Shaken from the status quo

Today: Deuteronomy 11-13

I've heard it said that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing repeatedly and expecting a different result. I don't know if that fully captures it, but there's probably some truth in the statement. Sometimes we need to be stop the insanity--sometimes we need to be shaken out of the status quo.

Have you ever felt like you were spinning your wheels? Waiting on the world to change (as John Mayer would say)?

I have. I thought these verses in today's passage--Moses' instructions to the Israelites before entering the Promised Land--were very interesting:

Don't continue doing things the way we're doing them at present,

each of us doing as we wish.

Until now you haven't arrived at the goal,

the resting place, the inheritance that God, your God, is giving you.

I think there could be a few ways to interpret these statements. One possibility? When we do things the way we want to--the status quo comfortable way--we may not get to our goal. This interpretation falls in line with the definition of insanity above.

Another way to look at these verses? The way you do things before you reach a goal isn't the way you should act when you arrive at your goal. You're in a phase or stage--and that means it's time for an adjustment in attitude or behavior.

I think another key part of these verses deals with the "each of us doing as we wish" part. Life isn't always about doing things the way we want--ideally, it's about first submitting to what God wants for our lives. The verses that follow are instructing the people to follow God's directions for worshipping Him (in terms of place, offerings and attitudes).

Similar to the last point, sometimes God calls us to sacrifice what we want for the benefit of others. I was reminded of this when I watched the "Today" show this morning. There I was, in my own bathroom, deciding what to wear from a full walk-in closet (that I don't even have to share at the moment!), drying my hair and putting on make-up while I watch a gut-wrenching report about the massive devastation in Haiti. It was a huge contrast--me in America with every possible convenience and a young woman in Haiti bleeding and screaming on the street. Wow. I can't say that I love teary-eyed mornings watching the news before work, but sometimes they're necessary. The story didn't just move my emotions, it moved me to act. Being shaken from your status quo can be a beautiful thing.

Tomorrow: Deuteronomy 14-16

Offerings, vows and building a (gingerbread) house

Today: Numbers 28-30

A few weeks ago, I built a house--a gingerbread house, to be exact. Before the project started, I gathered a bunch of materials to decorate the house. I was looking forward to showing some skills in creating a cool, polished gingerbread house to rival my friends/competitors...but I had some major construction issues.

It took me awhile to figure out how the pieces of the house fit together. I wanted to rush through the (boring) construction phase and get to the fun part...decorating! But the roof of my house had other ideas... :)

Unlike many of my friends, I decided to be Ms. Independent and build and decorate the house by myself--not a good idea either. Going solo took longer and was definitely more difficult than partnering up with someone else. .

When I read today's passage and opened my laptop tonight, I wasn't sure what to write about--offerings? Or vows? Then I remembered my gingerbread house building project and the importance of understanding how things fit together.

It's not an accident that this passage talks about offerings and vows--both of them involve making and keeping promises. Offerings and vows both require giving and a level of sacrifice. And offerings and vows are both about partnership. Let me explain a bit...

In terms of offerings, God promised protection and blessing to His people for giving offerings. I think today sometimes we think about that promise of blessing in monetary terms--and to some extent, I think that's okay. In my own life, I've seen God bless me financially as I remain obedient and faithful in giving (I have a few pretty cool stories...but maybe I'll save them for later). However, God's promises of blessings extend WAY beyond finances. Sometimes we may not recognize or even know about the non-monetary blessings of God, but I know He brings them into our lives, partly because of our obedience (and partly because He's just full of grace and love). Giving offerings is something that we do as an act of obedience and worship...but it also signifies a partnership with God. When I give, I'm in essence saying to God, "I recognize that I'm NOT Ms. Independent who can do everything by herself. I need You. You provide everything--life, salvation, a job, a home, everything--to me. Thank you!"

Likewise, a vow is a promise by definition. God takes vows and promises seriously, as evidenced by this passage. Any kind of vow requires giving--whether it's a couple pledging to love each other forever at their wedding or a lender giving money to help someone buy a home. Vows can't be made in isolation--they require partnership with another person, organization or with God Himself.

I learned about understanding how things fit together and the importance of having a good team while reading this passage and building a gingerbread house. Next year, I'll be better equipped to understand how my gingerbread house should fit together and plan ahead to choose a partner. Hopefully, as I continue this project and life in general, I'll also get better at understanding how things fit together and instead of trying to tackle things on my own, I want to recognize the importance of trusting God and people along the way.

Tomorrow: Numbers 31-32

Offerings from the poor

Today: Leviticus 14-15

All right--so today was another one of the Leviticus passages with more laws and instructions. I hope you're sticking with me (and this reading project we're on together) because these are the kinds of passages that test our persistence. :)

One of the things that I noticed today was God's instruction for poor people giving offerings. (See these verses for example.) Did you notice that? It was interesting to me because God didn't say, "Well, if you're poor, you don't need to bring anything." He also didn't say, "If you're poor and can't afford the offerings, too bad. You can't be clean before Me." And He didn't say, "If you're rich, give some of your extra money to the poor, so that they can give offerings to Me." Interesting, huh?

God's system of giving is really unique and pretty cool, I think. He asks that we all do our part. He wants us to be obedient. But He does not ask us to give more than we're capable of giving...and He doesn't ask us to take on the responsibility of giving on behalf of others. No--each of us is responsible. We have an opportunity to give the best we can. And He deserves our giving, our effort and our hearts.

Tomorrow: Leviticus 16-18