Deuteronomy 6:4-9
4 Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 5 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. 6 These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. 7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 8 Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 9 Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.
On what should we focus? There are so many things vying for our attention. Jesus said our focus should be on God first. From God, you will learn what else is important. We are to carry God’s commandments in our hearts. If you have God’s commandments in your heart (love Him), they are right there when you need them. Your motive will be right.
This portion of Scripture is called the Shema. The “Shema”—three biblical paragraphs (Deuteronomy 6:4–9; 11:13–21; Numbers 15:37–41), which starts with Judaism’s defining statement: Hear O Israel, the L‑rd is our G‑d, the L‑rd is One. Shema then discusses some of Judaism’s basics: love of G‑d, Torah study, the principle of divine reward and punishment, and our exodus from Egypt. {From chabad.org} These paragraphs are a central prayer of the Jewish faith.
http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/862695/jewish/An-Overview.htm
Teaching others about God is important. What does it mean to impress them on your children? How do you “impress” others? I have friends who were raised in Church themselves but who never really impressed their children with the meaning and value of faith. At this point, their children do not have faith and they are regretting not having impressed them. God does not have grandchildren. Each generation must choose to build a relationship with God for itself. What is your relationship? Is it all you want it to be? There is still time to make it better.
How do you impress things on your children? One way is repetition. Zig Ziglar’s mother used Sentence Sermons – short phrases that were easily repeated and remembered. An example was “People more attention pay to what you do than what you say!” So setting an example is a good place to start. Ask yourself, “Is this the example I want to set for my children?” You have heard it said that your life may be the only Bible some people get to read. They are watching your life to see what a follower of Jesus looks like. What are they seeing? What example does your life set?
This passage goes on to tell us to speak of God’s commandments at all times, to tie them on our hands and forehead and write them on doorposts and gates. What does all that mean? The Tefillin go on our hands and forehead and the Mezuzah goes on doorways. They contain these scriptures on parchment and are used as reminders, helping us to keep God’s commands on our hearts. You can Google these words and get more details. The point is to keep God in our hearts which will help us keep correct motives.
So what does this all mean to you? It means you should live your life to the glory of God today! God has already given you all you need to live a victorious life. How will you use the gifts? Will you bring glory to Him today? I know you can! Let me know how it all works out for you.
Lord God, may Your word be in our hearts so that we can live lives that bring glory to Your Holy Name. Hear O Israel and the rest of us as well, that the Lord Our god is One; Father Son and Holy Spirit. And the He loves us too! Let’s use His love to love one another.