Image from ipost.com
Now this is the commandment—the statutes and the ordinances—that the Lord your God charged me to teach you to observe in the land that you are about to cross into and occupy, so that you and your children and your children’s children may fear the Lord your God all the days of your life, and keep all his decrees and his commandments that I am commanding you, so that your days may be long. Hear therefore, O Israel, and observe them diligently, so that it may go well with you, and so that you may multiply greatly in a land flowing with milk and honey, as the Lord, the God of your ancestors, has promised you. Hear, O Israel: The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might. Keep these words that I am commanding you today in your heart. 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. Bind them as a sign on your hand, fix them as an emblem on your forehead, and write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. (Deuteronomy 6:1-9)
May the grace and peace of the Lord be with you and yours, dear Friend! I pray that time with God during this day bless you more and more. May it be a part of our spiritual formation to fully trust God and God's ordinances in all that we say, think, and do.
Several years ago we went to visit my brother in Miami, Florida. Actually, he lived in a small community outside the big city. Several businesses in the area are run by devout Jews. I don't recall a purchase that I made in one of the stores, but I do remember finding inside the box a small photocopied version of The Shema, which we find in the above passage. The store owner is committed to God and shares that commitment in every sale that he makes. "Hear, O Israel: The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might." What a strong witness. The Shema he hands out is in ancient Hebrew, but most customers know what it says. As we studied on Monday, in an effort to trap or trick Jesus, that one scribe wanted to know if Jesus knew the Great Commandment, which is The Shema, and of course, He did. Every child within the Jewish faith is taught that at an early age. We tend to forget that Judaism is very much a home-based religion; all the teachings and observances of the faith begin in the home; the key teaching is this passage which parents seek to teach their children just as they were taught by Moses; "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. Bind them as a sign on your hand, fix them as an emblem on your forehead, and write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates." The above photo shows how some Orthodox Jews take the "emblem on your forehead." Inside that little box is The Shema.
Which place mentioned above is the most important? I would think God inspired Moses to say first, "keep these words that I am commanding you today in your heart." As we live and go about our everyday lives, what is in our heart either blesses or curses our faith. To hold the truth that we indeed love God with our heart, our soul, and with all our might, will show through. We can have all the posters and signs on our homes and on our fences and on the back of our vehicles, but unless we truly live, it; what good do all those signs really serve? The best sign is a life well lived in faith and charity. Observe a person, better yet, ask a child who has observed you most of their lives, and see what that child says is important about you? At meeting with family before a loved one's funeral, most pastors will ask what we remember most about the deceased, and the answers have varied; but the ones that stand out are those where the children have said, "Mom/Dad truly loved the Lord and sought to live a life of faithfulness." Will that be said about us?
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, great are You and worthy of my love and praise. May my life, from this point forward, truly be one that loves you with everything I have. Fill my heart with love for You and Yours. Fill my soul to overflowing with hope and faith. And let my strength be one that comes directly from You. Let my life be a living sermon based on and in You! This I pray in the Name of He who saved me, Jesus my Lord and Savior, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Live the above prayer in a mighty way today and all days!
Eradio Valverde
ConCafe recommends this book on the Lord's Prayer, which I wrote some years ago: https://amzn.to/2ACta1F
