Regular nibbles from the Bible. . .come for a bite, leave with an appetite



May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight. (Psalm 19:14, MSG)

Sunday, March 17, 2013

WITHIN REACH (Deuteronomy 30)

This commandment that I'm giving you today isn't too much for you, it's not out of your reach. The word is right here and now--as near as the tongue in your mouth, as near as the heart in your chest. (Deuteronomy 30:11,14, MSG)

God calls keeping the law easy. It's not too much. It's within your reach. Come on, you can do it.

I don't understand this statement any more easily than one I talked about yesterday. (In case you haven't guessed already, there's a lot about the Bible that I don't understand.)  Because as Paul argued in Romans, no one could keep the law. The law showed us our sin. I feel as if God is telling me I can fly to the moon if I flap my arms long enough.

But that's not God's intention at all. The intervening verses, that I didn't quote, say it's not on a high mountain or across an ocean. We don't need someone to fly to Mars, find it, bring it back and translate it into English for us to understand.

We have it even easier than the Israelites did. We can open up one of the several Bibles we have in our homes (if you have as many Bibles as I do) at any time and read.

God wants our obedience--but He knows we can't keep it perfectly, and He sent His son to make the way for us.

What God does want for us is to make His word part of our here and now. He wants us to keep it on our tongues and in our hearts. Those words that follow the great Shema in Deuteronomy 6 come to mind: Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.


Today we might say listen to Bible tapes, sing scripture songs, get a Bible tattoo, tape Bible verses to your bathroom mirror, hang them from your rearview mirror and post them on your refrigerator. Use a Bible tear off calendar to read something new each day. The point is, make the word of God part of your life everywhere you go and in everything you do.

That much is within our reach.  (P.S. I selected the image below because the Bible looked used. Open it up!)


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4 comments:

  1. kbaileyMarch 17, 2013 at 10:29 AM

    Yeah I feel ashamed at the implication that I should be able to keep from sin cuz I sure do a lousy job of it :(

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousMarch 17, 2013 at 2:36 PM

    Kbailey We all sinbut the secret isnt to sin less Its to stay close to God so he can change us. Its not a religion Its a relationship with Our Lord Chris granville

    ReplyDelete
  3. kbaileyMarch 18, 2013 at 4:09 PM

    Thank you Chris, that is a very good comment and it is true! I "know" it doesn't mean I won't sin, but there are times I just ask God, "How can you stand me?" I ask Him less and less - because I believe Him more the longer I know Him - but I do let the accuser get under my skin sometimes. I like what you said - it was a great reminder to me. :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. ericSeptember 21, 2019 at 1:21 PM

    i am ERIC BRUNT by name. Greetings to every one that is reading this testimony. I have been rejected by my wife after three(3) years of marriage just because another Man had a spell on her and she left me and the kid to suffer. one day when i was reading through the web, i saw a post on how this spell caster on this address AKHERETEMPLE@gmail.com have help a woman to get back her husband and i gave him a reply to his address and he told me that a man had a spell on my wife and he told me that he will help me and after 3 days that i will have my wife back. i believed him and today i am glad to let you all know that this spell caster have the power to bring lovers back. because i am now happy with my wife. Thanks for helping me Dr Akhere contact him on email: AKHERETEMPLE@gmail.com
    or
    call/whatsapp:+2349057261346










    i am ERIC BRUNT by name. Greetings to every one that is reading this testimony. I have been rejected by my wife after three(3) years of marriage just because another Man had a spell on her and she left me and the kid to suffer. one day when i was reading through the web, i saw a post on how this spell caster on this address AKHERETEMPLE@gmail.com have help a woman to get back her husband and i gave him a reply to his address and he told me that a man had a spell on my wife and he told me that he will help me and after 3 days that i will have my wife back. i believed him and today i am glad to let you all know that this spell caster have the power to bring lovers back. because i am now happy with my wife. Thanks for helping me Dr Akhere contact him on email: AKHERETEMPLE@gmail.com
    or
    call/whatsapp:+2349057261346

    ReplyDelete

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