Once upon a time there was a very handsome prince by the name of Thielen, the son of Telos, a great king. Telos was a godly man and raised Thielen well. However, Thielen was very strong-willed and kept his own counsel about what was right and what was wrong, what was good and what was bad. On the Eastern side of the kingdom lay a vast flood plain containing the kingdom’s farmlands that were bordered by a mighty river. Telos’ men maintained a network of berms, walls and locks to keep the river from flooding the plain.
The day came for Prince Thielen to assist his father in overseeing the realm. Telos gave Theilen charge over the Lockmen who cared for the berms, walls and locks. The king had a very detailed schedule of duties which he told Theilen, “You and the Lockmen have to diligently keep to this schedule.” After Thielen took residence in the Lock Tower Keep and his father had gone back to the capital he began his work. After a few days on the job, he started to amend his father’s list of duties. He decided the berms did not need to be checked weekly but monthly would do. He told the Lockmen that his father was too picky and precise in this list of duties. They didn’t need to check the integrity of the walls every day or the condition of the bars that held the lock doors in place. He began sending them home to their families for extended vacations. He thought to himself, “The fewer people I have to oversee the less I have to do. Besides all this work is just overkill.” The elder Lockmen told him that the list of duties was built upon generations of experience, but he knew better.
Then the rainy season came and the river swelled to levels never seen before. The Lockmen worked furiously to keep the river in its banks but because of lack of maintenance the berms gave way, the walls crumbled and the lock doors failed. The farmlands were devastated. A whole season of produce was lost. The breakthrough happened so fast that it swept the Lock Tower Keep off its foundation and into the river. Neither Thielen nor the keep was ever seen again.
“Then Moses said to Aaron, This is it that the LORD spoke, saying, I will be sanctified in them that come near me, and before all the people I will be glorified.” (Leviticus 10:3) Doing things God’s way is essential. Basing your actions on feelings rather than God’s word is a recipe for diaster.
The Bible Bistro 