The Living Word

At the start of 2012 I felt led to read through the Bible. I looked at various reading plans and came across this one on www.youversion.com. It is called the M'Cheyne Reading Plan. Starting in four places: Genesis 1, Matthew 1, Ezra 1, and Acts 1, reading a chapter a day. It seemed like a unique set-up, but that's the one I was drawn to. Incredible parallels are seen between Genesis and Matthew as well as Ezra and Acts. I let go of the goal of having the reading completed in a year. I would rather glean what I can from each day rather than rush through it for the sake of completion. Of course, there are days when I am led to read elsewhere and that's okay, too. :)

So, today's reading led me to Exodus 26, John 5, Psalms 2, and Galatians 1. Check out the lesson that is woven together among these seemingly separate books...

Exodus 26:30 "Set up the tabernacle according to the plan shown you on the mountain."

Here we have God reminding Moses to stick to the plan. In the midst of acacia wood frames being built,  scarlet yarn being made into curtains, and gold clasps being fashioned, God's voice is heard... simply, plainly..."Don't forget what I have shown you. Stick to the plan."

My family loves to decorate and make our home feel like home. As of late, we have become hooked on HGTV's Design Star. It is so interesting to watch the challenges assigned to the designers. They are given an alloted amount of money, time, and resources to complete a project for a homeowner's inspection, not to mention the watchful eye of three critical judges. They begin with a plan, a theme, a direction. They make their lists and budget their time and money. They delegate who will do what task. Then the project begins. Nearly without fail, when time comes to an end, even the most confident designers begin to quake, realizing parts of their plan will have to be scrapped in order to present a completed room. They frantically run around throwing up last minute artwork, cleaning the floors, often running over whomever is in their way.

Somehow, that's not how I picture the building of the tabernacle. Any building project of that caliber would be quite an undertaking. There were many people involved - sewing, building, etc. Yet in the midst of it all, there comes a voice of reassurance. A voice that says, "I have this figured out. The plans are laid. Stick to the plan." Moses had a clear word from the Lord.  He didn't read it anywhere. The message was not in a handbook somewhere for building tabernacles. He received it up on the mountain by way of divine revelation. He had been up on the mountain with God receiving the blueprints needed for every detail of the tabernacle. His job was to make those plans known to the team around him.

Are we listening for that voice today? Are we making ourselves available to receive the blueprints for our lives?

Moving on to John 5:39 - 40 "You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about Me, yet you refuse to come to ME to have life."

Here we have Jesus speaking to the Jews who were persecuting Him. They were hung up on the fact that He healed a man on the Sabbath. It was a man disabled for 38 years, waiting by the pool of Bethesda and when he encountered Jesus, he was healed and set free from years of bondage. It was a pretty odd thing to get criticized for, but nevertheless the religious leaders were there to pounce. Jesus laid it out for them. If I may paraphrase... "Look, here I AM, the source of life for you. The Living Word, ready to speak to you. The written Word points to Me. I came to fulfill it all."

Can you hear the same God from Exodus 26 speaking to the Jews in John 5?  "I have a plan for you. Come to the mountain with Me. Let me lay out the plan for you to follow. Come to Me, the Living Word. I have things I want to share with you."

I am a woman of the Word. I love to read God's Word and apply it to my life. I love to hear the stories of the heroes of the faith - Ruth, Esther, Moses, Abraham, John, Peter. I learn from them, from their intimacy with Christ, and how their walk flowed out of that. Yet I also learn from the cry of Jesus heart to the religious people of His day. "You know the rules, you know the history, but what about Me? Can you see that I am here for you?"

I long to hear His voice, not only through a written page but for myself.  He speaks to us today just as He spoke to Moses. I love time on the mountain with Him, hearing His voice. I don't want the same rebuke the religious leaders received. To miss out on the Source of Life would be tragic. He is still here in a different form, the Holy Spirit. He is still speaking, still teaching, still comforting, still pointing, still allowing us access to the heart of the Father.

How will you respond?