Today we continue our teaching series called "Family Values" where we are taking a deep dive into strengthening our family relationships.

Family is so important. Though often challenging, family can be some of our deepest and closest relationships- and those matter!

We believe your family matters, and perhaps most importantly, your family matters to God.

Family Values is about walking out faithfulness to God within our families. Over the next few weeks we will consider what it takes to build strong family relationships.

Whether you are a son or daughter, husband or wife, brother or sister, aunt or uncle, your family relationships matter to God.

Throughout this series, we are clinging to two truths that we believe can change everything for our family relationships.

There is hope and there is help.

Today as we continue in Part 2 of our series, we are looking at the truth- literally. Today is about the importance of God’s word for our families.

There are three commands here in quick succession:
1.Love God with everything you are
2.Keep the commandments on your hearts
3.Teach them to your children.

There are several reasons God created the family, but we see here that one key reason is that the family is to be garden for God’s word.

God’s word as the foundation of our family doesn’t mean that we occasionally fact check using the scriptures, or we only run there when the messiness gets out of hand.

The word of God as a Family Value means that we allow the scriptures to shape us, to shape our family relationships. And it’s a commissioning for us to pass that on to those whom God has entrusted to us.

In a healthy family, the bible isn’t just something, it’s everything.

What Family Values are you passing on to your family, to the ones God has entrusted to you? Is the word of God foundational in your life?

You may recognize these words from Jesus’ teaching that this was the single greatest command in all the scriptures. Love the lord God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.

Our response to the overwhelming reality of who God is, is to be one of absolute love and devotion.

Quite simply, the Lord deserves our all

To base your life and your family on the word of God- we must get it into our hearts. Moses here is calling the family of God not only to hear and to know the commands of the Lord, but to allow them to penetrate their hearts. To meditate on the precepts and commands of the Lord, to allow them to move from mere memorization to heart transformation.

But the commission to be transformed by God’s word doesn’t stop with just our lives-We are to pass that on to others.

In these few verses, we realize the importance of our response to God, and the call to love him with our all. But we also see the command that we are to share that life with our family.

“Talk about them when you’re at home, when you are going down the road to work or to school, when you are resting and vacationing, when you are getting up to go.”

The heart behind this command was not literal bibles on our heads- The idea is that God’s word, his revealed will and plan for life and salvation would be in the very forefront of our thinking. It would be visible through our actions.

Every sphere of life is to be shaped and influenced by the word of the Lord.

Seeing the word of God as a family value is a commissioning, a commitment to shape your life after the word of God. Today, will you take that step of faith by engaging his word in your family relationships?

Will you accept the commission to see the word of God spread through your family relationships, those closest to you?

Coming to know the word of God as the foundation of your family probably won’t happen overnight. It won’t happen perfectly, we will probably miss opportunities, but we can begin that journey now.

We can begin that journey with his help, and His hope.