“Then David said, “No one but the Levites may carry the ark of God, because the Lord chose them to carry the ark of the Lord and to minister before him forever.”
Recently me and my wife were hanging some pictures on the wall. Choosing the right picture was a hard thing but were past that. All we had to do was hang the picture. Searching for a hammer, I could not find one close by so I reached for anything else. A shoe, a hard object, anything help us out in driving the nail in the wall. The sheetrock was easy to penetrate but I quickly realized there was a stud on the other side of the sheetrock and my wood by hammer, the shoe, was not going to cut it. It was not the hammer I needed. Once I got the hammer things went well and the picture was hung.
1 Chronicles has been a Readers Digest of the history of Israel up to now. If you remember, Uzziah was struck down on the threshing floor for reaching out and touching the ark of the Lord. Verse 2 sums up why that happened. The ark of the Lord was supposed to be carried by the Levites, not on a cart pulled by oxen. David, realizing his mistake, carries the ark of the Lord back to Jerusalem the right way and this time and it is a huge celebration.
The ark of the Lord represents His presence in our lives. The method of carrying the ark represents our relationship to Him. God told the Israelites that the ark was only to be carried by the Levite priests a specific way. It was supposed to be carried on foot, up close and personal with cedar rods put through holes on the ark, and carried on the shoulders of the priesthood. When Uzziah was struck down it was on a cart pulled by oxen.
The lesson here is to realize where the Lord wants to be in your lives. When you are carrying an ark on your shoulders that is your main focus every step you make. When the ark was on the cart it was just something that was being transported and did not have the full focus of attention it needed to have.
You may be transporting your Christianity in the same cart, only paying attention to it when it is about to be wrecked. Backpack Christianity will not work with God. He does not want to be taken out like a map or a snack when you need it or when you forget which way to go. God wants to be up close in your face while you’re walking and taking every step. Don’t put Jesus in a backpack. He should be more to you than something you casually pay attention to. Carry the ark the right way and ask the Lord to be a part of every step you take today. I have always said “work smarter, not harder” and “the right tool for the right job”; Jesus every day is the right way to live smarter and not harder while listening to and heeding the directions, tools, the Holy Spirit guides you with. Just like there is not substitute for the hammer, Jesus has no substitute, He works every time.
Prayer: Father we are all guilty of not paying enough attention to you while paying too much attention to things that you said you would take care in Matthew 6:33. I pray that I would seek you and your righteousness first. I pray and know that you should be ever present on my brain and I should be listening and praying to you Lord every minute of every day. I pray that I the Holy Spirit guides me as He always does and that I will heed that guidance in Jesus name, amen.
Let It Go 
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