Occasionally this sign is seen on vending machines and if we are wise, we will heed it. But there is a perverseness in human nature to do what we are told not to. If a person insists on trying the machine anyway, various things may happen: the machine may keep the money and give no item,  it may give the wrong item, or the item may get stuck in the shoot. For something to operate correctly everything must work in the proper sequence. A step-by- step process is essential for obtaining the right outcome.
     This is how God works, for He is the author of orderliness; not of confusion. Nature is a perfect example. The family structure is also a picture of God’s order: the husband is to be the head - the leader and provider, the wife is to be the helpmate - submissive in all things to him, and the children are to obey and honor their parents.  God has an order in the Christian’s life as well: salvation, walk and witness. This is seen in Heb.11 in Abel, Enoch and Noah.
     We have seen a reversal of God’s order in our day. Great emphasis is placed on being a part of a ministry(witness), without the required maturity(walk) to back it up. We often feel that if we aren’t out there doing something for the Lord that we are failures.  I Tim. 3:6,10 say: “Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil. And let these also first be proved . . “  Yes, when one is a new Christian, they are enthusiastic and impatient.  But first we are to develop a oneness with Him.
     What vain ignorance I have to think that I can publicly serve the living God without first building a relationship with Him - one that manifests holiness and self-denial and sacrificial love for Him and others. What I‘m trying to point out here is that first we must have a walk of obedience before a ministry. How can one serve God in a ministry if we don’t first learn to know Him and what He expects?  Any true relationship, like friendship or marriage, takes a lot of time, commitment and just flat hard work. This is like the fire of the refiner, or the molding of the clay. For the Christian, the developing of this oneness with the Father makes one a fit instrument of service in the hands of God.

     Abel offered to God the one acceptable sacrifice.  Somehow God let it be known to him that the sacrifice of a lamb was required.  So it is with us. The Lamb of God, the blood of Jesus, is required for the penalty of our sins before we can be accepted by the Father. This is salvation. We must realize the hopelessness of our lives without God. We must realize that we are depraved sinners worthy only of death, and in desperate need of the Savior and Lord. We must seek forgiveness and acceptance from the Father, only through the blood of the Lamb - the Lord Jesus Christ. Abel was a type of this.
     Then there was Enoch.  He “walked with God.” Now what does this “walk” consist of? With salvation comes the process of sanctification. The believer is set apart to be holy. This consists of denying self and following Jesus in ALL things. Our faith is to have a foundation to rest upon - the word of God. This faith is not just an outward hearing that only informs; it is an inward hearing which influences our actions.  This means the heart receives and lives the word of God. Every time we obey the Lord’s commands, worship Him, pray to Him, read His word, we are denying self and following Him.  When we accept where He has placed us, the difficulties we face, and place our dependence in Him - trusting in His sovereign care and will, we are denying self and following Him.  These things become a way of life,  not just a “now and then” happening. It is both a wonderful and painful process, but there is great peace and freedom in Christ.  The Bible speaks of this walk in many different ways: walk worthy of the Lord, walk in the Spirit, walk by faith, walk as children of the light,  walk as wise,  walk in the fear of the Lord. Walking in the Lord is “abiding in Him, for without Him we can do nothing.”
     If we look at the disciples we see great examples of their faith being stretched . . . . of their walk being developed. They lived with Jesus for 3 years.  These men were vain, proud and willful, they lacked discernment and depth.  They had to be broken and humbled before God could mold them into vessels of use.  Look at David, Samuel, Moses, Noah and Abraham.  Do you think Abraham could have offered up Isaac, the long awaited and promised son, when he first became a believer? Absolutely not!  Do you think Noah, as a new believer, could have had the fortitude to build an Ark, over a 120 year span, with all the persecution he must have suffered? Again, absolutely not!  Early in their walk they didn’t KNOW God well enough to trust His promises or to know what He would expect of them.  Faith must be tested and tried, over and over, to grow strong and mature.
    This process can take many years, but God is not concerned with time as we are. We constantly see “babes in Christ”  jumping into some ministry soon after conversion, no matter what their age. This is not God’s way!  This is arrogance and self-righteousness on our part. Do we really think that God cannot achieve what He desires without our help?  We have the Biblical examples as principle and command. (See Titus 1:5-9, 2:3-5 and II Tim 3:2-12)  When ministry is done out of God’s divine order, then it is done under man’s inspiration and according to man’s ways. This is not pleasing to God, nor does it glorify Him.  May we each be encouraged to sit patiently and submissively under the loving and all-knowing hand of the Father.