Every Thursday I feature a “throwback” post from my blog archive. The goal is to look back and discover new lessons or opportunities to grow. This week, we’ll look at “In the Weeds” You can view the original post here. For today, here’s a quick recap and a few more thoughts about getting stuck in the weeds of scripture.

It’s funny how God speaks just when you need to hear it. Yesterday, I attended my first staff meeting at my new church and we were working on prepping for the weekend. The lead pastor was talking about excellence and the need for our spaces to be prepared with that excellence in mind. He wasn’t just talking about how the space looked but how it felt and functioned as well. How are we using our spaces to make people feel seen, known, loved, and welcomed home.

As he continued to unpack his desire for excellence, he reminded us of the tabernacle. The tabernacle was a temporary structure which the Israelites would set up wherever they made camp during their desert wanderings (Ex. 25-27). The purpose of this structure was to have a physical place where they could meet with God.

This tabernacle was designed by God Himself and He gave the Israelites extremely specific instructions on what it should look like and how it should be set up. These instructions included dimensions, materials, the direction it should face, and who was allowed to enter into the different parts¹.

As I thought more and more about this conversation, I was reminded of a couple of things. First it reminded me of the original post about getting stuck in the weeds of scripture. It’s easy to get bogged down or bored with ceremonial laws that seem outlandish, weird, uncomfortable, or irrelevant. It is easy to think, “This doesn’t apply to me,” and move on or zone out. But, the truth is, it is all relevant. It all matters. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 reminds us that “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work” (NIV). All scripture reveals God’s character, communicates His love to us, and points toward Jesus. It all matters. So, If you are in the weeds, try digging a little deeper, ask God what He wants to say to you, and remember there is something there for you.

Second, I was reminded that we serve a God who is worthy of our best. In every area of our lives, we should strive to honor Him. We should honor Him in our relationships, our work, our finances, and our rest. God is holy and thus we should strive to be as well. While perfection is not achievable in this life, we should aim to get as close as we can to the example Jesus set.

Please don’t take this the wrong way. I am not saying that you have to be perfect and if you aren’t you are failing. I am saying that our aim and our desire should be to become more and more like Jesus and to live out the calling He has assigned us. Ephesians 5:1-2 encourages us to “…be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God” (NIV). Our calling is to become more like Jesus every day until we are perfected in eternity with Him.

So, as you navigate your day, in what area of your life can you seek to honor God in greater ways? Where could you raise the level of excellence as an act of worship?

Remember, we serve a God who loves us, who is always speaking, and who is always calling us to more. He has a purpose and a plan for you that is excellent. Let’s respond to that calling with our highest level of excellence. He is worthy.

¹Seriously, these instructions cover three chapters in scripture. It was extensive.