Strive
One of the scribes approached. When he heard them debating and saw that Jesus answered them well, he asked Him, “Which command is the most important of all?” 29 “This is the most important,” Jesus answered: Listen, Israel! The Lord our God, the Lord is One. 30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. 31 “The second is: Love your neighbor as yourself. d There is no other command greater than these.” Mark 12:28–31
Right there, Christ raised the bar for each of us; as believers, as a witness, as teachers, as family members. Did you see what He did here? He affirmed the writings in Deut. 6:4-5 and in Leviticus 19:18 Ok so now the toe stepping moment, the church gut-check question…” How do you measure up to this?” Many of us would have to confess that we do not measure up to this. We do not love Him with all our mind, and heart, and soul. Friends, I must confess that there are days that I do not measure up to this; I wish I could, but I have to agree with the apostle Paul in his writing to the church at Philippi;
13 Brothers, I do not consider myself to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and reaching forward to what is ahead, 14 I pursue as my goal the prize promised by God’s heavenly call in Christ Jesus. Php 3:13–14
We must be on point all the time; we must strive to be a witness; we must strive to be the best version of ourselves in all circumstances, especially in the home. Remember, the best test of a Christian is how he or she acts at home!”
Moses told them that they should love God with all their hearts, souls, and strength. That is the whole deal—Moses told them to love and worship God with all they had. The idea was so important that they were told to teach their children this command, write it on doorposts, and make signs. But these commandments need to be first etched in our hearts before they’re displayed in our homes.
6 These words that I am giving you today are to be in your heart. 7 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. 8 Bind them as a sign on your hand and let them be a symbol on your forehead. j 9 Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. Dt 6:6–9
Friends, His Word should be in our hearts. We should read, learn and apply. I wonder if that is why David said in Psalm 119:11, “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.” Friends, I believe that this is precisely where His word should be…It should be in our hearts, because when it is, then we can do as vs. 7 calls for; “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.” Friends, God holds parents/households responsible for bringing up their children in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.