Just as the Lord Commanded

I once got the big idea to read the entire Bible.  After all, I was new Christian and I knew how important knowing God's Word would be.  So I started.....In the beginning....

I loved the story of creation and got caught up in scripture until I started reading about specific measurements, the numbers of this and that, you know....anything that didn't have drama or a moral.

Now, I admit that I just didn't get it.  I didn't understand why it was important that the curtains on the west end of the courtyard of the tabernacle were 75 feet long or why Eliab presented an offering of a silver platter weighing 3 1/4 pounds along with a bunch of other stuff.  All of that information was just too technical for me.  I needed the elements of drama with the characters and plot and climax and resolution and theme, not numerical figures.

So, I struggled through it.  I half heartedly read and finally just skimmed for the "important stuff" and moved on.

Even now, some 11 years later, I still admit that isn't my favorite part of scripture, but I found something very interesting the other day.

As I was reading in my chronological Bible, I read about the Israelites again and the things they were called to do.  This time was different.  I noticed the words just as the Lord commanded. I continued to read on, and there it was again just as the Lord commanded. 

Hmmmm. There must be something to this.

I grabbed my pen and underlined each time I read those words on that page.

Seven times on that page.

Just as the Lord commanded.

And so then, I thought,  "What if we all did what the Lord commanded?"

Whether it be the offering we bring, the gift we use, the path we follow, the Lord commands something of us.  Far too often we are not obedient.  For whatever reason, we choose not to obey His commands.

But what if?

What if we did what the Lord commanded?

We'd give our hearts to Jesus the first time we hear His call.

We'd be faithful in service to Him.

We'd be faithful in sharing the Good News.

We'd love.

We'd give.

We'd be the ones God has called us to be.

What if I continued to read God's Word with fresh eyes and an open heart?

I love Him, and I will obey what He has commanded.

I am thankful that God's Word is relevant and living. I am thankful that each time I read it, I find something that I didn't see before.

As a side note, if you are interested in a journey through the Bible, I encourage you to take that journey.  I have many types of Bibles that I love.  If you get a One Year Bible, don't start reading it on the specific day you got it. For example, don't start on September 6. Start at the beginning (January 1). It can get very confusing.  If you'd rather just read the Bible and you've never journeyed through it before, I'd suggest starting in the New Testament. My first time trying to read the entire Bible was an epic fail.  I was a new Christian and struggled with the Old Testament.  I gave up the first time, but later started in the book of Matthew.  I was able to read through the New Testament more easily.  I worked my way up to The One Year Bible for Women.  After completing it, I purchased The One Year Chronological Bible.  You can also find Bible reading plans online.  Regardless of where your start, you'll never regret spending time in God's Word.