Don't Pull the Poles

by Wayne Cordeiro on January 30, 2023

It's a new day! It's Monday, January 30, 2023. Ever get so weary that you're ready to throw in the towel? We will always have a choice. It's ours to make. God offered the priests that same choice each time they lifted the ark onto their shoulders. God gives us the freedom to choose because He wants our hearts more than our compliance. There can be no genuine hearts if there are only mandates. What will you do with your choices? Read on …

Today's Reading:
Exodus 25,26,27; Acts 6

Scripture

“And you shall put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark, to carry the ark with them. The poles shall remain in the rings of the ark; they shall not be removed from them …” (Exodus 25:15))

Observation

If the poles were to remain, why didn’t God affix them permanently? Why four gold rings with removable poles? It should have been designed with four gold attachments, handles, or hand bars … but not rings with removable poles if they were not meant to be removed!

Application

The priests could decide one day that they had a little more change than they could handle — and that it was time to set the ark down. After all, 40 years of changing locations were long enough! But then again, maybe God was addressing something deeper than the orientation of how to move divine objects. Maybe God was building a heart to obey and not just comply. So each time God told them to move, they would face a heart check and a choice.

Prayer

Dear Father, when we are tired of changing, weary of debriefing, worn out by training new leaders and correcting the same mistakes — when we are exhausted and think we’ve had enough, help us learn to take a break but not pull the poles. When we are tired of being married, we need to get some rest or counsel, but we don’t get to pull the poles. When we are worn out from being consistent in our daily devotions, we will figure a way to get re-inspired to keep our hearts engaged, hands to the plow, and hearts to the harvest. We will take a Sabbath from activities and ministry … but help us never to pull the poles.

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About the Author

Wayne Cordeiro

Dr. Wayne Cordeiro is the founding pastor of the New Hope International Ministry beginning in 1984 in Hilo, Hawaii. In 1995, he relocated to Honolulu and pioneered New Hope Oahu. Within 10 years, NHO was listed among the ten most innovative churches in America. Outreach Magazine listed them as one of the “top five churches to learn from.” New Hope has seen over 110,000 first time decisions since its inception and has planted 153 churches on the West Coast and in Okinawa, Philippines, Taiwan, Japan, Myanmar and Australia.

Wayne is an author of over 14 books and speaks globally on ministry and leadership. He also designed the Life Journal and the SOAP method for daily devotions used by thousands of churches. He is also the general editor of the LifeConnect Study Bible. In 2017, he passed the leadership baton in Hawaii and relocated to Eugene, Oregon to be president of New Hope Christian College (formerly Eugene Bible College, his alma mater). New Hope Christian College highlights the development of both the message and the messenger. (For more information, go to Newhope.edu).

In 2020, he pioneered New Hope West which partners with New Hope Christian College. It has become a “lab church” for ministry and leadership development. Wayne’s life themes are emphasizing the Word of God, a daily devotion to Jesus, evangelism, church planting, leadership development, communication and redeeming the arts and technology for Christ.

Wayne and his wife, Anna have been married for over 49 years. They have three married children (Amy Hisaoka, Aaron Cordeiro, and Abigail Rivest) and nine grandchildren. His hobbies include music, reading, golf, pickleball, and riding his horse.