Come Up Here And See

I love waking to the encouraging voice of the Holy Spirit, no matter the subject. Recently He was saying “Lisa it is not redundant to look up scriptures on a specific topic of prayer, study or reading the Word of God”. While I didn’t think I found these practices unnecessary, there may have been times when I did or acted like I did, which is likely why the Holy Spirit reminded me. Hearing the Lord’s voice first thing in the morning creates a sweet aroma I adore. 

• Oxford Dictionaries describes redundant as not required, unnecessary, uncalled for, in excess, needed like a hole in the head. 

Leviticus serves as the book of the law, while Deuteronomy, also written by Moses, presents the law a second time. I have always found it challenging to get through Leviticus without dozing off, and then to read the law a second time in Deuteronomy, I think is this necessary or useless.

Psalm 119, which consists of 176 verses, is the longest chapter in the Bible. It repeatedly emphasizes the importance of loving the law to avoid sinning against the Lord. For many people, the numerous verses in this chapter may seem redundant, leading them to question, “Why do we need to read this time and time again?” What is the purpose? I read this once before why do I need to read it a second, third or one-hundredth time? 

Three synoptic gospels—Matthew, Mark, and Luke—share similar stories, with verses that often resemble each other closely. As you read them, you might think, “I just encountered this in another book.” So, why should I read it again?

The Bible continually tells us to love God, love our neighbour, forgive, bless, serve one another, heal the sick, raise the dead and share the story of Jesus’s love. An amazing promise given to Joshua is that if he obeys God and meditates on God’s law day and night then Joshua would make his way prosperous and successful. Joshua 1:8 

The Holy Spirit encouraged me as we sleep regularly, eat, brush our teeth, and clean our bodies and homes, these tasks are not redundant but practical repetitions to succeed. Work tasks are not to be considered unnecessary or redundant either. Since I do payroll, what if I decided it was redundant and not necessary not only would the employees be crying out, but also my boss. If I started acting as if these established routines were redundant and useless my employer would start questioning me what else she had not completed.

His faith in my service to the company would come up in my performance evaluation and I might receive verbal or written warnings. If I were to carry on acting in this manner the result likely would be a job loss. 

Looking up scriptures on one topic is not redundant but this is a form that we are not conformed to this world but are renewing our minds so we can know the will of God. I need to be reminded I no longer belong to myself because I belong to God, He has bought me and I need to honour His Word.  Romans 12:1-2

The Lord encouraged me that if thoughts about studying to know Him seem redundant, those thoughts are fiery darts from the enemy, and I need to resist those views with truth.

Prayer, worship, giving thanks and obedience will never be considered redundant in God’s Kingdom. From the get-go in our lives, obedience is required to be considered part of the family of God. 

The principles of the kingdom of God often seem upside down compared to earthly kingdoms. While dictionaries define redundancy as unnecessary, repetition in the Word of God is beneficial.

In our natural lives if we miss meals we will be hungry and want to eat but in the supernatural, if we miss reading the Word of God consistently we will be malnourished of His truths and fellowship but we will not want to read the Word of God. To prevent this from happening discipline must be our choice in those areas knowing that we are not being redundant but obedient to the Lord in seeking the kingdom of heaven first. 

In my childhood years, I found the rituals of brushing my teeth redundant and the dentist bills were high because of cavities. As a mom, I was diligent my children brushed their teeth and taught them these daily rituals were not unnecessary but a must in our lives. 

When Jesus taught us to pray “Give us our daily bread”, He said we needed daily nourishment from the Lord. These daily practices include spending time with the Lord, reading the Word of God, praying, serving others, and tithing. One of the great “I AM” statements is:

• John 6:35 NASB1995  Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst.

Nothing about our Lord Jesus Christ is redundant or uncalled for. If the Holy Spirit encourages you to get up and study the Word of God, to get up and spend time with Him, to get up and worship Him then be obedient and you will be blessed. 

Whenever thoughts come to us concerning the necessity of the Word of God and why should I bother to read it every day, just remember God gave us 31 Proverbs, one for each day of the month. Once we read a proverb for each day and a new month is beginning we start all over because God knew we needed Him and this was another way He could say I love you!

Holy Spirit, thank You for continually speaking to us. Lord remind us today that You are always waiting for us because You love us. I am grateful that Your words encourage us to spend time with You and trust You with our deepest secrets, fears, questions and desires. May You be glorified today with our lives, in Jesus’ name, amen. 

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Photo credit to Emmanuel Phaeton