April 25th: Deuteronomy 17, Ecclesiastes 9 and Acts 8

Hello overcommitment. How are you?

It's funny how hard it is to prioritize Bible reading. I've fallen victim to the "I-don't-have-enough-time" excuse. I still have 24 hours. I just need to choose to use them the right way.

I think God knew we would struggle with this. I wonder why He made 24 hours in a day. I wonder why he made us so that we need 7+ hours of sleep. And why He made certain things take as long as they do? Sure, my commute could take less time...if I wanted a ticket. Eating could take less time, if I wanted indigestion. Loving my wife could take less time, if I didn't want to be married.

All these things are important. But obviously not as important as my vertical relationship with my maker. Yet, that relationship takes the back seat some days.

I wonder if this is why in Deuteronomy 17 God commands the king of Israel to...

"write for himself in a book a copy of this law, approved by the Levitical priests. And it shall be with him, and he shall read in it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the LORD his God by keeping all the words of this law and these statutes, and doing them, that his heart may not be lifted up above his brothers, and that he may not turn aside from the commandment, either to the right hand or to the left, so that he may continue long in his kingdom, he and his children, in Israel."

I'm sure the king of Israel had a little more on his mind than I do. You know, running a nation and all. He wouldn't have had a scribe, a computer, a typewriter, a freaking pencil for that matter. And the Levites were sticklers. One missed letter, one typo and you had to start over. By the time the king got this thing done, he knew the law. He knew what God expected from him as well as what God expected of the people. That's pretty crazy. Pretty cool

I know that God wants me to spend time with Him. To love Him first. To get back into the habit of tithing the first part of my day. It's so hard. I know it's worth it. It just doesn't feel like it at 6 in the morning.

Thanks to all of you who send me emails when I miss a day or two. It helps. I need the reminder. Doing this blog is a discipline... and I'm not very disciplined. Kick my butt when I miss a day... email me at jonathan_reisinger at yahoo dot com.

Thanks!