Deuteronomy 6:6-9
6 And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. 8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
One of our great problems is our forgetfulness. At moments in time we profess great faith in God, but later we forget all about Him and act no different from non-believers. Thus Moses stresses here the importance of remembering God's laws at all times: when we sit, when we walk, when we lie down, when we rise (verse 7). This is what Paul means when he talks about praying at all times, i.e. make it a part of our daily life, not just something we do in church. To do this it helps to have visual reminders of our beliefs (verse 8-9). Living in freedom from our sins and addictions means living consistently by our faith, which requires that we stay connected to God at all times. I think we all can testify to how it is much easier to resist sin when we are close to the Lord, and how sin is much more tempting when God seems far away. So we really need to work at staying close to God. This in fact is the real goal: not just to avoid sin but to be close to God.
God, I confess that I often forget about You in the busyness of life. Help me to remember You and Your commands.
6 And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. 8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
One of our great problems is our forgetfulness. At moments in time we profess great faith in God, but later we forget all about Him and act no different from non-believers. Thus Moses stresses here the importance of remembering God's laws at all times: when we sit, when we walk, when we lie down, when we rise (verse 7). This is what Paul means when he talks about praying at all times, i.e. make it a part of our daily life, not just something we do in church. To do this it helps to have visual reminders of our beliefs (verse 8-9). Living in freedom from our sins and addictions means living consistently by our faith, which requires that we stay connected to God at all times. I think we all can testify to how it is much easier to resist sin when we are close to the Lord, and how sin is much more tempting when God seems far away. So we really need to work at staying close to God. This in fact is the real goal: not just to avoid sin but to be close to God.
God, I confess that I often forget about You in the busyness of life. Help me to remember You and Your commands.