◄ What Does Deuteronomy 6:6 Mean? ►

"These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart.

Deuteronomy 6:6(NASB)

Verse of the Day

The Lord had a special relationship with Israel. He brought them out of 400 years of Egyptian slavery, as had been promised to their forefather Abraham, and they were now His chosen people with whom God made a conditional covenant. The covenant contained commands which promised reward for obedience but punishment for disobedience. And the commandments of the Lord which God gave to Israel was to be stored in their heart, taught to their children, and practiced in their lives.

Not only did they receive the 10 commandments on Mount Horeb, but many hundreds of additional instructions. God demanded total commitment to both His commands and His covenant which could be summed up in a few words: "You shall love the Lord Your God with Your whole heart, and soul, and mind, and strength." Obedience to the command of the Lord would demonstrate a genuine love for God, and result in close communion with Him, while disobedience would exhibit an unbelieving heart and unacceptable contempt for the Lord, His Word, and His will.

Israel was to be in the world, but they were to be separated from the ways of the world and disconnected from the mindset of the world. They were to be God's special covenant people, and obedience to His Word would be a wonderful witness to a fallen world of their unique relationship with God and His goodness towards those that trust in His name. And so, having pronounced all His commands and ordinances to the nation through Moses, He gave a serious pronouncement: "These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart." There is to be no compromise with the Word of the Lord.

Although this was a command that was given to the chosen nation of Israel and related to the specific covenant that God made with them, it embraces an important principle for all God's children in this Church dispensation; There are important lessons to learn by all who have been rescued from slavery to sin and have been brought into the family of God, by grace through faith in Jesus Christ our Lord.

We have been given His written Word, which contains His sovereign will for all His blood-bought children, and we should make sure that His Word is written in our heart and stored in our mind. We should recognise that the way we live our lives, the words we speak with our lips, the thoughts we imagine in our hearts, the acts we carry out in our lives, and the motive behind our actions will reflect our relationship with Him, which either honours His name or dishonours His Word.

The outward actions of our life should be the transparent reflection of an inner soul and is submitted to His Word and His Will, a life that only says and does those things that are honouring and pleasing to His holy name.

My Prayer

Heavenly Father, thank You for the Word of God and all the wisdom and instructions it contains. I pray that I may abide in Christ and He in me, and that my life would be a testimony to Your goodness and grace. May my inner and outward actions, attitude, words, and motives, reflect a heart that loves the Lord with all my heart, and soul, and mind, and strength, to Your honour and glory. This I ask in Jesus' name, AMEN.