Deuteronomy 6:4-12 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. 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. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.
When the LORD your God brings you into the land he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to give you — a land with large, flourishing cities you did not build, houses filled with all kinds of good things you did not provide, wells you did not dig, and vineyards and olive groves you did not plant — then when you eat and are satisfied, be careful that you do not forget the LORD, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.
The son of one of my nephews turned six last week, and his mother's Facebook entry noted this:
Today
my baby turns 6. He is such a blessing & has changed our lives in
so many ways. This is an extra special birthday this year because he has
also accepted Jesus into his life & into his heart! What an amazing
boy we have!
Then, I had the pleasure of helping care for three of my grandsons on Friday. It was a school day, so breakfast was busy as usual, but never too busy to pray. When the boys had determined exactly whose turn it was to offer the blessing, almost six year old Soren started with their usual thanks for a "wonderful, wonderful day" and a few other things he was thankful for. Then there was a brief pause as he tried to get the phrasing just right. "And thank you that Jesus died and rose again so that, even when we make mistakes and do things wrong, we can still go to heaven. Amen."
These two little boys, and all their cousins and playmates and friends, could well be living into the twenty-second century, should Christ not return before then. How wonderful to see their faith already being established--and how sobering to think of the importance of our example for them as they continue to grow in God's grace and mercy throughout their lives. How thankful I am too for the parents who are sharing their faith with their children every day, in both small and large ways. What a blessing!
