What are we counting and how?

[Leonardo Von]

What are we counting and how?

Jacob counted how many times Laban cheated him:

    • “and your father has deceived me and changed my wages *ten times*. But God did not allow him to hurt me.” (Gen 31:7);
    • “And I have been twenty years in your house. I served you fourteen years for your two daughters, and six for your flocks. And you have changed my wages *ten times*.” (Gen 31:41).

Job counted how many times his “friends” blamed him:

    • “How long will you torment my soul and break me in pieces with words? And this, *ten times* you have blamed me; you are not ashamed that you have wronged me.” (Job 19:2,3)

The Chaldeans counted how many times Daniel and his three friends were wiser than the magicians of Babylon:

    • “And in any matters of wisdom and understanding that the king asked them, he found them *ten times* better than all the horoscopists and conjurers who were in all his kingdom.” (Dan 1:20)

I am not saying that it is wrong to count something. Even the Creator did this:

    • “Because all those men who have seen My glory and My miracles which I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and have tempted Me now these ten times, and have not listened to My voice, surely they shall not see the land which I swore to their fathers, neither shall any of them that provoked Me see it.” (Num 14:22,23). 

Nevertheless, we need to take care about what are we counting. See the case of David:

    • “And Satan stood up against Israel and provoked David to take a census of Israel.” (1Ch 21:1).

In virtue of David having counted Israel’s people, seventy thousands Israelites passed away (1Chr 21:14):

    • “And it was evil in the eyes of God as to this thing. And He struck Israel.” (1Ch 21:7).

And what about us? What are we counting? The times that we yield to our spouse so that, in the future, we can use it as excuse to convince our spouse to do what seems us good for us? 

Many believers, seeing the verse below, think on counting how many times they ought to forgive.

    • “Take heed to yourselves. If your brother trespasses against you, rebuke him. And if he repents, forgive him. And if he trespasses against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turns again to you, saying, I repent, you shall forgive him.” (Luk 17:3,4).

So, when you go to count something, give preference to the good things. Count how many good things your spouse and children brought to your life, how many things your boss and coworkers did for you and mainly: how many boons the Creator poured in your life (see Ps 40:5; 77:11; 96:3; 105:2; 107:15,21,24,31).

If you decide to count the mistakes of people or the failure of them with respect to you, may this be a remembrance of how many times you had to glorify Jesus’ name through forgiveness, mercy and grace and, above all, how much you need to strain so that your neighbor can know the truth and be transformed by the power of Jesus Christ through His gospel.

So, have a good week learning from the Creator how to count your days, so that you can reach a heart of wise (Psa 90:12).