What We Bring with us. Deuteronomy 6:6-9

"These commandments that I give you today are to be open 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 6:6-9


When I was young I used to remember being in a Sunday School class or in a youth group setting and we would play this game called "what would you bring with you?".   Back then it seemed like there was a real problem with people being lost on a deserted Island so the question in the game went like this.   "If you were to be stranded on a deserted Island and you could only take 5 items with you what would those items be?"   Now our mothers of course would want us to take a change of underwear or something practical like that. ha!  I think I would take a Wilson volleyball to keep me company. 

Well we could have fun with about four of the items but being the good "Christian Kids" that we were we knew that one of the "right answers"  had to be the Bible.   To tell the truth we probably said the Bible to avoid a long lecture by the Sunday School teacher about the importance of God's word......

Today this game isn't nearly as fun because people could say they would take their Ipod, tablet or cell phone with a Bible already loaded on it along with pictures, video games......  Hopefully you could also take a solar charger with you.  My point is that even as children in the church we knew we should take the Bible with us.

 Our problem today is the Bible tends to takes up more space on our coffee table then it does in our heart.   Actually as a pastor when I visit people in their homes, I wonder if the Bible on the coffee table is more for my sake...  Perhaps they think I'll feel more at home with the Bible around.  (Ok... I'm just joking.  Actually, I don't mind that you display your Bible when I show up as long as you book mark our text for this week and ponder it in your heart if only for a brief moment).   To tell the truth I believe that most of us do truly value the Word of God.... especially those who would take the time to read my blog!

The key for God, as expressed in our passage for today, is not simply having a Bible in hand but to have the Bible in heart.  As parents we receive the added burden of  impressing the commands on our children's hearts as well.  The idea of course is to know the Word of God enough to share it with our children.  And like everything else the best way to get it into our heart and into our minds is to prepeat the words,  write them out, repeat them some more and by all means live by them!

Sadly most of us probably know the rules and commands regarding games like baseball than we do about the word of God.   However, no matter how many excuses we use regarding not understanding the Bible and not having time to read it,   God makes it very clear in passages like ours today that we are indeed required to become familiar with the commands, laws, and the words of Scripture.    Yes,  God believes that having the Bible on the top 5 items is a very good idea.

Thought to ponder:  What creative ways can you come up with to meditate upon the Word of God throughout the day?  What ways can you impress the word into your children's heart.

Give me your comments!  Let's share some ideas!   Maybe your good at memorizing Scriptures.   Let us know how you do it!   Or maybe you can share what five things you would bring with you on the deserted Island.   May the Lord bless you as you "walk through the Word".