"And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, 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. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates."
Deuteronomy 6:6-10
Deuteronomy 6:6-7 is one of the "pillar verses" of Visual Faith® Ministry - one of four Scripture verses that served as the foundation, reason, and inspiration for beginning our ministry and for the tools and practices that we share.
You might wonder what it means to "bind them as a sign on your hand" or "they shall be as frontlets between your eyes." The Hebrew word frontlet means "to bind." Frontlets were verses of scripture written on parchment, rolled up, put into a tiny leather case, and fastened with a leather cord around the head or onto the arm. The idea was to keep God's Word foremost in the minds of His people. Then and even now, it has to do with VISION: what our eyes see and the choices we make - how we spend our time, what we watch or listen to, where we go. It is God's desire for His Word to be a "frontlet" in our minds and in our hearts to help us with each choice we make, so that all we do testifies to His truth and gives Him glory!
What does this look like today?
Frontlets will most likely not be making a fashion come-back, but
how can we keep God's Word front and center
so that it becomes embedded deeply in our hearts
and in the hearts of our children and grandchildren?
Meet my friend Leslie's children - Leah, twins James and Christian, and Tyler. Leslie and her husband love God and know they are called as parents to raise their children to love God and His Word.
One Christmas, she chose a verse of scripture for each of them and painted it on a piece of wood that they could keep in their room and be reminded of God's truth and promises for them.
That's visual faith. Have you ever created something without knowing it was "visual faith"?
In the spring of 2017, Leslie and I had a conversation about Visual Faith® Ministry. We talked about what was meant by "visual faith" and the benefits of visual, hands-on processes. We discussed the practice of devotional journaling, and she provided a "Lenten Path" for each of her children to use during their family devotion time. As a young mom wanting to raise her children to be faithful, she was excited to see the practice help keep their attention, as well as inspire conversation about God's Word.
This Bible verse reminder comes out every Christmas at their home - Leslie painted the words at the top and then invited each of her children to paint one of the titles for Jesus.
Not only was this a time set aside for her children to reflect on a verse as it was laid out and lettered - with a focus on sharing God truth for the blessing of all who would see it - but it is also a sweet reminder now of a past time that they spent together around this Word of God. Each can remember the words they painted and it is a memory and an idea to take with them and use in their own family practices someday.
Leslie and her daughter Leah recently agreed to share their story of how they continue to put God's Word where it can be seen and remembered and taken to heart.
Leslie shares: "“We had a little lesson in being honest and not lying. It’s not an easy lesson at times, and I just wanted to find something that would resonate with my girl. I decided to use what you do [and create some visual faith] to bind a verse to her heart regarding the matter. She picked out a verse, and we turned the verse into a little visual faith drawing. It’s been a really sweet experience, and it’s her focus for now. The teen years can just be HARD, and it's very cool to use it in this way - especially for girls who are artsy and still love this stuff.”
That was last fall. Four months later, Leslie shares these words:
"It’s STILL UP on the bulletin board in her room!
It’s there as a reminder to be thinking and praying on it. When you’re past a memory of something you worked through with God’s help, it inspires gratitude and gladness for His forgiveness and the strength to learn and power to resist sin going forward."
THANK YOU, Leah & Leslie, for being willing to share your story and the value and blessing in visual reminders of God's Word!
It is always amazing -- when we have conversations about using visual and hands-on practices when in the Word -- to see where that will lead. We are blessed to see where each person or family fits it in and uses these practices to grow and strengthen their personal faith, and how the Holy Spirit uses the power of the Word to strengthen the faith relationships between them. We appreciate hearing your stories, being able to share them and inspire others, and to learn from all of YOU!
Think about the precious promises and truths God has give to us in His Word- for you and your family.
How will you "write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates"?
"Whoever believes and holds to Christ's Word
heaven stands open to Him,
hell is shut, the devil is imprisoned,
sins are forgiven and he is a child of eternal life.
This is what this book teaches you -
The Holy Scripture
and no other book on earth."
- Martin Luther
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We invite you to read and reflect further on why it's important to keep God's Word front and center
in your life. This devotion is based on Deuteronomy 6:6-7 and the other three pillar verses
of Visual Faith® Ministry (Prov. 3:5-6,Ps. 78:4-6, Prov. 22:6) :
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