Carpe Diem!

Hear the words of Deuteronomy 6: 4 through 9

4 “Listen, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. 5 And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. 6 And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. 7 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. 8 Tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders. 9 Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

Moses issued a challenge to God's people in the sixth and seventh chapters of this compelling book that bears repeating today. There is One God. He alone is Lord. We must love Him with all our hearts and commit ourselves fully to him.

There were probably a few times when my children grew weary of my frequent reminders of God's Word with respect to whatever circumstance or situation we were facing--but this passage is clear--parents are to repeat and talk about these things whether coming or going, staying or leaving. And although I do have some regrets related to my role as their mother, grabbing every available opportunity to teach them about scripture is not one of them. God is faithful. He has answered my prayers for my family and proven that His Word never returns void.

If you asked Leslie or David today, they'd likely recall that almost every time we were in the car there were conversations about spiritual things related to how God expects us to conduct ourselves in this world. As parents, we worked to instill in them appreciation for the privilege of having access to God's Word, and we also stressed the importance of attending church because we consider that to be a vital aspect of our relationship with and worship of our Lord.

Things were often too busy for us when they were young, but now more than ever this world's hectic pace can easily swallow up every devoted parent's best intentions, and before you know it, another day is done. This reminder from Deuteronomy to seize every chance to challenge and encourage and savor the sweetness of God's Word is as urgent today as it was when the children of Israel were about to cross the Jordan River to enter their promised land.

There are many scriptural promises attached to Godly obedience and reverence--so this morning, I pledge anew to seize the day's opportunities to demonstrate my wholehearted devotion to him alone.