Scripture

Our verse for today comes from 2 Samuel 24:2, ” So the king said to Joab the commander of the army who was with him, ‘Go through all the tribes of Israel, from Dan to Beersheba, and count the people, that I may know the number of the people.’ ” 

Background

I wasn’t a big collector growing up. I never got into baseball cards, or stamps, or autographs of famous people, or comic books. I didn’t seek out special mementos to put in a scrapbook or attempt to save unique items that one day might be worth something. That sort of hobby just never appealed to me. I guess the closest I came to valuing any collection I had, if you could call it that, was my Matchbox and Hot Wheels cars. I certainly did love those cars. But I didn’t cherish them so because they were part of a limited edition, or because I still had them in their original packaging resting on a shelf. No, I used to love to play with those cars. Whether building roads in the dirt, making city streets out of blocks, or racing them on those orange tracks to see which was the fastest, I enjoyed driving every little firetruck, sports car, and luxury sedan. And every now and then, I would line them all up and just take inventory. I’d rank them from my favorite to least favorite, or from fastest to slowest. Even though the few dozen cars I had weren’t going to wow anyone, I was very pleased with what I had. 

Application

I’m sure it’s alright to take stock of what we have, to keep track of all that is ours. God places significant importance on being faithful stewards of what He gives us, and assessing those blessings is a requisite step. But you know as I do, that each time we count something, we place a value on it that goes beyond the sheer total of what we tally. Whenever we affirm what we have, our faith and reliance, our pride in that stuff, is expressed. Regardless of whether it’s too little or quite a bit, our heart feels a tug, and it’s usually not back towards a full reliance on God. Those things and that stuff, they’re not neutral. They have a real effect. And it takes a real and concerted effort to keep that influence from weaving its tines of control where a King is reigning. So count up what you have. But then compare it to what belongs to God, and what you have surrendered to Him. 

Charge

As we seek Him today, let the numbers do more than tell a story. Let them compel you to surrender their hold over your present and your future.