Good morning everyone! Deuteronomy Chapter 6.
Four words that jumped out at me in this chapter are: Fear – Obey – Heart – Teach.
HEART: Before I can even begin to fear God, obey God and teach the love of God, I must have the love of God, Jesus Christ, in my heart. That's the start! To have Jesus just in my mind is to live a life of hypocrisy. The best you will get from that person is one striving to do good things…doing good things without the heart. If Jesus is REALLY in our hearts then there's no stopping us! We will desire him and want more of him and pursue him with all our energy! Will be consumed with him!
- FEAR: to truly have Jesus in our hearts is the have an understanding of who God is which will cause us to fear Him. We understand his Holiness and His Majesty! We understand the value of being right before God and to be holy before God.
- OBEDIENCE: this fear, which encompasses both love and respect, will drive us to want to be obedient to the one that's in our hearts. We will not want to lose focus of the Lord. The word of God will become so much a part of who We Are that we want to live it and share it with others. We will want to teach it to our children.
- TEACH: teaching God's word to others, especially our children, is not just something that we speak with our words. Teaching someone has its greatest results when it is taught with one's life. What our kids and others see in our everyday life, our lifestyle, and our life decisions, is what is remembered and is what they will want to emulate. Telling our kids what they should do will have zero impact on their life if what we are living is just the opposite!
*We say forgiveness is important. Do we forgive?
*We say having fellowship with other believers in church is important. Is it important in our lives?
*We say reading God's word is important. Do we read God's word?
*We say helping others and meeting their needs are important. Do we stop and take the time to help others and meet their needs? And the list goes on.
I look back on my life with my wife and kids! What did I teach them with my words? And what did they actually learn from my life?
Verse 5 of chapter 6 stood out to me today and I thought about how this is what it’s all about! God wants us to have a loving relationship with Him in which we are fully committed. Then we read how it doesn’t stop there, but God’s words are to always be taught diligently to the next generation.
The goal is to pass it on. It may not be easy at times, but it is certainly worth it as we see in 3 John 4.
I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.
Great comments Blair and Jim. Today was a rough day for me. No real specific reason. More tired than usual, trying to keep up with my 2 year old, unpacking ALL the boxes, arguing with my parents… things that are all very trivial, but I am having a difficult time shaking the negative attitude that I have. I feel somewhat like a disappointment as I read this chapter. I want to be a good example to my son. I want to show grace and mercy with my family when they say things that hurt my feelings. I want energy for the Lord and my life!
18 “Do what is right and good in the Lord’s sight, so that it may go well with you and you may go in and take over the good land the Lord promised on oath to your ancestors, 19 thrusting out all your enemies before you, as the Lord said.”
I want to do what is good and right before the Lord. I don’t want to hold onto anger. I don’t want to let satan win and rule my mind and day. I am so thankful for the Lord’s love and forgiveness and His gifts of a fresh start and a chance to have a better day tomorrow.
Thank you Beth!!
Good info. Lucky me I found your blog by accident (stumbleupon).
I’ve bookmarked it for later!