Day 4: A Way of Life
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 on 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.
Loving God first, last, and best is not a secondary, back-burner concern. It is priority number one, and it starts with a rebuilt family altar. Taking time for family worship communicates how important God is to every family member. Don’t reserve worship for Sabbath only. At home, on the road, bedtime, wake-up time, anytime is the right time to love and worship God.
Please Pray...
- That our children will grow in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and people—Luke 2:52
- For parents to raise their children, training and instructing them in the ways of the Lord—Ephesians 6:4; Deuteronomy 6:4-7
- For our schools; specifically for spiritual protection and that love for God comes through every class and program.
Alter Your Altar (Ideas for Family Worship)
Children:
- Each of you write down no less than three things you are thankful for about each other. (If children aren’t reading or writing yet, parents act as scribes.) Exchange papers and take turns reading aloud what the other wrote. (Again, parents assist where necessary.) Celebrate what was shared and then end with a thanksgiving prayer.
- Take the Family Worship Challenge
No Children:
- Do the same as a couple or small group. If single, choose a person in your life and list why you are thankful for them, or list three things you are thankful for.