“And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. 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. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.” Deuteronomy 6:6-9
I encourage you to read more of Deuteronomy 6, but for the sake of this weekly thought I wanted to focus on the idea listed in these verses. The focus of these verses and much of the chapter is for the Israelites to pass on God’s commandments to the next generation, hence the call to teach them diligently to their children.
Over the last several years we have tried as a family to read through the Bible together a few chapters a night. Some years are better than others. Let’s be honest some weeks are better than others. There are times when we keep up with our reading and there are times we fall behind. By and large, however, we have developed some good habits of reading Scripture. To that I’d like to add more prayer and singing to our family worship or family devotional time. If you think of it ask me, every once in a while, how singing or prayer is going on in our home. Accountability is good for all of us.
But not just in a group setting as in our families but I also desire to pray more on my own. Setting aside more concentrated time for prayer. It starts with little habits. And our lives are made up of hundreds of little habits. And it only takes a few minutes to develop new habits.
Over the past two years I have been trying to develop the habit of exercise. Two years ago, that wasn’t even on my radar now I have a habit. Now to improve the hit and miss eating habits and be more consistent.
What are little things that you might be able to start this week to help you grow closer to Christ and improve your life or even pass on the truths of God’s Word to others. Maybe taking a few minutes to pray with a spouse or a child or with a friend. Maybe it’s your own personal Bible reading. Maybe it’s taking the time to brush your teeth before bed. Maybe it’s a walk at the beginning or the end of the day. Maybe it’s beginning to read a good book.
Let us give thanks to God for the days we have been given and let us make the most of all of them.
“Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.” Ephesians 5:15-16