What God Taught Me Through the Boring Parts

Reading through the intensely detailed parts of the Bible

When I was a kid, I loved legal dramas on television (okay… I still do). I even thought maybe I’d aspire to become an attorney. But then I was informed that only a very small percentage of an attorney’s life is a courtroom drama (and they don’t really double as detectives like they do on TV). Most of an attorney’s life is a boring, methodical slog through paperwork, I was told.

Admittedly, there are dry areas in the Bible. But I’ve always figured, if God wrote a book with limited space, everything in it must be for my benefit. Having recently read through one of “those” sections, the Lord graciously showed me part of His purpose in these more challenging passages. #StudyingTheBible #ChristianBlog

But isn’t that nearly everyone’s life? Most of it is boring, behind the scenes work that isn’t seen or lauded or particularly fun. But it is that behind the scenes work that makes the seen parts of work actually… work!

I’ve given myself a bit of grief here on the blog for the bits of my personality that insist on doing things the right way, that don’t always give myself the grace that I should. But with every personality there are pros and cons. There are things we are working on and things that work well.

One of the benefits to my personality type – at least as far as I’m concerned – is that when I do things, I do them thoroughly. I rarely cut corners and I don’t skip the un-fun parts of life. Weird, I know.

Now, I love the Word of God. It is my daily bread, my sustenance, my go-to. But there are, admittedly, dry areas. But, me being me, I refuse to skip them. I’ve always figured, if God wrote a book with limited space, everything in there must be for my benefit. So, it doesn’t matter if it’s a genealogy or a repetitive section on how to sacrifice different animals, I am going to read it – even if I occasionally doze off doing so.

A while back, I was reading one of “those” sections – the section that goes into great detail about Solomon’s construction of the Temple (1 Kings 5-7). As is my practice, I asked the Lord what He was trying to show me through what I had read. I. . . got. . . nothing.

The following morning, while my brain was in autopilot as I did the mundane, routine business of getting ready for my day – not even thinking about the previous day’s reading or questions – it came to me in a flash: God cares about the details.

God sees you. He sees you doing your best to bring Him glory. Some of those things you’ve tried haven’t worked out the way you thought they would. You may even be looking back with chagrin. But the Lord wants you to know that He is pleased. He hasn’t forgotten. He sees and He loves every action done in His honor. #ChristianBlog #GodCares

As my ears perked up to hear what the Lord was impressing on me, I felt Him say, “I take note of every detail of the things done in excellence for Me. Nothing escapes My notice. I take delight in the extravagant effort made to glorify Me. Just as I took note of all Solomon did, in the same way, I take note of all the details, the excellence, the extravagance of what you do for Me.”

Nothing escapes His notice – not the smallest steps of obedience, not the times we stepped out thinking we’ve heard from Him, not the moments devoted to Him that could have been spent in other activity. He sees them all and, regardless of whether those minute efforts end in something spectacular or a spectacular failure, it is all noted and counted and memorialized by the One who sees our hearts and loves every action done in His honor.

Whatever you do – from the mundane, to the secular to the Kingdom business – it can all be done in worship of Him as you commit all your ways to Him and do all with excellence. He sees what no one else takes notice of and He honors it.

“Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.” Colossians 3:23-24

For more on “Being a Detective of God’s Word,” click HERE!