July 23rd, 2005

RED

New Member
My Tool Kit

Read Numbers 7:1-9

Jesus said, "Ask, and it will be given you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you."
Matthew 7:7 (NRSV)

EVERY night before I go to sleep, I read a passage in the Bible and try to apply its message to my life. One night I found myself reading Numbers 7. But I could find no connection between the passage and the problems I faced trying to meet my many obligations as wife, mother, teacher, friend. I felt inadequate for any of these jobs.


As I turned off the lamp and drifted into sleep, I continued to think of Moses giving oxen and wagons to the Levites. My shoulders and neck ached as I recalled that the Kohathites were given no oxen or wagons; they carried on their shoulders the most holy things.

The next morning, when I woke up, I realized the story could indeed apply to my life. The Kohathites had been given what they needed to do the job the Lord had assigned them -- strong shoulders. Just as God gave the Kohathites what they needed for their task, so God has given me what I need to do the tasks I am called to do. The Kohathites remind me that I have different tools than others because my job is different. And I have the tools I need in order to do the job God has given me.
Pat Jinkins (Wisconsin, U.S.A.)

Prayer:
Thank you, God, for the tasks you give us to do. Thank you for giving us the tools we need to do them. Amen
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