THE CART BEFORE THE HORSE! by Gene McGuire (Saturday, March 15, 2008)

“But it is good to be zealous in a good thing always. . . .” (Galatians 4:18)

COMMENT: In 1 Chronicles 13 King David, in his zealousness, decided to bring the Ark of the Lord back to Jerusalem. They carried the ark on a new cart and Uzza and Ahio drove the cart. The ox pulling the wagon stumbled and Uzza put his hand on the Ark to make sure it would not fall off. He was struck dead as soon as he touched it. The problem was a lack of wisdom regarding the things of God. Only the Levites where suppose to carry the Ark with poles extended through loops so that no human hand should ever touch it. We Christians are often zealous to do the will of God but lack knowledge. An extreme example would be well-intended men who stand on crowded street corners wearing billboards and shouting out to passersby that they should “REPENT NOW OR YOU WILL BURN IN HELL’S FIRE!!!!!” Of course this is true, and the men are certainly zealous for the Lord, but they are not using godly wisdom. 1 Corinthians 13:5 admonishes us that “It [love] is not conceited (arrogant and inflated with pride); it is not rude (unmannerly) and does not act unbecomingly.” Probably none of us will go to the same extreme as those “billboard bullies”, but it would be a good idea to monitor ourselves to make sure our godly fervor is accompanied by godly wisdom.

SCRIPTURE STUDY:1 Corinthians 13:1-8

WISE SAYING: BE ZEALOUS FOR ALL THINGS ABOVE, BUT MAKE SURE IT’S DONE WITH GOD’S LOVE. (gene mcguire)