully” as in Ephesians 5:15 is in relation to the “look,” not to the “walk“, the walk part comes later. The requirement for a careful “LOOK” comes before the first step. We decide before hand where the foot is to be planted, our natural eye scans right and left and takes in the bearings of the new position, assessing its possibilities. “Look before you leap,” and it follows that according to the carefulness of the look, how successful of the leap is likely to be.
There is good reason to be careful in looking how to proceed, for this looking involves “DISCRETION” or as we have been directed, to have “DISCERNMENT”
Jeremiah 6:16 Thus says the Lord: Stand by the roads and LOOK; and ask for the eternal paths, where the good, old way is; THEN walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk in it! (This smacks of indifference)
This scripture infers that we continuously review the path we are taking, BEFORE we walk. Does this not reinforce Proverbs 3:6, “In all your ways know, recognize, and acknowledge Him, (or in these terms, “LOOK” … comments mine) and He will direct and make straight and plain your paths. (The “WALK” … comments mine)
“Looking” requires that we have light, for it is most difficult to look carefully where there is no light, for “in the dark” requires that we “feel carefully”!!!
Acts 17:27 SO THAT they should seek God, IN THE HOPE that they might feel after Him and find Him, although He is not far from each one of us.
If we refer to the previous verses that we maintain the context, it refers to the idolatry the nation engaged in.
These people were at least seeking God, but not doing it very efficiently, their attempts replicated the action of the blind groping or feeling their way by their hands in default of sight, and the bible is very precise in this respect and even scathing if we are neglectful, or indifferent, and the 28th chapter of Deuteronomy is a compelling read. It starts out like this:-
Deuteronomy 28:1 IF YOU will listen diligently to the voice of the Lord your God, being WATCHFUL to do all His commandments which I command you this day, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth.
It proceeds down to verse 14 with what can be expected, if we live accurately, or as the verse 1 says “IF YOU WILL LISTEN DILIGENTLY”, a great listing of God’s favour on the obedient.
But the relevance and the curse here is found in verse 29,
Deuteronomy 28:29 And you shall grope at noonday as the blind grope in darkness. And you shall not prosper in your ways; and you shall be only oppressed and robbed continually, and there shall be no one to save you.
To have light demands that we know what the Word of God requires in every situation and circumstance, the light that comes from hiding His Word in our hearts, thus precluding the potential to sin. (Psalm 119:11)
“HOW YOU WALK” Notice this does not say “WHEN you walk”, but “HOW you walk”, and so infers a continuing and progressive advancement in our spiritual maturity.
TO WALK IS TO LIVE, and we need to see as we proceed, and in living we have added responsibilities, not just for our “walk” but how it affects those outside
Colossians 4:5 Behave yourselves wisely [LIVING PRUDENTLY AND WITH DISCRETION] in your relations with those of the outside world (the NON-CHRISTIANS), making the very most of the time and seizing (buying up) the opportunity.
“LIVE PURPOSEFULLY AND WORTHILY AND ACCURATELY” (Ephesians 5:15)
The KJV translation uses the word ‘Circumspectly” and from the Greek (G199) it has added meaning:-
It is an adverb from the same as G196; exactly: – circumspectly, diligently, perfect (-ly).
I like the combination of these meanings and if we put them together they say “PURPOSEFULLY, WORTHILY, ACCURATELY, EXACTLY, DILIGENTLY”, and how descriptive of the “slingers” of JUDGES 20:16, just stop and contemplate how each word describes their behaviour.
There is another expression that also brings this into acute focus and that is” LIVE URGENTLY”
Should we be inclined to refer back to 2 Peter we will find that this New Testament instruction enlarges the principle.
2 Peter 1:5-8 “For this very reason“
Do you know what the reason was, because if we are living without a reason, we are only existing, and all that achieves is the unnecessary consumption of valuable resources, such as oxygen, and so we have to understand the reason for the application of EPHESIANS 5:15, so let me give you the reason from Peter, and it is a good reason.
V 4 “SO THAT through them you may escape [by flight] from the moral decay (rottenness and corruption) that is in the world because of covetousness (lust and greed), and become sharers (partakers) of the divine nature.”
(Continuing verse 5) adding your DILIGENCE [to the divine promises], employ every effort in exercising your faith to develop virtue (excellence, resolution, Christian energy), and in [exercising] virtue [develop] knowledge (intelligence), And in [exercising] knowledge [develop] self-control, and in [exercising] self-control [develop] steadfastness (patience, endurance), and in [exercising] steadfastness [develop] godliness (piety), And in [exercising] godliness [develop] brotherly affection, and in [exercising] brotherly affection [develop] Christian love. For as these qualities are yours and increasingly abound in you, they will keep [you] from being idle or unfruitful unto the [full personal] knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One). (“Develop” is used 7 times in 3 verses)
All these attributes when coalesced into our nature will ensure that we have an accuracy that defies logic, defeats the devil, disarms the skeptics, damns the doubter, defines our destiny.
The Apostle Paul understood this principle when he said
Philippians 3:10 [For my DETERMINED PURPOSE is] that I may know Him [that I may PROGRESSIVELY become more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him, perceiving and recognizing and understanding the wonders of His Person more strongly and more clearly], and that I may in that same way come to know the power outflowing from His resurrection [which it exerts over believers], and that I may so share His sufferings as to be continually transformed [in spirit into His likeness even] to His death, [in the hope]
DETERMINATION
DETERMIN-ATION REQUIRES DETERMIN-ACTION. Our accuracy will determine the eternal outcome for many of those with whom we come into contact, because we will not only evidence the nature of Him Who is only not the epitome of “ACCURACY” but is the very creator of it.
How fragile and delicate is the balance of creation that enables us to even be here, just a minute wobble of the earth on its axis has its effects that can be noticed. Both the lunar orbit and the earth’s orbit around the sun have a slight wobble, any change, no matter how minor, has an effect on the weather conditions. The earth however only wobbles in the arctic region, like a spinning top, the bottom point is fixed, and this is in line with the unfathomable accuracy of the total universe. If one cosmological entity strayed from its assigned path, if it defied the accuracy built into it by God, then the effect would be cataclysmic.
1 Thessalonians 5:1 BUT AS to the suitable times and the precise seasons and dates, brethren, you have no necessity for anything being written to you.
The Apostle goes on to explain for our benefit what the outcome will be.
1 Thessalonians 5:6 Accordingly then, let us not sleep, as the rest do, but let us keep wide awake (alert, WATCHFUL, cautious, and on our guard) and let us be sober (calm, collected, and CIRCUMSPECT). (or “determined”.. comments mine
We need to walk carefully, circumspectly, both in belief and in practice, with our spiritual eyes wide open, demonstrating accuracy achieved by more searching, more illumination, more intelligence or application of God’s wisdom knowledge and understanding, walking purposefully on surer ground.
Ross Smith 