SCRIPTURE: Numbers 2
OBSERVATION/APPLICATION:
After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. [Luke 10:1]
Jesus was following a strategic plan.
And what we see in Numbers 2 also shows a strategic plan.
The tribes are organized to move effectively, with military precision.
Organization and strategic planning are not contrary to the ways of the Spirit.

I am convinced Jesus had an organized plan for His ministry.
He was ultimately heading to Jerusalem.
He started with crowds in general, then narrowed His focus to the twelve.
He avoided the crowds, not wanting to provoke confrontation with the leaders before His time.
He moved on from town to town, even though the crowds wanted Him to stay.
He intentionally targeted the Israelites, but worked His way across all of Israel, north to south, as well as the Samaritans.
And He trained up His twelve, and then the seventy two, and sent them out two-by-two with specific instructions.

The Lord uses order and planning to accomplish His purpose.
But He is not bound by these.
What works today may not be helpful tomorrow.
We must always be open to changing how we do things to better accomplish the Lord’s purpose.

I see in Numbers and in Jesus’ ministry a reminder to not excuse lack of organization as being more spiritual.
Though the verse has often be stretched beyond its original meaning, it is true that everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way. [1 Corinthians 14:40].
Both order and disorder can become extremes.
We need flexible structure, organic order.
By all means, plan and strategize and organize.
But realize that the shelf-life of those structures is limited. We do not blindly imitate exactly what the Bible says believers did in their day; we learn from them, and like them pattern our purpose and planning after the Lord’s purpose.

A good example is how the early church responded to the crisis in care between the Jewish and non Jewish widows [Acts 6:1-4].
This is not a law of how things need to be done, but an example of faithful, Spirit-led organizing that met the need of the day.
How do we need to organize our efforts today?
What are the issues, challenges or crises that demand effective strategic planning today?
How will we organize the troops?

PRAYER:
Lord, thank You for Your Spirit, and for the gift or order and planning. Help me (as an organizationally challenged person) to be more intentional about how I discipline and order my life for serving You.