Morning Devotional 100421 Keep the Love Alive

Liz’s Morning Devotional based upon Upper Room

October 4, 2021

Read Deuteronomy 11:18-23

18 Place these words I’m speaking on your heart and in your very being. Tie them on your hand as a sign. They should be on your forehead as a symbol. 19 Teach them to your children, by talking about them when you are sitting around your house and when you are out and about, when you are lying down and when you are getting up. 20 Write them on your house’s door frames and on your city’s gates. 21 Do all that so your days and your children’s days on the fertile land the LORD swore to give to your ancestors are many—indeed, as many as the number of days that the sky’s been over the earth! 22 It’s true: if you carefully keep all this commandment that I’m giving you, by doing it, by loving the LORD your God, by walking in all his ways, and by clinging to him, 23 then the LORD will clear out all these nations before you. You will inherit what belonged to nations that are larger and stronger than you are.

Good Morning! Love the Lord, your God, with your whole heart!

It’s funny how movies place such an indelible mark in our memories. Each time I read passages from Deuteronomy, I see and hear Charlton Heston sharing these words of wisdom with the Israelites before they enter the Promised Land.

Moses was reminding his people of the basic tenets by summarizing all of the words that God had placed on his heart over the 40 years of wandering. Moses understood the importance of passing down the words of God to the children, so that they would understand the significance of the past and be ready to become leaders in the future.

My mind also sees John, the beloved disciple, in his last days as he spoke to his church. He was weak and could only speak for a moment, so he simply focused on the main message of “Little children, love one another!” His followers longed to hear more, but John knew the importance of these simple words and prayed that all would embrace their meaning.

The words of Moses and of John are so simple, yet we still struggle to fulfil this calling. We must love God with all our heart, soul, and mind, and we must love our neighbors as ourselves. Lastly, we must share these ideas daily through our words and actions so that our children will know and live the faith.

Loving God, Thank You for loving us. We continue to struggle with loving all God’s children. May we allow the Holy Spirit working within us to transform us into living examples of love to the world.. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen

Thought for the day: How do I share my faith with younger generations?

Share the love of God! Pastor Liz