WHO COMMISSIONED YOU? IT'S IMPORTANT PRT 2

"But when he was strong, his heart was lifted up to his destruction: for he transgressed against the LORD his God, and went into the temple of the LORD to burn incense upon the altar of incense" ( 2 Chronicles 26:16).

Knowledge is good, but in some cases, you need more than knowledge to dabble into certain ventures. You need authority. King Uzziah apparently knew how to handle the censer. From his youth, he had observed the priests whose duty it was to burn incense in the temple. From them, Uzziah had learnt a lot about how to conduct the religious services. He assumed that his knowledge of the process also conferred on him the authority to initiate, conduct and conclude the procedure. But he was wrong, very wrong.

You may know how to drive a car, but you need a licence to authorise your driving. If you were caught driving without a licence, your impeccable driving skills and your sound knowledge of the highway code will not deliver you from prosecution. Similarly, you may know how to handle needle and syringe and be able to give an injection safely. But you will go to jail if you are caught administering an injection when you do not have a certificate authorising you to practice as a medical professional.

So then, the issue would not be whether you drove well or not. You could get it right and still be wrong because you lacked the authority to do it. The eighty-one priests who contended with king Uzziah were not talking about his proficiency in handling the censer; neither were they concerned with whether he could burn incense correctly or not. The issue at stake was not one of competence but that the burning of incense was not Uzziah's business. It was not part of his job description - but that of the priests, the sons of Aaron, who have been appointed for this work.

Life, my dear friends, is not just about possession of knowledge, but it is about division of labour. No one is ever commissioned to do all even if he knows all. Concentrate your labours on the tasks that have been divided, appointed and assigned to you. Then you will receive from others praise and not rebuke, for pursuit of your assignment is the key to your positive announcement.