Deuteronomy 30:11-14

Have you ever started reading the Bible from cover to cover? The first book, Genesis, thrills you with all that God has made. It's an action packed book: the flood, the tower of Babel, following Abraham and his children down into Egypt. Then you read about the glorious majestic rescue and return to the Promised Land under the leadership of Moses in the book of Exodus. Yet not long afterward, in Numbers and Leviticus, one almost seems to get lost in all the laws and regulations. One could rightly ask, "Who could follow all these and keep them perfectly?" Perhaps one would conclude that following God's Word is too difficult.

God instituted those laws for his purposes—one of which was to point people ahead to Jesus—the only one who could keep all of them perfectly. As Moses bids farewell to the children of Israel, he reminds the people of this wonderful gospel promise—a promise that was neither difficult nor hidden from them. Each time the Scriptures were read, each time they offered sacrifices, each time they came to worship—they heard the message of God's grace and forgiveness through the coming Messiah.

That's the power of the gospel. God's gospel answers that question, "Is God's Word is too difficult to follow?" On the one hand, we see that we can't follow it completely. We've fallen short time and again. Yet we see Jesus who did it for us because he loves us. Now, freely and fully forgiven, our focus is on doing God's will out of thanksgiving and love! Moved by God's love, we strive to follow God's Word and live according to his will.  

Helping our neighbor by retrieving his trash can on a windy day . . . doing our homework to the best of our abilities . . . washing the dishes and putting away the laundry . . . driving the speed limit . . . changing that diaper in the middle of the night . . . visiting an elderly person who is in a nursing home . . . the list goes on and on of ways we can honor God and follow his will. Notice again, it's not difficult at all, especially when God's Word is continually on our minds and in our hearts.

This certainly gives us the encouragement to be reading our Bibles, to strive for that daily devotion time, to be regular in worship each week. This is what Moses means when he says that the Word of God is near you; it's in your heart and on your minds. As we read and hear his Word, God strengthens our faith, assures us of his forgiveness, and empowers us to daily live for him—something which is by no means difficult—rather it's a joy.