While barcodes have been used to store and track information, they have limitations on data capacity. The automotive industry identified the need for better solutions to monitor vehicles and parts during manufacturing. The first system of Quick Response (QR) codes was developed in 1994 by Denso Wave, a subsidiary of Toyota. Since then, QR codes have helped people in many areas of life by improving efficiency and accuracy. While we can use this technology to save time in transactions and tracking, it’s important to remember that such technologies reflect what God expects from us. During His ministry, Jesus connected with people’s daily lives to share the principles of the Kingdom of God and help them understand their purpose. Similarly, we can see God’s intentions through the use of QR codes.
What Does God Expect From Us?
He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.
And what does the LORD require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
and to walk humbly with your God.
Micah 6:8 (NIV)
God who bestowed wisdom upon people for the invention of the Quick Response Code desires that we be swift in hearing and obeying Him. Beyond this, God imposes no further requirements upon us. It is significant to note that above instruction is directed to every mortal being, rather than to any specific ethical or religious group. Regrettably, we often presume that every utterance of God applies solely to those who are familiar with Him, thereby alienating individuals who do not share this knowledge, viewing them as sinners estranged from His presence. Had this mindset prevailed two thousand years ago, we would not have been able to claim our status as His children.
While QR codes have become essential for tracking and using our limited resources so fast, one might ponder how much more quick a response is required for God, who governs Heaven, Earth, and Hades. Every provision granted to us on this earth serves to illuminate God’s presence and His method of operation; however, we often find ourselves content with merely utilizing these provisions, failing to transcend their utility in order to perceive God ways and His expectation. Pagans display this behavior when they admire God’s magnificent creations; they tend to worship the creations instead of seeking the God behind them.
God Uses Those Who Respond to Him
While we acknowledge that God utilizes those who respond to His voice, it does not imply that He punishes or destroys those who are slow to respond; rather, He employs the quick to respond in order to enlighten and nurture those who are hesitant to hear His voice. Then why do we lag behind in perceiving and obeying His call? The underlying reason is that we tend to take God’s mercy for granted. We delay our response as we seek to rationalize His plans.Some even presume that He will engage only with His children and that He has no interest in those outside this fold. We often assume ourselves to be in a intimate relationship with God, not hesitating to question Him regarding His plans and actions. Peter exemplified this with Jesus, perceiving his relationship with Him to be more intimate than that of the other disciples.
It is important to focus on the three people who died and were later brought back to life by Jesus. In their death, they had no doubts or anything holding them back, leading to a instant response to Jesus’s words. At the wedding in Cana, everyone knew the difficulties Jesus faced, but His mother urged Him to help the family that was running out of wine. Jesus responded, “Woman, my time has not yet come,” to which His mother instructed the servants to follow His directives. This context implies that without obedient followers, Jesus would refrain from performing miracles.
This principle extends to the concept of salvation, wherein those who believe and obey Him are bestowed with salvation, while others may be on a prolonged journey toward it. The servants complied with Jesus’s instructions without posing any questions, transporting water in their jars to the master of the banquet. God seeks this level of response from us, whether in pursuing His will or in our endeavors to act justly, love mercy, and humble ourselves before Him, without expecting an outcome limited by our knowledge.
God Uses People Who Do Not Even Know Him
When God summoned Moses to liberate His people from Egypt, Moses’s response was notably delayed. Similarly, Jonah’s response when God told him to go to Nineveh was to go in the opposite direction to Tarshish, as he was reluctant to fulfill the mission. When God had devised a plan to free His people from seventy years of captivity in the Babylonian Kingdom, He appointed a king who was unfamiliar with Him, who responded promptly.
Through the prophet Isaiah, God proclaimed nearly two hundred years before their liberation that He would deliver the Jews from Babylon by employing Cyrus the Great. He designated King Cyrus as His Shepherd, filling him with His Spirit to fulfill His purpose. While many of God’s prominent servants may believe that their righteousness and fervent prayers grant them the authority to serve Him, such beliefs lead to pride, resulting in a failure to shepherd their flock appropriately and instead prioritizing their own needs (Ezekiel 34:2).
I will go before you
and will level the mountains;
I will break down gates of bronze
and cut through bars of iron.
I will give you hidden treasures,
riches stored in secret places,
so that you may know that I am the LORD,
the God of Israel, who summons you by name.
Isaiah 45:2-3 (NIV)
While we associate the fall of the walls of Jericho with the commendations of the people of Israel, and the opening of prison doors with Peter in one instance and with Paul and Silas in another, we tend to overlook the breaking of bronze gates in relation to King Cyrus. This significant event in the life of King Cyrus is often disregarded as we beseech God to dismantle our spiritual strongholds, as if such promises were extended to us. Why do we not acknowledge this miraculous act of God in King Cyrus’s life? The underlying reason appears to be our perception that King Cyrus exists beyond the scope of God’s grace, rendering him unworthy of such promises and their fulfillment. But God calls us to become like Him, unbiased with any spiritual or religious discrimination (Romans 3:29).
God who communicated to Moses, stating that “My presence shall go with you” (Exodus 33:14), and also assured Joshua, “I will be with you, just as I was with Moses. I will not leave you or abandon you” (Joshua 1:5), subsequently conveyed to King Cyrus, a worshiper of Ahura Mazda and Angra Mainya, that He would go before him. Moreover, He guided him through the bronze gates by breaking it and led him through the bars of iron by cutting them. God bestowed upon King Cyrus all the treasures and riches of the Babylonian Kingdom, which were concealed in secret places. This prophecy was announced two hundred years in advance and was realized through the victory granted to King Cyrus, enabling him to deliver the Jews and help them rebuild the temple in Jerusalem (Ezra 1-2).
God causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. – Matthew 5:45 (NIV)
God is the Creator of all mankind and the one who nurtures His creation in every respect, regardless of merit. As children of our Father God, we ought to be mindful of this attribute of our Father God and align ourselves with it. Nevertheless, even after embracing our identity as His children, we find ourselves questioning God’s favour to others.
God Does Everything For Our Benefit
For the sake of Jacob my servant,
of Israel my chosen,
I summon you by name
and bestow on you a title of honor,
though you do not acknowledge me. – Isaiah 45:4 (NIV)
God communicated unequivocally to King Cyrus that His actions were intended for the benefit of His people. King Cyrus did not question God’s intentions or ponder why he should extend his favor to the people of God; rather, he exhibited simple obedience. It is essential to understand that God’s use of others to govern or deliver is not for the benefit of those in power but rather for the welfare of the community of believers.
There exists considerable confusion and various theories regarding different nations, as some are perceived to be favored by God while others are considered cursed. Since the attempt to build the tower at Babel, God has dispersed people across the globe, and early Christians, initially content within their own fellowships, were forced to scatter to various locations due to persecution. Presently, true followers of God through Jesus inhabit regions worldwide, sometimes in majority and at other times as a minority. Therefore, one cannot categorically identify any one nation as exclusively comprising the people of God. Ultimately, whether or not a nation contains individuals who follow God, it remains true that God is the God of all people, raising leaders and His servants to benefit His people rather than cause them harm. In certain instances, it may seem that those identified as God’s chosen people are inflicting harm on the faithful or persecuting them; yet, such circumstances serve the ultimate purpose of bringing His people into His Kingdom rather than allowing them to die as sinners or to remain ignorant of the purpose their existence on this Earth.
To elicit a swift response to His directives, God will not produce a QR code at this advanced stage, for He has long ago established this code through the very foundation of the world; His Word, infused with love and truth, empowers us to respond promptly. Nevertheless, despite the presence of His Living Word, we frequently demonstrate an alarming reluctance to heed God’s commands, misusing the immediate access granted to us and permitting distractions to divert our focus. One thief on the cross failed to comprehend the significance of Jesus’ suffering, while the other responded with urgency, fully recognizing Christ’s righteousness in His sacrifice to save sinners, ultimately resulting in his redemption.
Therefore, let us promptly discern the truth and heed His call to embody justice and mercy. He implores us to dedicate our lives to Him as a living sacrifice, for He does not take pleasure in myriad other sacrifices made to fulfill religious obligations. As God has provided us with QR codes for both our temporal and spiritual existence, it is essential that we acknowledge the importance of responding swiftly to His directives in order to exchange our salvation for the promise of eternal life.
Be very careful, then, how you live —not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. – Ephesians 5:15-17 (NIV)
The Jordan Valley 
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