My new favorite book of the Bible is Deuteronomy. Not like I've had a favorite book for a while now. Truth is I haven't been in the Word in depth since 1st John this summer. Truth is I spend way too much time on that which doesn't matter for the sake of that which does.
Truth is I finally woke up this morning and decided it was time to make a change. Time to have a heart to heart with God and change my heart. Time to have a heart to heart and stop "skimming" as a way of life. So I did. And somehow in my reading this morning I "acidentally" ended up reading Deuteronomy out of the Message because my Bible is in the car with Jeremy who is taking my dad to the airport.
And so I read the Introduction to Deuteronomy and I was blown away. I actually said out loud, "how did I miss this? How did I not know this is what this book is about?"
The intro simply said this...Moses puts the Israelites entire experience into pretense tense, then he puts the entire revelation of commandment and covenant into present tense, and then he wraps it all up in a blessing to launch them into today's obedience and believing. Aka..."let's go"
Did you catch that? He reminds them of their past and all that God has done and gives them hope for the future.
Don't we all need that? Don't we all need the reminder of how we have screwed up but God loves us anyway? Wrapped with the reminders of when we have been obedient and how much blessing that brings...and finally the launch to move forward, even though we have no idea what the future holds?
Launch. I love that word. I love that it's like this visual of a diving board where you hesitantly get on and jump up and down a little and then a little more and then finally you are smiling and laughing and you just have enough spring to jump! Maybe that's not what Moses meant and maybe I am just running away with this idea but I think it is how God works in our lives...he launches us. He gives us just a little bounce, and then a little more, and then a little more until we can't help but jump. And you know what? Once you jump off the diving board once what does every little kid say the second they rise to the surface in the water?
"Let's do it again!"
Dang I need that reminded this morning. Dang I need a little bounce right now. Dang I need a launch. And I am so thankful that God reminded me of just where to find it. His Word. His message.
"Let's go"...
