Crystal Elements

​Just before 10:30 p.m. I found the cottage where I would be staying.  I unloaded the two large suitcases, my carry-on bag, and backpack from the Jeep and proceeded into the dark house.  My aide-de-camp left a message on the table beside a container of fruit welcoming me to Fort McCoy.  In the kitchen the refrigerator was stocked with Powerades and Ginger Ale. On the coffee table was a bowl filled with what looked like gold hard candies.  I thought to myself what a good job the aide had done and plopped one of the “candies” in my mouth.  

​Quickly I spit it out as it was not candy and it tasted horrible.  I ran into the bathroom and flushed my mouth with cold Wisconsin water. Then I went back and discovered that my treat was actually a bowl of Crystal Elements—air freshening crystals scented with Amber Vanilla and definitely not to be touched or ingested! It took two days before I got the dire savor of that crystal out of my mouth.  I assumed my aide was taking care of my sweet tooth, when in fact it was the environment that was the subject of attention.  
 
Meditation
Acts 7:24,25—When he saw one of them being mistreated, he came to his rescue and avenged the oppressed man by striking down the Egyptian.  He assumed his brothers would understand that God would give them deliverance through him, but they did not understand.
 
Two words should grab our attention from Acts 7:25—“He assumed.”  Moses thought he was God’s solution to the suffering of his countrymen.  But he intervened and killed an Egyptian without God’s sanction or leading.  Consequently he reaped scorn from his fellow Hebrews and anger from Pharaoh.  Moses was forced to flee Egypt to live as a foreigner in the land of Midian.  
When we assume and take action without investigating we invite trouble into our lives. Our guessing may be humorous with minor consequences like trying to eat crystals.  But it may completely change the course of our lives as in Moses’ case. All Moses had to do was to arrest the behavior of a cruel Egyptian.  Instead he resorted to murder.  Too often we get mad in our rightness, and miss God’s way.   Haste is the brother of assuming and both rarely lead us to the right solution. When confronted by wrong doing, seek God’s help.  Crystal Elements are not made for eating and assumptions are a poor recipe for living.  
 
Inspiration
Too often, people assume that along with the role of leader comes the responsibility of determining what should be done.—Henry & Richard Blackaby in Spiritual Leadership
 
©2012 Daniel York  ARR.  Reveration is the weekly devotional ministry of First Cause.  If you would like to receive these devotionals go to www.firstcause.org and click on the “Click here to receive weekly devotionals” box. Unlimited permission to copy this devotional without altering text or profiteering is allowed subject to inclusion of this copyright notice.      
 
Ecclesiastes 12:10-The Teacher sought to find delightful sayings and to accurately write words of truth.  (Holman CSB)