LOOK OVER YOUR SHOULDER!

Deuteronomy 6:1-9
1 These are the commands, decrees, and laws the Lord your God directed me to teach you to observe in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess, 2 so that you, your children, and their children after them may fear the Lord your God as long as you live by keeping all His decrees and commands that I give you, and so that you may enjoy long life. 3 Hear, O Israel, and be careful to obey so that it may go well with you and that you may increase greatly in a land flowing with milk and honey, just as the Lord, the God of your fathers, promised you. 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 doorframes of your houses and on your gates.

When I was in high school, I signed up for a driver's training class. My instructor was an elderly teacher who was also a football coach nicknamed "Sundown." Because the school stadium did not have lights, he required the high school team to practice until the sun went down.

Sundown gave me some advice in driving that has kept me out of more potential wrecks than I care to think about. "You think that by looking in the rearview mirror you know what is on your left side, but your vision is limited," he said. "Always quickly look over your shoulder before changing lanes. There may be another car in your blind spot."

In my commute to work, I still think of his advice before changing lanes. The temptation is to get sloppy, to let my eyes dart to the rearview mirror, and then slide into the next lane. But more times than not, the quick glance has revealed a car in my blind spot.

Training can help us pursue what's good and avoid the bad. The Bible is God's instruction manual for human relations. But just owning a copy of the book is not enough. It must be studied, applied, and passed on to others.

Moses commanded the people to internalize the Word and to make it a topic of conversation throughout the day. "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" (Deuteronomy 6:6-7).

Just as taking to heart Sundown's advice has helped me steer clear of trouble, so internalizing God's Word helps us to avoid destruction and pursue life. By doing that, we'll stay on the right path and look over our shoulder to see our blind spots. --Dennis Fisher

destination
points

* What are the best times during the day for me to meditate on God's Word?
* Do I know someone I can talk with about spiritual things this week?
* What other steps can I take to internalize the Word?

LINKS:
How Can I Know God Through His Book?
http://www.discoveryseries.org/q0404

bottom line: Internalize the Word as a way of life.

soul journey