The Process Is As Important As The Result To God
What matters more?
Process or results to a mathematics teacher evaluating the assignment, tests, or exam script of his or her student?
To a good mathematics teacher, a student merely writing down the right answer to a mathematics question in their assignment or exam is not a good measure of the student’s understanding of the math question and formula for solving the question.
The student has to show how he or she arrived at the answer, by outlining the working process in their notebook or exam script applying all the right formulas and instructions given by the teacher while teaching in class to arrive at their final answer (result).
Results without a working process outlining how the student arrived at the said result, don’t show that learning and understanding have taken place.
Thus the working process with which the student arrived at the said result, is as much important as the result itself.
As Christians and followers of Jesus Christ, while we are focused on the results of our God-given assignment and purpose in terms of growth and speed, the LORD is more specific and particular about the process leading to our results and our adherence to instruction, than he is of the outcomes ( results) of our God-given assignment and Purpose.
God is our mathematics teacher. He is more interested in our process than in our results.
Moses with the level of relationship and closeness he enjoyed with the Lord God in that the LORD knew him face to face and showed him His ways, but the Israelites His acts, was not permitted to enter into the promised land, because of the incident at the waters of Meribah Kadesh, where the LORD God told him to take Aaron with him and speak to the rock, but he struck the rock. Numbers 20: 1- 13
The LORD said to Moses,
“Take the staff, and you and your brother Aaron gather the assembly together. Speak to that rock before their eyes and it will pour out its water. You will bring water out of the rock for the community so they and their livestock can drink.”
So Moses took the staff from the LORD’s presence, just as he commanded him.
He and Aaron gathered the assembly together in front of the rock and Moses said to them, “Listen, you rebels, must we bring you water out of this rock?”
Then Moses raised his arm and struck the rock twice with his staff. Water gushed out, and the community and their livestock drank.
But the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not trust in me enough to honour me as holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them.”
Yes water gushed out, and the people rejoiced and drank, but as long as the LORD God was concerned, that was a failed assignment. To him, it was more about the process than the result.
The Israelites would have seen a Rock spoke to and water come out of it.
The Israelites were rebellious and stiff-necked which the Lord God can attest to
by their numerous acts of throwing tantrums in the face of any discomfort,
complaints, disobedience, and murmuring against Moses and the LORD.
But to the LORD God, that was no excuse for Aaron and Moses to
disobey the process which He gave them to bring water out from the Rock
for the Israelites to drink and their livestock.
That singular act cost Aaron his priestly position and entrance into the promised land. His son was told to replace him immediately.
Numbers 20:23-29 narrates the events of Aaron’s death:
At Mount Hor, near the border of Edom, the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, “Aaron will be gathered to his people. He will not enter the land I give the Israelites. Because both of you rebelled against my command at the waters of Meribah. Call Aaron and his son Eleazar and take them up Mount Hor. Remove Aaron’s garments and put them on his son Eleazar, for Aaron will be gathered to his people; he will die there”. Moses did as the LORD commanded: They went up Mount Hor in the sight of the whole community. Moses removed Aaron’s garments and put them on his son Eleazar. And Aaron died there on top of the mountain. Then Moses and Eleazar came down from the mountain, and when the whole community learned that Aaron had died, the entire house of Israel mourned for him for thirty days.
Moses was not exempted.
He pleaded with the LORD God to please let him enter the promise land, but for the first time, we see God raise His voice at Moses and told him not to mention it in His ears again.
“At that same time, I begged God: “God, my Master, you let me in on the beginnings, you let me see your greatness, you let me see your might—what god in Heaven or Earth can do anything like what you’ve done! Please, let me in also on the endings, let me cross the river and see the good land over the Jordan, the lush hills, the Lebanon mountains.”
But God was still angry with me because of you. He wouldn’t listen. He said, “Enough of that. Not another word from you on this. Climb to the top of Mount Pisgah and look around: look west, north, south, and east. Take in the land with your own eyes. Take a good look because you’re not going to cross this Jordan.
The LORD instructed him, “Call Joshua and present yourselves at the tent of meeting, where I will commission him.” Deuteronomy 3:23 -26 (MSG)
Joshua succeeded Moses.
The LORD felt so hurt by the actions of Aaron and Moses that while speaking with Moses in Deuteronomy 32: 48- 51 He made reference to it again, and reiterate to Moses: “Climb the Abarim Mountains to Mount Nebo in the land of Moab, overlooking Jericho, and view the land of Canaan that I’m giving the People of Israel to have and hold. Die on the mountain that you climb and join your people in the ground, just as your brother Aaron died on Mount Hor and joined his people.
“This is because you broke faith with me in the company of the People of Israel at the Waters of Meribah Kadesh in the Wilderness of Zin—you didn’t honour my Holy Presence in the company of the People of Israel. You’ll look at the land spread out before you but you won’t enter it, this land that I am giving to the People of Israel.”
Beloved Pastors, Evangelists, Minstrel, and Minister working in the Church and LORD’s vineyard, are you still following God’s original instruction and process for your God-given Purpose, assignment, and ministry, or have you watered it down or left it all together because it doesn’t fit the modern way of running ministry?
I hope you are aware, that multitudes are clapping for you and the results you are experiencing in your ministry or God-given assignments are not the mark of acceptance by God.
Stop and ask the LORD questions; LORD am I still working in line according to your laid down process for my calling and assignment?
Moses had the privilege to be told that he would not enter into the promise Land.
You and I might not be.
The Promise land then was physical, but for us today, the promise land is the New Jerusalem, where God dwells, in His Kingdom.
Many believers, servants, and Christians just like Moses on judgment day, from the mount afar will see the Promise land of Heaven the kingdom of God but they will not be able to enter because they disobeyed the process of their assignments and purpose.
They got results but did not follow the right process to arrive at the result and to God, that’s a failed assignment.
To the LORD who commissioned you for that Purpose and assignment, following the process means you honor, trust, and have faith in Him before the people whom He sent you to represent Him.
The process is as much important as the results before the LORD.
God desires total and complete obedience.
Jesus Christ in Matthew 7:21( MSG )said;
“Knowing the correct password—saying ‘Master, Master,’ for instance— isn’t going to get you anywhere with me. What is required is serious obedience—doing what my Father wills. I can see it now—at the Final Judgment thousands strutting up to me and saying, ‘Master, we preached the Message, we bashed the demons, our God-sponsored projects had everyone talking.’ And do you know what I am going to say? ‘You missed the boat. All you did was use me to make yourselves important. You don’t impress me one bit. You’re out of here.’
Beloved, never say it does not matter, “The end justifies the means.”
The end doesn’t justify the means because the means are important to God, much more important than the end.
How we achieve our goals, assignment and purpose are as important as achieving them.
Not all results have divine approval. Take heed lest you fall.
God Bless You
