I remember a particular Sunday morning service the pastor asked the congregation, “If this church depended on your prayer life, how long would it survive?” Wow! I thought to myself, “What a question!” That question is one that I cannot shake. That is the way it should be. Unforgettable. Unshakeable. It should plague our minds until we get it right.
I posed a series of questions to myself that came from my study of Deuteronomy 6:5-6,
5 “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart
and with all your soul and with all your might.
6 These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart”.
Remember, verse five is the first and greatest commandment. As commanded, this commandment SHALL be on your heart. That is not a request, understand. This is a prime example of the adage, “God does not call the equipped, He equips the called”. He commands us what to do, how to do it, and He gives us the right tools for the task. I had to know so, I asked myself, “Self…”:
1. Am I DILIGENTLY TEACHING my sons (in my case daughters; It also means younger generations; this is work)?
2. Am I talking about them (The Commandments)
a. When I SIT in my house (relaxing, lounging);
b. When I WALK by the way (with passersby; at the market; at school; at work)
c. When I LIE DOWN (praying before sleep, rest, relax)
d. When I RISE UP (praise when I wake up)
3. Am I BINDING them as a sign on my hand (holding the Word of God open to read; are my hands reaching out to the poor; are my hands giving; are my hands extended to help those in need; are my hands on the sick who need healing);
4. Are God’s Words a FRONTALS on my forehead (am I reading, memorizing, thinking on them, or meditating on them);
5. Have I WRITTEN them:
a. On the doorpost of my house (a constant reminder to me; visible to all who visit; can be seen when entering and exiting);
b. On the gates (the furthest edge of my dwelling; seen by all who dwell within; a warning to those who do not).
Check Yourself
Check Yourself
I remember a particular Sunday morning service the pastor asked the congregation, “If this church depended on your prayer life, how long would it survive?” Wow! I thought to myself, “What a question!” That question is one that I cannot shake. That is the way it should be. Unforgettable. Unshakeable. It should plague our minds until we get it right.
I posed a series of questions to myself that came from my study of Deuteronomy 6:5-6,
5 “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart
and with all your soul and with all your might.
6 These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart”.
Remember, verse five is the first and greatest commandment. As commanded, this commandment SHALL be on your heart. That is not a request, understand. This is a prime example of the adage, “God does not call the equipped, He equips the called”. He commands us what to do, how to do it, and He gives us the right tools for the task. I had to know so, I asked myself, “Self…”:
1. Am I DILIGENTLY TEACHING my sons (in my case daughters; It also means younger generations; this is work)?
2. Am I talking about them (The Commandments)
a. When I SIT in my house (relaxing, lounging);
b. When I WALK by the way (with passersby; at the market; at school; at work)
c. When I LIE DOWN (praying before sleep, rest, relax)
d. When I RISE UP (praise when I wake up)
3. Am I BINDING them as a sign on my hand (holding the Word of God open to read; are my hands reaching out to the poor; are my hands giving; are my hands extended to help those in need; are my hands on the sick who need healing);
4. Are God’s Words a FRONTALS on my forehead (am I reading, memorizing, thinking on them, or meditating on them);
5. Have I WRITTEN them:
a. On the doorpost of my house (a constant reminder to me; visible to all who visit; can be seen when entering and exiting);
b. On the gates (the furthest edge of my dwelling; seen by all who dwell within; a warning to those who do not).
You can use these questions to check yourself.