Attention, Israel! GOD, our God! GOD the one and only! Love GOD, your God, with your whole heart: love him with all that's in you, love him with all you've got! Write these commandments that I've given you today on your hearts. Get them inside of you and then get them inside your children. Talk about them wherever you are, sitting at home or walking in the street; talk about them from the time you get up in the morning to when you fall into bed at night. Tie them on your hands and foreheads as a reminder; inscribe them on the doorposts of your homes and on your city gates.
Deuteronomy 6:4-9
For the Israelites, this is their mission statement. This is their primary objective - to love GOD with all that they have. You may have heard the verse stated this way, "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." This one verse is so central to the heart of God that Jesus named it as the single most important commandment (Matthew 22:37-40).
For the follower of God over five thousand years ago, these words were repeated in living rooms, on the way to the grocery store, in the morning getting ready for school and at bedside in the evenings. Today, you and I still affirm the great truth of this passage and seek to pass that along to our children. Our "shema" today are the words of Jesus in Matthew to not only love the Lord with all that we are, but to also love our neighbors. Everything we do at The Springs ought to be driven by these two commands. Everything we do as The Springs should also be driven by these commands - love God; love others.
As a church, our commitment is to help parents talk about these things with their kids in the everyday environments of life - when we are sitting at home, when we are driving in the car, when we wake them up in the mornings and when we tuck them in at night. It's more than just saying a prayer at bedtime. It's investing in the greatest investment opportunity we have been given - our kids!
prayTODAY ::
Pray today for our Kids@TheSprings community of volunteers. Kris McLendon is serving as our director. There is a lot to get done in the next 9 days, so ask God for peace and assurance for her and her team - it can seem daunting. Squirts team members include: Shannon Harris, Andrea Himmelsehr, Bev Trivanovich, Rebekah Faircloth, Josh & Rebecca Mourot, Nik Trivanovich and Nicholas Bourgeois. KidSplash! team members include: Renee Bourgeois, John McLendon, Mike Culver, Cade Culver, Jacob Simmons, Alex Trivanovich and Royce Sillavan. Take some time to pray for each person today, that God would prepare their hearts for this incredible adventure.
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