Surrounding Yourself With the Word of God

pcm newsletter 093           

“You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.”   ~Deuteronomy 6:9

In the book of Deuteronomy, Moses is preaching a sermon to the people of Israel to encourage obedience and faithfulness to God as they entered the promised land of Canaan. In chapter 6, he emphasizes the importance of loving God with their whole being, keeping His word in their hearts and then teaching it to their children. One of the ways the people were to teach their children the word of God was to surround themselves with the Word. This was done in many ways: by teaching it to their children throughout the day (6:7), binding it as a sign on their hands and as frontlets between their eyes (6:8), and by writing it on the very doorposts of their houses (6:9).

I once read of a family who did something interesting as they had a new house built. During the construction process, the entire family wrote various scriptures on the wooden posts and beams in every room of the house.  They knew that the drywall would cover the wood and they wouldn’t actually be able to see those verses once the house was completed, but that was okay. They would always know they were there and it was symbolic to them of their home being founded on and surrounded by the word of God. Not to mention, can you imagine the impact it might have had on the construction crew as they worked in that house day after day and had the words of the Bible ever before their eyes? We can have an impact on our families as well by placing scriptures in prominent places in our homes so that God’s Word is ever before their eyes.

One of the things we do in our home is to have a scripture posted in the kitchen (which happens to be the busiest room in my house!) that serves as a family verse for the week. It is written on a dry erase board so we can change it out often. We encourage the kids to read it every time they enter the kitchen – while waiting for the microwave to finish, while filling their glasses with water, etc. Reading it over and over helps us all memorize it and meditate on it. We also have a portion of I Corinthians 13 displayed in our living room. pcm newsletter 091When anyone in the family is tempted to be less than kind, we direct them to the living room to read aloud what love is and what love does.  God’s word teaches us and convicts us and we need it in our lives every day. You can also let your children have their own scriptures posted in their rooms. Maybe they have a favorite verse that encourages or inspires them. Let them write it out and place it somewhere they can see it daily. Even the bathroom can have a verse. No room is immune! Surround yourselves with the word of God and be blessed by it.

 

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