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Deuteronomy 6:4-9, 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.

This is the Shema, essentially the heart of the law.  It recognizes the uniqueness and oneness of God.  There aren't many gods but only one true God.  God calls his people to love him and obey him with every part of their being.  He called the ancient Israelites to this this and he calls us to do this as well.  Jesus took the Shema and added an important element.  In Matthew 12:30-31, Jesus says this: Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” Yes, we love God with our whole being but we also love others.  In fact, love of God is demonstrated by love of others.  As Christians, we cannot separate the two.

The Shema is a prayer that Jewish families for thousands of years have said daily and it is often the earliest prayer that Jewish children are taught.  It is repeated over and over again to ensure that the next generation will know it and live it.  While I don't think we need to write the commands of Jesus on our foreheads, how do we ensure the next generation will know who they are in Jesus?  Even if you don't have children or your children or older, all of God's people, the whole church, bears responsibility for teaching and guiding the next generation. 

Pray about how God may be calling you to mentor, teach, or bless the younger generation.  Are you called to volunteer in children's ministry?  Maybe there is a child in your own life to which God is leading you to disciple and teach.  Maybe you currently have younger children or teenagers.  How is learning about Christ woven throughout your family's daily routine?

Let's pray...God, We want you to be the first thought in the morning and the last thought before we fall asleep.  Help us love you and others in a way that is genuine and real.  Help us teach others about your love and pass the fundamentals of the faith to the next generation.  In Your Name, Amen.