Sunday Scripture

 

Again this Sunday, I'm sharing from the Made for Community reading plan from Love God Greatly that I worked on back in 2015.  With this study, as I have often done, I used the SOAP method of Bible study.  Just a quick reminder that the S is for Scripture, O is for Observation, A is for Application and P is for Prayer.  The third section is Made for Community with Family.  So here we go with the Scripture for the fourth day of that section. 

S=  "And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.
      "And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart;
      "And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.
     "And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes,
     "And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates."
      (Deuteronomy 6:5-9)

O=  Moses has called all Israel together to rehearse God's law to them, along with exhorting them and warning them of the consequences of disobeying God.  Here in verse 5, he exhorts them to love the LORD their God with all their heart, soul, and might.  Then in verse 6 he goes on to exhort them to keep these words in their own hearts and to teach them to their children.

God's Word was first of all to be in their own hearts.  The same exact instruction is given in Deuteronomy 11:18-20, so we know this is important.

Then, they were to teach these things diligently to their children.

A cross-reference for "teach" is Deuteronomy 4:9 -- "Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thine heart all the days of thy life; but teach them to thy sons, and thy sons' sons."

Parents were to talk of God's words:
* while sitting in their houses
* while walking by the way
* first thing in the morning
* last thing at night.

In addition, they were to carry God's words with them:
* in their hearts
* as a sign upon their hand
* as frontlets between their eyes.

And they were to place God's words prominently in their homes:
* written on the doorposts of their houses
* written on their gates.

A= There is so much application here!  Like the children of Israel, I also am to love God with all of my heart, soul, and might.  And from this perspective of loving God, I am to teach God's Word to my family.

In my case, my children are grown and not in the place any longer where I am actually teaching them anything.  But hopefully they can observe my spiritual growth and learn something from how that happened.  And, I can in some measure teach God's Word to my grandchildren.

I'm to talk of God's Word at home, as well as when I'm out and about.  I'm to think and speak of God's Word first thing in the morning and the last thing at night.

I can carry God's Word with me everywhere I go by hiding it in my heart.  It will keep me from sin, and it will be there to refresh others as I share it with them.  I can also keep God's Word prominent in my home by making sure Bibles are accessible and by displaying Scripture verses in various ways and locations.  All of these things are not only reminders to me, but are wonderful tools for sharing our testimony with others who enter our home -- whether family, friends, or neighbors.

P=  "Lord, how I thank You today for Your Word!  It's such a blessing to have Your Word so accessible, to have the privilege of owning multiple copies of it in our own language.  I'm well aware that not everyone in the world is so blessed.  I praise You too for the privilege and responsibility to share Your Word with others.

I pray that You will help me to love You with all of my heart, soul, and might -- and to keep hiding Your Word in my own heart and keeping it as an integral part of my life.  I know that unless Your Word is deeply ingrained in my own heart and life, I won't be effective in teaching it to others.

I thank You for helping me over the years to speak of Your Word to my children and grandchildren.  Whether in the home, riding in the car, hiking a trail, or wherever we have been, You've helped me to share Scripture with them, and I am so thankful for that.

I pray that You will help me continue to memorize Scripture and to give me those opportunities to share its truths with others.  Help me to be faithful in doing so.  I praise You for all You have done and will continue to do, in Jesus' name, Amen."

Just as an encouragement and maybe a bit of inspiration, below I'm sharing some of the Scripture samplers I have made and displayed in my home.  They are wonderful "doorposts"!

Let your speech be always with grace ...

The fruit of the Spirit in a Country Baking sampler

Verses from Luke and Isaiah

A closer look at Luke 6:38

Hope this Sunday Scripture post has encouraged someone today!  It was a great reminder for me.