The Shema is the core of Jewish faith. Found in Deuteronomy 6:4-9 it contains these powerful words:
4 Hear, O Israel: The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. 5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might. 6 Keep these words that I am commanding you today in your heart. 7 Recite them to your children and talk about them when you are at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you rise. 8 Bind them as a sign on your hand, fix them as an emblem on your forehead, 9 and write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
4 Hear, O Israel: The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. 5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might. 6 Keep these words that I am commanding you today in your heart. 7 Recite them to your children and talk about them when you are at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you rise. 8 Bind them as a sign on your hand, fix them as an emblem on your forehead, 9 and write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
My brother once lived in the Miami area and on one of our visits out there he took us to some of thoe "Mill" malls, such as the one at Katy, Katy Mills, there's one in Nashville, etc. and this one is shaped like an alligator and is named Sawgrass Mills Mall. We went into a store where Jewish icons and other stuff was sold and each one contained a little handwritten tag on it. I asked the man what was the tag all about. He replied it was The Shema. I told him I knew the verse and considered it a very powerful verse and so he gave me one. For years I had it in my wallet and when that wallet finally said its final goodbyes so did the tag.
But the words have life beyond tags. It is a declaration or pledge of faith. The LORD is our God, and we are to love God with all our heart, our soul and our might. And these words are so powerful they are worthy to be in our hearts at all times. We are to teach them to our children and they should be our topic of conversation at home and away; when we are lying down and when we are getting up. It should be a "sign" on our hand, an "emblem" on our foreheads and written on the doorposts of our homes and gates.
The Lord blesses those who live and share these words. These are words of life and love. Our words for the week are those that say and declare in our living, The way of love.
PRAYER: Loving God, let me live the way of love. May my actions, words, thoughts and deed reflect one who is committed to You in a way that invites others to come to You. I pray this in Jesus' Name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
e.v.
PRAYER REQUEST: Dear friends, one of our daughter Nellie's middle school students, Jose E. Garcia drowned this weekend. Please be in prayer for his family and for the Ann Richards School in La Joya, Texas. May God share with them His peace.
