Deuteronomy 6:6-7 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.

Individuals tend to talk about what our hearts and minds are full of. For many people, that can be a pretty embarrassing truth! Moses said this in relation to the Law that he was transmitting to the Israelites, but Paul put it a bit more broadly: “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things.” (Philippians 4:8) If we want to be obedient to God (and that is a fundamental commitment of a disciple), then we need to focus on Him in our thinking. Moses was talking about continually repeating the words of the Law for memory purposes, because most of the people were illiterate. We don’t have that pressure, because not only can almost everyone read and write, if we so choose, we can carry the whole Bible around on our smart phones! However, that can conversely make us very lazy about what Moses said in verse 6: “Carve these words into your hearts.” It does us little good to have the Bible at our fingertips if it isn’t also in our hearts. Even memorization isn’t sufficient. Many of the Pharisees in Jesus’ day had major portions, if not all, of the Pentateuch memorized, but as long as it remained just words, it did them little good. We need to be meditating on the Word to apply it, thinking of it as what God is saying to us personally, which is what it is.

I’ll certainly never forget the two times God has spoken to me personally, and I need to treat the whole Bible with equal urgency. My thoughts and my words need to be filled with God’s Word, so that it may be fulfilled in my life. I strive toward that, and people expect it of me because I’m a pastor. I need to get it through to them that it is just as important, and just as beneficial, for them as well. God does not play favorites, as the Bible says in various places in the Old and New Testaments. Anyone who commits themselves to God, to serve Him and allow His Spirit to fill them and use them, will find He is equally present and loving, beyond anything words can express. I need to communicate that it’s not because I’m an American, or a pastor, or a missionary kid, but because God is God that I experience so much of Him, and He is equally available to all, if they will open their hearts to Him.

Father, this is the mission and cry of my life. As You know, I’m not the most faithful of disciples, but even so I have tasted Your goodness to a degree that makes me not only hungry for more, I want everyone to experience it. As we work through this Discipleship Training series, I ask You to reveal to the heart of each believer the riches that You have prepared, desire, and intend for them, that they may let go of everything else and cling fully to You, for their blessing and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!