Deuteronomy 6:6-7 (NIV)
These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. 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.
Our Verse of the Day is a great reminder about the importance of imparting the instructions for life our Creator has given us to those who have been or will be born after us … our children and grandchildren.
Deuteronomy 6:1-9; 20-25 (New Living Translation)
These are the commands, decrees, and regulations that the Lord your God commanded me to teach you. You must obey them in the land you are about to enter and occupy, and you and your children and grandchildren must fear the Lord your God as long as you live. If you obey all His decrees and commands, you will enjoy a long life. Listen closely, Israel, and be careful to obey. Then all will go well with you, and you will have many children in the land flowing with milk and honey, just as the Lord, the God of your ancestors, promised you. “Listen, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord is One. And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up. Tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders. Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
“In the future your children will ask you, ‘What is the meaning of these laws, decrees, and regulations that the Lord our God has commanded us to obey?’ “Then you must tell them, ‘We were Pharaoh’s slaves in Egypt, but the Lord brought us out of Egypt with His strong hand. The Lord did miraculous signs and wonders before our eyes, dealing terrifying blows against Egypt and Pharaoh and all his people. He brought us out of Egypt so He could give us this land He had sworn to give our ancestors. And the Lord our God commanded us to obey all these decrees and to fear Him so He can continue to bless us and preserve our lives, as He has done to this day. For we will be counted as righteous when we obey all the commands the Lord our God has given us.’
Deuteronomy 11:18-21 (New Living Translation)
So, commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these words of mine. Tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders. Teach them to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up. Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates, so that as long as the sky remains above the earth, you and your children may flourish in the land the Lord swore to give your ancestors.
The inspired Word of God given to Moses is quite adamant about our obedience to the commands of God; and it is imperative that our children and grandchildren are taught His commands, laws, and precepts. For these communicate both His nature and His will. They define the moral absolutes … the principles and standards of conduct to which we are held accountable. For God called His people to be a Kingdom of priests and a holy nation. (Cf. Exodus 19:6) He has declared, “I am the Lord, who brought you up out of Egypt to be your God; therefore be holy, because I am holy.” (Cf. Leviticus 11:45; 19:2, 20:7; 20:26) Yes, we consecrate ourselves to God through obedience to His Word! And this is how we serve God as a light to the nations. As Isaiah wrote: ““Listen to me, my people; hear me, my nation: Instruction will go out from me; my justice will become a light to the nations.” (Cf. Isaiah 51:4)
Do we see the application of teaching the Word of God to our children and grandchildren? When we read the words of Jesus, obedience as the expression of love comes into view. Consider His promise: “If you love me, keep my commands. And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— the Spirit of Truth. (Cf. John 14:15-16) Or contemplate His instruction: “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in His love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. (Cf. John 15:9-11) Yes, ponder on this key thought: “Jesus is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world. We know that we have come to know Him if we keep His commands. Whoever says, “I know Him,” but does not do what He commands is a liar, and the truth is not in that person.” (Cf. 1 John 2:2-4)
My friends, I pray that we will not only express our love and reverence for God through obedience to His commands, I encourage us all to leave a legacy of faith through sharing the Word of God and living it out as an example for our children and grandchildren. Indeed, I hope we can join with the Apostle John who expressed: “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.” (Cf. 3 John 1:4) Amen.
So Now You Know…
Have a Blessed Day!
Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the wilderness these forty years, to humble and test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep His commands. He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your ancestors had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. ~ Deuteronomy 8:2-3
So Now You Know 