GOD IS ORDERLY
“Let all things be done decently and in order.” I Corinthians 14:40
The work of God is done with order and arrangement, and He wants things done in an orderly way. His orderliness is seen in the days of creation. He designed His world with boundaries and order. He limited the area of the waters in relation to the dry ground. He separated the night from the day and arranged for a schedule that includes days and years. He planned into His creation seasons and included a day of rest. He clearly instructed Adam concerning his responsibilities and made certain the first man knew there was a tree from which he was not to eat. He then informed Adam of the consequences if he disobeyed.
This is the God that we love and serve. He has the power to do anything He wishes – at any time He wishes – and can operate completely with spontaneity or impulse. However, we see that He acts with deliberation and planning. For instance, the Bible tells us that in the plan of God, Jesus is “the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world” (Revelation 13:8). Before there was a sinner, the Savior was prepared; before there was a need, God had a supply. Then the Bible says that, “when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son” (Galatians 4:4). Jesus came to this earth exactly when He was scheduled to come.
Knowing that God is orderly should motivate us to insist on some order and schedule in our lives. This does not imply that there should be no room in our calendar for modification or spontaneous responding to unforeseen opportunities or needs. We ought always to be open to the Spirit’s leadership and be flexible enough to recognize the need to restructure our schedule. However, when there is a lack of organization in our daily lives, the result will often be poor stewardship of our time. The word orderly implies organization. There should be order in the form of budgeting our personal finances. By prioritizing our responsibilities, we can make sure we have the time for things that are most important. Organization will help bring consistency into our personal lives. One reason we are sometimes inconsistent with our Christian service or devotional lives is because our lives are not characterized by order. Where there is no order, there will, in all likelihood, be confusion or chaos. The busier we are, the more incumbent it is for us to bring order to our lives.