Word for the day by Christian Education Forum
Going Nowhere Fast
Deuteronomy 4:1-10
Only take heed to yourself, and diligently keep yourself, lest you forget the things your eyes have seen. (Deuteronomy 4:9)
Deuteronomy 4:1-10
Only take heed to yourself, and diligently keep yourself, lest you forget the things your eyes have seen. (Deuteronomy 4:9)
I walked as fast as possible. Worked up quite a sweat, in fact. After about a mile, I broke into a jog and then ran as hard as I could. Finally, after about 25 minutes, I stopped. My heart was pounding. My shirt was soaked. But I had gone nowhere. I had just done 2.5 miles on the treadmill.
After I cooled off, I sat down with my Bible. I was following a reading schedule and the selection for the day was from the book of Numbers. I read some of it slowly and some faster, but I felt at times that I wasn’t getting anywhere—like I was back on the treadmill. Censuses were taken. The long journey was recapped. The tribes were listed and relisted. The next day, I moved into Deuteronomy. More wanderings. More about the Israelites and their land.
But when I got to chapter 4, I was told why all that recapping was important. Moses told the people not to “forget the things your eyes have seen . . . . Teach them to your children” (4:9). The previous reading was not about Israel going nowhere fast. It was about training, about a lesson in using God’s past workings as instruction for future godly living.
All Scripture is given by the inspiration of God. So even when it may seem unimportant—keep reading. Sometimes we have to be patient to realize its full purpose
PRAYER
Dear Lord, help me to pay attention to what you have to say.Amen.
Dear Lord, help me to pay attention to what you have to say.Amen.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
God speaks to us through His Word; take time to listen.
God speaks to us through His Word; take time to listen.
Christian Education Forum, Diocese of NAE of the Mar Thoma Church