One of the ladies in my Bible study yesterday mentioned that she has been saving little snippets of paper in a jar this whole year. On these strips she has written things she has seen that brought a smile to her face or something she noticed that she was particularly thankful for or something interesting. On New Year’s Eve she plans to open the jar and read all that she found inspirational in 2014. What a great idea!

I know I see plenty of things that bring a smile to my face or that I enjoy through my day. I send myself text messages, emails and notes to remind myself of such things. With a memory like mine, I must write it down.

One of my most favorite things to do is find verses of Scripture that are obscure but have an impact upon my life or myself personally. Here’s one that I love.

In Deuteronomy, God gave His instruction to the people of Israel to help them be His people. From feasts to tithing to the Ten Commandments, God laid out the plan. And because of His all-knowing, there is a section in Deuteronomy 17 where God makes this statement.

“When you enter the land the Lord your God is giving you and have taken possession of it and settled in it, you will say, ‘Let us set a king over us like all the nations around us,’ be sure to appoint over you the king the Lord your God chooses. He must be from among your own brothers. Do not place a foreigner over you, one who is not a brother Israelite.” (Deuteronomy 17:14-15 – NIV)

Now isn’t that interesting? Years and years before the people of Israel would beg God to choose a king for them, He said that they would do so (1 Samuel 8).

God also gave instruction for the chosen king. What he was to do and not do. The part I love is found in Deuteronomy 17:18-20a (NIV).

“When he (the king) takes the throne of his kingdom, he is to write for himself on a scroll a copy of this law, taken from that of the priests, who are Levites. It is to be with him, and he is to read it all the days of his life so that he may learn to revere the Lord his God and follow carefully all the words of this law and these decrees and not consider himself better than his brothers and turn from the law to the right or to the left.”

The chosen king was to write out the law. All of it. Not just a portion of the law, but all of it. He was to read it, learn and follow the law all his days.

I can’t help but wonder if this wouldn’t be good practice for our modern-day presidents and prime ministers or kings.

What I do believe is that there is application here for me. I have found great joy, satisfaction and pleasure in writing out portions of Scripture. For instance, I don’t copy and paste Scripture into my blog writings. I write (well, I really type) God’s Word into my post so that I am forced to think about what the verse is saying.

When I work on a Bible study and question is asked about a particular verse, I typically write out the verse of Scripture in my notes so that I add one more element to Bible study. God’s words are flowing from my Bible, through my eyes and into my brain and out through my hand onto paper. And I might add, it doesn’t miss my heart in that process either.

When I led Beth Moore’s study on the Book of James, one of the levels of study was to write out the entire book. I had such pleasure in doing so. I found that it was therapeutic and I became closer to James through the writing of God’s Word.

In building the doll house for our granddaughter several years ago, I wrote a verse of Scripture in each room and then covered it with wall paper. I want my future great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren to know that their Baba loved the Bible and also loved writing it.

I don’t know if you’ve ever done this, but I believe if God said it and found it beneficial, then it is a practice that we might consider. It’s my greatest desire to hide God’s Word in my heart so that I am more in line with Him (Psalm 119:11). This is just one more way to do so.

In thinking of the jar with snippets of paper inside, I wonder if writing an encouraging verse of Scripture each day might not be a bad thing to do. I find plenty of encouragement each day through Bible reading, Bible study, and blog writing. At the end of year, what fun it would be to read God’s Word as I put 2015 behind me.

And then, I really wonder if I could make the commitment to write out God’s Word. Just a few verses each day and maybe start with the New Testament. What a great legacy to leave for my children and grandchildren! Our own hand-written Bible. That would be special.

God took the time and worked through men to write out His Words for us so that we might know Him and love Him. I pray that God’s Word is penetrating your heart. That His message is in your thoughts. That His instructions and precepts are your guidelines for living. That’s exactly what the Bible is supposed to do.

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

Donna