Home- Part 2

Love the Lord your 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 on 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. Deuteronomy 6:5-9

When I first encountered this passage of scripture, I sort of glazed over it because it seemed to be geared towards parents. However, the more I reflect on this excerpt and this week’s sermon, the more I am realizing the relevance it has to my own life as a follower of God. In its original context, Moses was challenging the Israelites to take the command “Love the Lord with all your heart” directly into the home. He insisted that followers of God express their love for Him by honoring Him in all things and passing this love onto their families.

While I may not have children to “impress” my love for God onto, this passage still has significant meaning to me. It challenges me to love God and honor Him with everything that I have. To me, the example of generational transference suggests that loving God should be something that trickles down to every other aspect of life. Loving God should expand my capacity to love others and should change the way I act. It should be evident to those around me, and should be reflected in all of my relationships.

Through finding new meaning to this portion of scripture, I am challenged to determine whether or not my life actually reflects this concept. Does my love for God trickle down to the way I treat others? Does it push me to act in a way that is more like Christ?

Ultimately, letting God take the first place in our hearts and loving him with everything we have is something that can be life-changing. Not only can it bring us closer to God, but it can also direct others to Him.

I challenge you to examine your heart this week. Does God have the first place? Does loving him change the way you see and treat others? If not, I encourage you to open yourself up and make the necessary changes you need to put God first. It is my prayer that as you “love God with all your heart,” you are able to make a life-changing impact on those around you.   

Written by: Tamara Sturdivant

Edited by: De Ann Sturdivant