March 6 - Deuteronomy 21-23: Holy Living

I found myself getting lost in the details of these chapters: dead bodies found outside of towns, stubborn sons, injured or missing animals, seeds in a vineyard, mixed fabrics, cases of rape, allowed participants in the congregation of God, handling of excrement while camped out at war, making vows, sacred prostitutes, charging interest to Israelites and so on. Much of this sounds rather strange to my 21st century ears.

As I was reading, I wondered how some of these bizarre rules apply to me today. After all, Christ Himself says, "Trivialize even the smallest item in God's Law and you will only have trivialized yourself. But take it seriously, show the way for others, and you will find honor in the kingdom." Matthew 5:19

I don't want to trivialize any of these Scriptures, so this note by Eugene Peterson helped put them in perspective for me:

"Holiness is the action by which we express the love of God. Holy living is based on the conviction that everything we do - however common or unnoticed - is connected with everything God does, and as such, is a reflection of his character." Conversations, pg. 285

Father, thank You that Your Son came not to abolish the Law but to fulfill it. (Matthew 5:17) May I be convinced that everything matters - how I view my world, spend my time, treat my husband, speak to the waiter, serve my neighbor, perform my job, and handle my finances - however common or unnoticed. As Your treasured daughter and Christ's representative to an unbelieving world, everything I do is connected to everything You do. I pray that I will not live carelessly, unthinkingly. May I understand what You want (Ephesians 5:17) and be an accurate reflection of Your character to those around me.