https://esv.literalword.com/?q=Deuteronomy+6
Observations from today’s readings and today’s S-WOD, Monday, 28 April 2025:
Deuteronomy 6:2 — …that you may fear the LORD your God, you and your son and your son’s son, by keeping all his statutes and his commandments, which I command you.
Proverbs 9:10 says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.” We learn to fear the Lord and to know Him by obeying His commands, even if we don’t understand the “why” behind them and even if we have not yet obtained the wholehearted desire to follow them. Obedience shapes your character to learn to love and appreciate God. Obedience also protects you from what you don’t yet understand. As we grow in love more and more, obedience goes from being easier and easier to being something we truly want to do from the heart, regardless of how hard or easy it is. When we are truly motivated by love, we no longer need to be commanded to do what God wants because it is what we want; the Law does not end; it is just no longer needed to keep us on path. Jesus did not abolish the Law; He just fulfilled it. It wasn’t an issue for Him because He was one with the Father.
Deuteronomy 6:4-8 — Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.”
“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.” This is known as the Shema, a core confession of faith for God’s people. It teaches that God is the one true God, fully deserving of our exclusive and total love. Christians are called to a love that is not divided or half-hearted but encompasses their whole being—affections (heart), inner life (soul), and outward strength (might). Loving God like this becomes the supreme goal of life. Practically, this means evaluating every part of life—desires, decisions, relationships, work, and worship—through the lens of loving and honoring God wholeheartedly.
All that you are must be focused on loving and serving God in the moment continually. Parents must model this and discuss this with their children continuously. How focused are you on Jesus today, loving Him, serving Him, and proclaiming Him in all that you do?
Deuteronomy 6:6-9 – “And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.”
God’s commands are not just to be memorized externally but treasured inwardly and passed on intentionally. Christians are to make God’s Word a daily, natural part of life, teaching it to the next generation through ordinary conversation and consistent example. Practically, this encourages believers to make their homes centers of spiritual formation, where Scripture is read, discussed, prayed over, and lived out, not relegated to occasional formal lessons but woven into daily rhythms.
You must love God to obey Him, but your love for Him grows as you work to obey Him. When you obey out of a sense of duty, you can learn to obey out of love. You must teach kids to learn how to love God by teaching them to first obey. Disciples learn discipline. Disciple your children first.
Deuteronomy 6:10-12 — And when the Lord your God brings you into the land that he swore to your fathers… then take care lest you forget the Lord, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.
God warns His people about the danger of prosperity leading to forgetfulness. Christians must remain vigilant not to let comfort, success, or blessing dull their dependence on and gratitude to God. A practical action here is the regular practice of remembrance—through prayer, testimony, worship, and gratitude journaling—to keep God’s past faithfulness fresh in our minds and to guard against pride and self-sufficiency.
Deuteronomy 6:13 — It is the Lord your God you shall fear. Him you shall serve and by his name you shall swear.
Reverent fear and exclusive loyalty to God are demanded. Christians today are reminded that God is not to be treated casually. He is holy, powerful, and worthy of awe. Serving God means giving Him our full allegiance and structuring our lives around His mission. Practically, this means intentionally choosing to serve God in our priorities, commitments, work ethic, and integrity, refusing to compromise in areas where cultural pressures would pull us away.
Deuteronomy 6:16-18 — “You shall not put the Lord your God to the test, as you tested him at Massah. You shall diligently keep the commandments of the Lord your God, and his testimonies and his statutes, which he has commanded you. And you shall do what is right and good in the sight of the Lord, that it may go well with you, and that you may go in and take possession of the good land that the Lord swore to give to your fathers….”
Don’t take God’s grace for granted and be complacent in your fidelity. You have been forgiven that you might be renewed to a right relationship with God, not so that you could continue to disgrace the Name of Christ through bad behavior.
Obedience is not about dry rule-keeping but about loving God and living rightly because it leads to ultimate blessing of unity with Him and flourishing under His good design of life in Him. Christians are called to a diligent and joyful obedience that seeks to please God rather than earn His favor. Practically, this motivates believers to pursue godly character with perseverance, trusting that obedience—though sometimes costly—ultimately leads to a life that is truly “good” according to God’s definition.
Deuteronomy 6:20-21 — “When your son asks you in time to come, ‘What is the meaning of the testimonies and the statutes…?’ then you shall say to your son, ‘We were Pharaoh’s slaves in Egypt. And the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand.’”
Faith is meant to be explained, not assumed. Christians are responsible to answer the next generation’s questions about God with a personal, redemptive story rooted in God’s mighty acts. Practically, this means being ready to share testimonies of God’s saving work—not just ancient history, but personal experiences of salvation and sanctification—so that younger believers see Christianity as real, alive, and powerful today.
“Cross” Fit S-WOD (Spiritual Workout of the Day) – 28 April 2025: Today obey God when it is difficult or hard to understand while praying to God to increasingly transform your heart and mind so that obedience is not only easy but something you do naturally without even thinking about it because it is who you are in Christ, you don’t just understand it, you are it, the embodiment of His word, will, and character.
- 1 John 5:3 — For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome.
Defenders Bible Reading Plan 