The Way You Live, The Way You Think
"Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads."
Deuteronomy 11:18 NIV
When Moses speaks these words in Deuteronomy 11, he’s not talking about just any words—he’s talking about God’s commands, which he had just finished restating to the people of Israel. These were the foundational truths of how God called His people to live: to love Him, obey Him, and walk in His ways.
Earlier in the chapter, Moses reminds the people of God's power—the way He rescued them from Egypt, led them through the wilderness, and promised them a land of blessing. But along with the blessings came a choice: to remain faithful to God or to turn away. That’s why Moses urges them so passionately to “fix these words” in their hearts and minds.
Why the hands and the forehead? It’s a vivid picture. The hands represent what we do, and the forehead represents what we think. In other words, Moses is saying: let God’s Word guide both your thoughts and your actions. Let it shape the way you live and the way you see the world.
For the Israelites, this even took a physical form—many wore small scrolls of Scripture (phylacteries) as a literal expression of this command. But whether literal or symbolic, the call remains the same: Keep God’s Word close. Let it saturate your life. Let it lead your heart, direct your mind, and shape your everyday choices.
How will you fix God's words in your heart and mind today?
The Mission of God
All of our lives are spent on something.
Most people spend their days focused on growing a family, building a career, or amassing possessions. While none of those things are necessarily wrong, they can become distractions from our ultimate goal in life.
In the book of Acts, we see Paul’s transformation in Christ. As a result of meeting Jesus and being changed by His grace, Paul spends the rest of his life preaching the good news of Jesus.
For Paul, God’s grace and salvation were so great that nothing on this earth could compare to doing His work.
Paul said that nothing in his life mattered as much as telling others about God’s grace. His goal in life was to finish his own race well by faithfully accomplishing as much of the mission of God as possible:
"However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God's grace."
Acts 20:24 NIV
The mission of ...