Pay Attention

Deuteronomy 4:9 Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life: but teach them thy sons, and thy sons'sons; I love the Message Bible's translation of this verse: "Just make sure you stay alert. Keep close watch over yourselves. Don't forget anything of what you've seen. Don't let your heart wander off. Stay vigilant as long as you live. Teach what you've seen and heard to your children and grandchildren." Israel was taught two very important principles here. First, they were told to pay attention, because God was doing stuff that they needed to remember. If we are not careful, our minds will forget the wonderful ways that God works in our lives each day. The Bible teaches that our carnal minds just don't want to work with God, but instead, works against Him (Romans 8:7). We must be diligent not to let all of the distractions in this life to cause our heart to wander off. The people of the Old Testament would often build altars in places where they had encounters with God. It was a great way to memorialize His greatness for years to come. A testimony is another great way to imprint these moments of wonder into the depths of our heart. The second principle in this passage could not be done without obeying the first one. Not only are we to keep watchful and remember God's blessings, but we are to share these moments of the miraculous as well as God's instruction into the lives of our children and our grandchildren. It is my heart's desire to see the next generation accomplish greater things than I've ever dreamed, and I can play a huge role in it by passing down the history of God's unfailing love and faithfulness in my life. God help us to remember, memorialize and share your amazing grace with the next generation!