“Hear, O Israel! The Lord is 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. These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your sons 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 up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontals on your forehead. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.” (Deuteronomy 6:4-9)
We live on a river, and it is magnificent to live on a river. Rivers are full of life. Birds, fish, snakes, beavers, raccoons, possums, armadillos, skunks, deer, bats, eagles, ducks, geese, pelicans, seagulls, bobcats, all kinds of insects….there is a lot going on in and around a river. We also get beautiful sunsets and sunrises on our river, which are spectacular to behold. One of our favorite things to do is to sit on the river and talk. We do this quite often. My wife and I do it. My sons and I do it. My friends and I do it. I have even had strangers over to sit on the bank of the river and talk. And our favorite subject to discuss is God.
Rivers of Living Water
We can talk about God all night, down on the river, and have done so many times, watching the sun rise as we finally decide to call it a night and go to bed. There is just something about talking about God, I don’t know what it is, but it is so much better, more interesting, more life giving, than talking about anything else. Like a river running through a land, God wants His word to run through our lives like a river, flowing out of us wherever we are. There is even a Bible verse that talks about this. When Jesus was here, He said:
“He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said,
‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.’”
John 7:38
Jesus was not talking about actual water pouring out of us, He was talking about the word of God and the Spirit of God pouring out of us, wherever we are, to whoever we are around, all the time. The word of God cannot be contained, it wants out, it wants to be expressed, it wants to be heard. That is what God is telling us in Deuteronomy 6, that we are to let this river of living water out. We are to allow the word of God to flow out of us all the time. He lists four occasions in the verse.
[You] “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 up…”
In our Homes
‘Sitting in our house’ symbolizes at home, obviously. When we are at home, God wants us to let the river of living water pour out of us into our spouse, our children, their friends, our neighbors, and to whoever is in our home. Sometimes for this to happen, we may need to stop the noise in our home that is drowning out the word of God. Maybe the TV is on in your home all of the time, blaring in the background 24 hours a day. Or maybe everyone is on their phones, game consoles, or computers, surfing around, doing social media, playing games, or watching movies or videos. Whatever the distractions are, it is our job to at least occasionally turn them off so God can be heard.
When our children were young, we had a “No TV month” once a year. When we announced we were going to do this the first time, you should have seen their faces. No TV month included no internet, no video games, etc., no electronics of any kind, for an entire month. They thought they were going to die. We did too. But we made it. We played games. Played music. We talked. We read. We just did other stuff. We were careful to keep it fun, and didn’t have hard and fast rules, deciding to have a family movie night once a week.
Sometimes in order to hear God speaking, we must get control of the airwaves in our home. The second year, the children actually asked us when no TV month was going to be. They wanted to do it again, and were actually excited about it, more than we were. They ended up holding us accountable to do it once a year. Let the river of God’s word flow in your home, and if there is anything blocking the flow or drowning out the flow of God’s river in your home, take action to rectify the situation. This is vitally important.
In the World
‘Walking by the way’ is a reference to our daily life away from home. Most of us work, and we must get to and from work every day. We are usually not walking though. Most of us “drive” by the way now. And it is pretty hard to talk to other people in their cars as they go speeding by. Actually, it is impossible for the most part. Technology has isolated most of us during this portion of our day, unfortunately. So perhaps we use the commute as a time to listen. Sermons, podcasts, audio Bible, etc. I think that is what many people do now. Why not connect with God rather than NPR. This could be considered letting God’s river flow into us, charging our batteries, filling us up, so that when we land at work we are full to the brim. I have had such epiphanies on the way to work that I have had to stop as many as four times to write down what God is showing me. This can be a very productive time for our personal spiritual growth if we choose to make it so.
Once we get to work, there are often times that we can let the river of God’s word flow out of us into our workplace. When I first started work as a young architect, one of the senior partners asked me to lead a Bible study at lunchtime. I did so for years. It was great. But I also made a difference just by not cussing, insisting we not lie to clients, etc. You don’t have to be preaching out of the Bible to make a difference, to let God’s word flow through you. This is often referred to as being salt and light, as Jesus taught us to be:
“You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”
Matthew 5:13-16
Being salt means we have a preservative power, like salt has for food. Being light means that God uses us to enable others to see more clearly. These are two important aspects of “when we walk by the way”, especially at work. God wants us to do the word of God, living it out in the presence of others, letting the love of Christ flow into the lives of those around us, so that they will be positively impacted by it.
When I first started working at my office, there was a constant stream of profanity coming out of everyone’s mouths all day long. It was just how everyone talked. Today there is almost none, basically only one guy out of over a hundred people is all that is left when it comes to cussing all day long. I didn’t say a word. I didn’t do anything but refuse to join in. I’m not really even sure how it happened, but it did. Salt and light.
“Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.“
Romans 12:21
Random Encounters
Then there are the many random moments we have every week to interact with others while we are ‘walking by the way’. Like the Eunuch on the side of the road in the book of Acts (Acts 8:25-40), we bump into people in a way that seems to us to be random, but often it is not. The grocery store, the post office, restaurants, stores, standing in lines, the gas station, kid’s sporting events, school events, etc. This is a chance for the river of God’s word to flow out of us and into their lives.
One of my friends carries around little slips of paper with his favorite quotes that he hands out to random people all day long. They are quotes that point people to God, challenge people to think, point people to Christ, etc. What a great idea. Often people tell him that his note changed their day or even their week. There are many ways to let the life of God flow through us into the people around us all day long, while we are away from home. God is challenging us here to get creative, and let the river of His word flow out of us while we are away from home, going about our daily routines.
Bedtime
‘When we lie down’ is obviously a reference to sleep and rest. God even wants the river of His word to saturate this part of our life as well. When we lie down to go to bed, He wants us to think of His word, speak it in our mind to ourselves, so that it is the last thing on our minds when we fall asleep. How about that? Pretty intense. I know when I do not do this, my mind often wanders off into thoughts that may not be so good. Sometimes the worries of the day swirl around in our minds and keep us from getting rest. Sometimes we daydream about unhealthy things. Sometimes we worry about our day tomorrow.
There are many things that can rob us of sleep, as we lie in bed, if we do not take control of this part of our life and follow God’s command to let the river of His words flow through our minds even as we lie in bed going to sleep. This can be a good time to work on a memory verse, or to review the Ten Commandments, or to meditate on a passage of scripture or what God has been teaching you lately, to pray for others, etc. The key is to focus our mind in some way on God and His word as we lie in bed falling asleep. Interestingly, I have found that when I do this, I fall asleep almost immediately every time. It appears to be a cure for insomnia for me.
Morning
‘When we rise up’ is obviously a reference to our morning times. Waking up has always been a challenge for me. In Deuteronomy 6, God is commanding us to let the river of His words flow through us even when we get up in the morning. He wants us to start the day with praise, with our minds on Him and His word. Many people have turned this into an extended period of time each morning that they spend with God. It is often referred to as a quiet time or a devotional time. It typically only takes about 15-30 minutes at the beginning of our day. It is a time to talk to God, to read His word, to pray, to journal, etc. Doing this every morning will transform our life. It helps us focus our entire day on God and His word. One of my friends would pray every morning for God to use him in some way that day in someone’s life. God honored his request and he is loaded with stories of how God did this over the years.
Morning is also a good time to let God’s word flow out of us and into the rest of the family. Rather than being grumpy in the morning, we can let God work through us to speak into the lives of our wife and children. Morning is also a good time to gather with others for a morning Bible study, and many of the men’s groups I have participated in over the years occurred very early in the morning.
Out of the Abundance of Our Heart
The main point of this section of Deuteronomy 6 is for God’s word to flow out of us all the time, just as the water of a river is always flowing. And just as the river gives life to all that is around it, God wants us to be a source of spiritual life for everyone around us. He wants His life to flow through us into the lives of everyone around us all day long. He wants us to let this river flow into ourselves as well, when we lie down and when we rise up, so that we are filled with Him and His word, so that during the day we have waters of life for those around us. For out of the abundance of our heart we will speak, whether good or bad. God wants our heart to be filled with Him and His word, so that we can sustain those around us – our family, friends, co-workers, neighbors, and even people we don’t know. In Isaiah 50 we read:
“The Lord God has given Me the tongue of disciples,
That I may know how to sustain the weary one with a word.
He awakens Me morning by morning,
He awakens My ear to listen as a disciple.
The Lord God has opened my ear;
And I was not disobedient nor did I turn back.”
Isaiah 50:4-5
The Dead Sea
Often when the river of God is taught, it is contrasted to the Dead Sea. The Dead Sea is called that because nothing lives in it. The reason nothing lives in it is because water flows in, but it doesn’t flow out. It is a dead end. The only way water leaves is by evaporation, leaving behind whatever minerals, salts, etc. that the water carried with it to the Dead Sea. Eventually the Dead Sea became so full of salt and minerals that nothing can live in it. It is good for floating in, but that is about it.
This analogy is used to describe a Christian who never lets the word of God out. They keep taking it in by going to church, going to Bible studies, reading books, etc., but they never practice it, they never do it, they never share it with anyone. They eventually become like the Dead Sea, so it is said. And we do not want this to happen to us. So always look for opportunities to let the rivers of living water flow out of our life in some way, to be a blessing to others. This is between you and God, so don’t stress about it. Ask God to give you opportunities and ways to share Christ that you would be comfortable with, and He will.
Opening the Floodgates of Heaven
What are some of the ways that the river of God flows through your life? Which areas of your life do you clearly see how God and his word are flowing through you? Which areas of your life lack this flow? What are some of the things that could be causing the stream of God to be blocked in your life? Is God’s river flowing in to your life when you lie down and when you rise up? What are some ways that you can increase the flow of God and His word into your life daily? Do you want rivers of living water to flow from your innermost being? Then join me in this prayer:
Lord God almighty, I pray that Your river of life would flow into me every day and fill me to overflowing. Open the floodgates of heaven and let Your life, Your word, Your Spirit, flow into me and through me into the lives of those around me. Give me a hunger to know you. Give me a hunger for your word. Wake me each morning to listen as a disciple, as one who is taught, to listen to your voice each morning as I prepare for my day. Pour your river into me each morning. Pour out of me rivers of living water throughout my day, every day, that those around me may be refreshed by the word of God and by Your Spirit. Let Your river of life flow through my home, and through the lives of my wife and children. Give me the courage and conviction to turn off the things that are drowning out your voice in my home, so that the river of God can flow freely in our home and in the lives of my wife and children. As I lay down to bed each night, bring Your word to my mind. Let me dwell on your word and focus my thoughts on You each night as I lay down to sleep. Help me to choose to do this. Let me be ever mindful that you are always with me, all the day long. Speak through me to others, by the power of Your Spirit. Speak words of life through me, to everyone I am with each day. I ask that Your Spirit would bring to remembrance all that you have taught me, when it is needed by those around me, and that Your hand would guide me each and every day. I ask these things in Jesus name. Amen.
“I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction.”
2 Timothy 4:1-2
“And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.””
Matthew 28:18-20
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