If something is important, we write it down. If it is really important, we memorize it. Some things are so important we can’t forget them. God’s word is in that category. He commands us to write these words on your heart. Put them in a place where we can be reminded daily about them.
Deuteronomy 6:4-7
Listen, Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. These words that I am giving you today are to be in your heart. Repeat them to your children. Talk about them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.
Keep It In Sight
This passage of scripture is called the Shema. It is the classic Hebrew confession of faith, describing who God is and what our duty is towards Him. Every Israelite had to commit it to memory. They wrote it down on a scroll and put it in a Mezuzah, which is a tiny box, and attached it to their doorpost. It fulfilled the command to write God’s Word and put it on the gates and doorposts of your house (vs. 7-9). God wanted them to take the command of God seriously and keep it in sight at all times.
Commit it to memory
We are to write God’s Word on our heart. We are to commit it to memory and then obey it. Start by recognizing that there is one God and then love him with all of our heart, soul, and strength. God reduced all of the commandments down to one. With everything we have, we are to love the Lord. Our hearts, minds, and muscles are to be wholly committed to him.
Pass it to our children
We are also to pass this on to our children. They are to learn and practice that very same love we are. They learn it by watching our example and us teaching them the Bible. Most kids grow up with no desire to follow the Lord because their parents show the same attitude. If we want our children to turn out well, we need to invest what will bring the greatest reward. Talk to them when you are eating dinner, driving in the car, and right before they go to bed.