"THESE WORDS!"

Deuteronomy 6:4-9                                 (ESV)
"4 "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our GOD, the LORD is ONE.
5 You shall love THE LORD YOUR GOD with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.
6 And "THESE WORDS" that I command you today shall be on your heart.
7 You shall teach them "diligently" to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.
8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.
9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates."



In Deuteronomy 5:32-33 GOD tells the children of Israel "You shall be careful therefore to do as THE LORD YOUR GOD has commanded you. You shall not turn aside to the right hand or to the left.  You shall walk in all the way that THE LORD YOUR GOD has commanded you, that you may live, and that it may go well with you, and that you may live long in the land that you shall possess."  In the next few verses GOD instructs them (and us) to "diligently" teach "THESE WORDS" to your children.

Why would GOD instruct HIS children to "diligently" teach their children "THESE WORDS" that HE commanded them to keep on implanting in their hearts?  The CREATOR gave instructions on how to make sure "it may go well with you, and that you may live long in the land that you shall possess."  Why would WE not follow the instructions of The CREATOR when we are rearing our children?  Why have them go through a "wilderness" of sorts when GOD has instructed us on how "it may go well with you"?  Parenting books sell millions, but our CREATOR instructed us on what we should do thousands of years ago!

Our CREATOR instructs us to write "THESE WORDS" on our hands, between our eyes, and on our doorposts and gates", and on our children's, for a reason!  Psalms 119:11 says "I have stored up YOUR WORD in my heart, that I might not sin against YOU!"  When we place our hope and trust in HIS WORD (John 1:1) we are acknowledging that GOD IS IN CONTROL!  When we try to figure things out within our own reasonings and understandings, we are walking in the "natural" and not living by faith!  "THESE WORDS" are intended to 'set us free' from the slavery that living in the "natural" brings.  To understand we are enslaved by this world, we must stay in HIS WORD and let HIS WORD stay in us!

Speaking just for me, I regret not 'diligently" teaching my children more about "THESE WORDS"!  Teaching them how to perform in athletics, or how to have a good work ethic, or anything else to do with their "perceived" social status will not mean anything when they stand before our CREATOR.  Sure, their mom and I must have done something right, for we have never had to get our children out of jail, nor visit them in a hospital, nor get them out of a lot of trouble.  Apparently we planted enough of "THESE WORDS" in their lives, but THE LORD grew the seed, to grow them into the responsible adults they are today.  Help me LORD to rely solely on "THESE WORDS" in my life to guide and protect me as I serve YOU!!!