Context: Moses has come down from the mountain the second time (after destroying the tablets of commandments because of the golden calf) and he is giving a long speech outlining God's expectations of the Jewish people.
Text:
4 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. 5 Love the LORD your God
with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. 6 These
commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. 7 Impress them on
your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the
road, when you lie down and when you get up. 8 Tie them as symbols on your hands
and bind them on your foreheads. 9 Write them on the door frames of your houses
and on your gates. (NIV)
taken from www.biblegateway.com
According to some Internet statistics I found (however valid they may be...), over $13 BILLION dollars get spent on Christian books each year. This doesn't include the spending on other Christian items like music, t-shirts, and home decor.
Many people may think I'm a tightwad, although as Doug knows I can spend with the best of them! But I wonder if these purchases are really bringing us closer to God?
Please don't get me wrong -- I am thrilled with the number of Christian books on the market and I read a lot of them. And how many people have met Christ first through a book or a song? Probably tons. But when I go to a Christian bookstore and see tea sets, statues, and knick-knacks for Christ, I wonder if we have gone too far.
God told us to write his words on our door frames, to keep them in front of us at all times, and to talk about them each day with our children and others. But how many of us really know the verses represented on our t-shirts in context if anyone would ask? I'm not sure he really meant that we should buy stuff with verses engraved on it.
I'm not opposed to purchasing these things, but I wonder how many of us use them as witnessing tools? Do others, including our own families, know what our core beliefs are about Christ? How often do you discuss the Bible in your home in the course of 'normal' conversation?
I know we don't do it very often. Oh, we pray at mealtimes and bedtime and attend church. And some of us do regular devotions or studies, but I have to admit that some days the only real reference to God is the plaque in the corner stating that we serve the Lord in our house. I love the idea of us reading, discussing, and even memorizing scripture together, but somehow life intervenes and it doesn't often happen. His commandments aren't often on our hearts.
When is the last time you discussed God's expectations of His people somewhere other than at church?
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