Follow carefully

Deuteronomy 28: 1-2

If you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations on earth.  All these blessings will come upon you and accompany you if you obey the Lord your God. NIV

Here, Moses is speaking.

In my NIV Bible, this chapter is titled, “Blessings for Obedience.”  That’s not a bad trade!

This entire speech, which goes on for 14 verses, is filled with reminders not to worry.  I heard it read aloud last night and it spoke to my heart.  I’ve decided to spend some time here for the next few days.

Verse one says that we must “fully obey” and “carefully follow.”

I think that’s interesting.  Matthew 7:14 says, “But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life.” And, Matthew 19:24 says, “Again I tell you it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” NIV

If you “fully obey … and carefully follow … blessings will come.”  That’s a reminder not to worry … follow the rules, care about others more than you care about yourself and your things,  and you will be blessed.

Each time I start a new sewing project, I am alway anxious to get to the point where I can actually begin to sew.  It seems there are a million steps that must be completed … the fabric must be chosen, and washed, and dried and ironed; the pattern must be determined; the cutting must be done.  But, once all of those steps are completed, it is finally, finally time to turn on the machine.

I love the smell of sewing machines.  My newest one is mostly plastic and has a computer, so, it doesn’t have the same smell.  But, my older one, and many others I’ve used over the years, is made of cast iron, with rubber belts and a small motor and a little electric light.  When I was a kid, I would take the thing apart and carefully oil all of its pieces to ensure that they would continue working properly.  It is likely that oil that gives a machine that distinct smell.  In any case, I love it.  It’s the smell of something good about to happen.

Before I can begin to sew, the machine has to be threaded.  As I wind the thread through all of the various parts, I delight in the simplicity of it.  If I thread it properly, the machine will work magic.  When it comes time to thread the needle, I don’t always find that part very easy.  It’s not that I can’t see they eye, but, sometimes, it is just challenging to get the thread to go through.  To some extent, I think that depends on what the thread is made of, but, I’m confident that human error is also a factor.

When I successfully thread the needle, I feel a sense of relief.  All of the barriers between me and beginning to sew have been removed, and I can actually start the project.

Threading the machine, and finally the needle, is a metaphor for life.  There are many steps we must take along the way.  If we follow the rules that God has set out for us, our paths will be straight, we will enter the kingdom of heaven, and untold blessings will be ours.

If you fully obey … blessings will come.

That’s what I’ll think about today.