ODJ: What We Talk About

March 19, 2016 

READ: Deuteronomy 6:4-9 

Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road (v.7).

In Britain we love to talk about the weather. We talk about it with people we know and with those we’ve just met. The subject is raised at the start of business meetings and over the dinner table. Sometimes touching on the weather is merely an icebreaker, a way to start or develop a conversation. Often, however, it’s merely a way of being somewhat friendly, but at the same time avoiding any real intimacy, depth of relationship, or feeling of commitment. So discussing whether it’s sunny or rainy keeps us at a distance but extends a form of friendliness.

In Deuteronomy 6, God instructed His people to talk about Him and His instructions during the day—not about the weather! He told them to discuss His principles with “your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road” (v.7). This wasn’t some pretense at looking holy; it was the amazing opportunity to talk of the One who delivered them and provided for them each day.

God desires for us also to be in constant fellowship with Him. One of the best ways of ensuring that this will occur is for us to focus on Him and spend time with others who also truly love Him (v.5). It’s not about living in a cocoon; it’s about putting God first in our lives—the One who matters most.

As we talk of God and the things of God, we will find that it draws us closer to Him and to others. This type of discourse invariably builds relationships, not only with Jesus but also with those around us. Believers in Jesus who talk a lot with each other about God tend to be people who love each other deeply and are truly committed to each other. May we talk with God and experience His transforming presence today!

—russell fraliCk

365-day-plan: 1 Samuel 1:1-28

MORE
Read Philippians 4:8 and consider how Paul’s instruction leads us to truly focus on God and the good things He’s created. 
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What do you normally talk about with friends and acquaintances? How can you more intentionally discuss God and His ways with others?