God's Word

"Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 19 Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up." Deuteronomy 11:18-19

The more times you read the Bible, the more times it becomes a part of you. I know we all know those people who can just recite verse after verse from the Bible. I marvel at people who I've heard speak who practically have the whole Bible memorized. It's amazing! But I've found that the more I pick it up and read it, the more I retain each and every time. I remember better where certain passages are found, and I remember particular instances of encouragement. These verses from Deuteronomy speak volumes to me. So many times we focus on the part where it says to tie God's Words as symbols to our hands and head. Many of us do that. We wear jewelry fashioned out of crosses, we load our car with bumper stickers, we have plaques on the wall at home that recite a favorite verse, and we have a little piece of a Bible verse printed on our checks. But what about actually digging in and learning God's Word? I think that sometimes we're so focused on letting the world around us know that we are a follower of Christ, that we forget to actually follow and focus on His Words.

And then there's the second verse that instructs us to share God's Word with our children. Not just at bedtime with a story, and not just at the Sunday School hour, it tells us to always be sharing what God has done with our children. I have a challenge for you. Every time you go to have a conversation with your child, think about how you can present something from the Bible in that conversation. It's easier than you would think. A conversation about breakfast can lead to talking about how God wants us to take care of our bodies. A conversation about snow can lead to God creating the seasons. A conversation about presents can lead to discussions of joy and sharing. A conversation about doing chores can lead to discussing the Ten Commandments, and honoring fathers and mothers. There are just so many opportunities that we miss! A bad dream in the middle of the night is the perfect opportunity to show a child how to pray the bad things away.

And along the lines of thinking outside the box, and trying to squeeze God in more, expect to see a few changes here at Heart & Soul. I've been thinking about it for some time, and I think it's time to spice things up a little bit, give it a little more personality. A little more salt perhaps. I've gotten to where I use this opportunity to be accountable for my daily devotions, but now I've been doing it for so long, that I know I'd miss the devotion time anyways if I didn't do it. I think now it's time to maybe bring in a little more of the practical, and show some application of what God's been teaching me. Watch for a few new links in the sidebar, maybe some book recommendations, and overall, just a little more personality. I don't know that I'll change the actual look of the sight, but I do plan to jazz it up a touch. Instead of just blogging my devotions, maybe I'll blog on something else. Maybe one day, I'll just write out a prayer. Tomorrow I'm going to introduce a weekly event that I think is important for us to remember.

So stay tuned... God is always doing a new thing.

"See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland." Isaiah 43:19