Day 185, or July the 4th. Don't be afraid of change. Our thoughts today are rooted in
Proverbs chapter 14 verse 4. Where there are no oxen, the manger is empty, but from the strength
of an ox come abundant harvests.
Now the big picture surrounding this verse. Our Proverbs today begin with advice for women,
but quickly broaden out to men too. The emphasis of true godly living was a revolution then,
and with God's help could be a revolution today too.
And now today's action step. Churches are so much easier to manage when the same people
attend week after week. It's only when new people come in and ask awkward questions and
do things that are not usually done that things are stirred up. This verse from Proverbs today
makes this point in very proverbial language. Where there are no oxen, everything is tidy and
neat, but when oxen are introduced, we get some work done. A very good friend of mine
who is with the Lord now would often create havoc at church meetings simply by uttering
the word, why?
When new people come into your fellowship, do you immediately try to make them conform?
If you do, you risk losing the freshness of a new pair of eyes. The only time it is legitimate
to want everyone to be the same as you or me is when we are perfect, and I don't know
your sanctification saturation level, but I still have a long, long way to go.
We had a volunteer worker in our walk through the Bible office some years ago who suggested
a change in our administration procedures for new seminar bookings. My immediate reaction
was to ask, how long have you been doing this job compared to how long I had been heading
up our ministry in the UK? I'm glad I didn't, because his idea was a good one and improved
our performance. Don't be like the Swiss watchmaker who, when they found out about the impending
electronic digital watch revolution, said, that isn't how you make watches. Change isn't
always a bad word.