Serving God in Tedium

"So Moses listed them, just as the LORD had commanded." Leviticus 3:16

Have you ever felt like God asked you to do something unreasonable or tedious? Has there ever been something that seemed illogical or just plain ridiculous? That's what I think of when I read this passage.

God asked Moses to list the names of all the members of the tribe of Levi by their families and their clans. This was a whole lot of people! There were three clans of Levi (descendents of his three sons). In one, there were 7500 males, in the second 8600, and in the third 6200. That's approximately 22,300 people Moses had to write on a list. Just in case you were wondering how many exactly is a whole lot of people.

I wonder why this was so important. I mean, the Levites were a special people. They were called to be priests for the Israelites. But do we really need all their names?

Yet, God saw it as important. So it doesn't really matter how we view this task. He certainly had a purpose for it. It may have been the process. It may have been to acknowledge these people He set apart from the rest of the Israelites.

Then I ask myself, have there been things God called me to do that I didn't see as important, but He obviously had a reason to give that task to me. I'm sure there've been more than I'd like to admit.

At times, I didn't see spending time in His word every day as that important. (I mean REALLY spending time in His word, not just reading a devotional or listening to 20 minutes of preaching while getting ready for the day.) Yet, as I have cultivated this habit, God has taught me more and more about Him, myself, and other people. He has also grown me and drawn me closer and closer to Him.

I also think about how this applies to my relationship with food. As a diabetic, for a couple weeks before I go to the doctor I'm to keep track of everything I eat so we can see what my body's doing and what it needs in the way of insulin. I usually do okay at this, but always miss a few days.

Sometimes, I even decide to do it on my own to keep track of what's going on. However, I never seem to stick with it. It falls by the wayside when other things crop up that seem more important.

How much stick-with-it did Moses need to write down 22,000 names? A whole bunch. If only I could be that faithful.

It's adventurous to follow God. He allows us to be a part of some great things. But sometimes He also calls us to do small, detailed, every once in a while even tedious things. We aren't as excited about these, but just as recording the names of the Levites was equally important as leading the Israelites across the Red Sea, we are to be faithful in everything God gives us.

This can even relate to our health. If keeping track of what we eat helps us to be healthier, then it's worth it. If keeping an exercise log keeps us accountable, it's worth it.

God gave us these bodies to serve Him and sometimes we abuse them without thought. Maybe being more faithful in the small things toward our goal of health will help us be better equipped for serving Him. It may be about the process or it may be about discipline or it may be about the actual record-keeping. Either way, what is God calling you to do today - health related or otherwise - that will take you on the next step to faithfulness?