Don't forget

I get the impression that in these chapters, Moses may have wished he had the ability to actually hammer some things into the Israelites brains. He stresses not just the law and the commandments, but the God behind them, and his relationship to Israel.

"The Lord our God made a covenant with us at Horeb. It was not with out fathers that the Lord made this covenant, but with us, with all of us who are alive today."

He's stressing that God's relationship is not just with those who have already passed, or even with Abraham, Isaac or Jacob, but with those standing in front of him on that day. He reminds them of the law, of their end of the bargain and reminds them that following that law consistently ensures long life and prosperity in a "land flowing with milk and honey."

Honestly, I think it may have been that beautiful land and prosperity that had Moses most concerned. I love these verses in chapter six:

"Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord you God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates."

This is so applicable to us today. Listen to christian music or a devotional in the car on the way to school or running errands. Find ways at home to have reminders of God in front of you. Scriptures on the mirror, or maybe frame a family verse in a pretty way. You can find tons of ready made options of some of the most popular verses here. (Go look when you have some spare time- there's a lot!) It's so easy to get distracted by the things of this world, it's better to keep reminders right in front of us. Most importantly, memorize scripture. "Write it on your hearts". Jesus tells us later that "out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks." It will be a whole lot easier to talk about the things of God if we have them cemented on our hearts.

Right after those verses Moses tells Israel, "when you eat and are satisfied, be careful that you do not forget the Lord." Oh, how easy it is to forget the Lord when we are "satisfied." When we feel like we don't need anything else from him at the moment. We life is good and we're enjoying the harvest. I'm so thankful that God gives us those times- we need them. But we don't need to forget that every good thing comes from Him.

In chapter seven, Moses reminds the Israelites of that.

"Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commands."

Moses reminds them that God did not choose them based on their own merits, but based on His own character and promises. How thankful I am, and how much I need to remember, that it's God's goodness and grace alone that I have come to be counted as one of His children. Thank you Lord.

What do you do to keep scripture at the forefront of your mind? What do you do to teach your children the word of God? How do you "write it on the doorframes of your house and on your gates?"