When I see a bumper sticker or symbol that points to Jesus, I wonder if it makes the driver think twice about how they respond to other drivers and traffic. I wonder if it would make me think twice. Maybe I should wear a shirt or necklace every day that says “Jesus” on it, as a continual self-check – – am I being a testimony for Him. Like it says in Deuteronomy 6:6-9, “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.”
What do we keep in our focus each day? Does it help us be the same when we are with people, as we are when we’re alone? Or do we put on a façade to make it look like we have it all together, like we are so loving and compassionate, or like we have such noble character. But when we get home we rant and complain, we’re bitter, and everything is “all about me.” We are human, and we feel, but as a Christian it should the Holy Spirit that has the say in us, and not our flesh. In Galatians 5:13-14, Paul reminds us that “You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”
Can you imagine what would have happened if Jesus went with how He felt instead of allowing His Father to guide Him? After all the testing and mocking from the Pharisees and those who did not believe in Him, He had every right to rant, complain, and lash out at them. Yet He chose to handle the truth in the right way. I imagine Him talking with God about what bothered Him and how upset these things made Him, just as God wants us to talk with Him. God will steady our focus and help us do right.
Bind God’s words on your forehead – tie them tightly, secure them permanently so they are never lost or forgotten. Whether you’re coming or going in your home, keep His words always before you. Deuteronomy 6
What / Who do you keep in front of you?