Slip Slidin' Away

Deuteronomy 4:9, "Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them slip from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them."

A constant challenge in this life, even when we have redeemed, new covenant hearts of flesh is SLIPPAGE! How quickly the wonder and majesty and desire and willingness and love for God and His Word slips from my heart. How quickly I feel cold and lost and unwilling. What can I do to stop the slippage?

1. BE CAREFUL and WATCH myself: Knowing that my heart is wander prone should make me ever diligent. I must watch compromise. I must remember where sin so easily besets me (Hebrews 12:1) and just refuse to go there. I must stay close to my Father and dependent on His Spirit knowing that in me, that is, in my flesh, dwells NO good thing. I must remember there is an ever vigilant enemy who desires my damnation, and since he cannot accomplish that, will settle for my utter destruction and the shaming of Jesus Christ. I must remember my need for others who are also being careful and watching by the power of Christ. I must walk by faith and not by sight. I must remember that along with marvelous grace and the indwelling Spirit there is also insanity always at work in my heart. I must not listen to its whines and cries and poor me's and deals for compromise.
HEY! It is FIRST of all MY RESPONSIBILITY to watch myself, not someone's else's.

2. TEACH my children (and others): The Law of the Lord is perfect, restoring the soul. Every time I teach others there is restorative grace that helps my slipping soul. Simply talking about God and His truth and His great deeds of salvation has a lasso-ing effect on the slipping heart. Teaching causes me to think and pulls me out of the general, vague, lazy kind of thinking that leads to slippage. Focusing on others, to share with them God's precious truths and deeds, helps to keep me from slipping on the banana peel of self-absorbtion. If I teach others these things, then one day they will remind me of what I taught them. It is a great challenge to self-disciplined living for Christ when I am responsible not only to give verbal witness of God's ways, but to demonstrate them in my daily life. Boy...the kids see the real me.

May there be no slip slidin' away any longer as we watch ourselves closely and pass on the truth of our God to those closest to us.