…lay up these my words in your heart Khinckley1@yahoo.com

Exodus 20 12 Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee Question: What does honoring your father and mother have to do with long days upon the land?

Deuteronomy 11 In other words: Honor [the covenants of] your fathers and mothers that you may live long [upon the Land of promise] that the Lord thy God has given thee 8 Therefore shall ye keep all the commandments which I command you this day, that ye may be strong, and go in and possess the land, whither ye go to possess it; 9 And that ye may prolong your days in the land, which the LORD sware unto your fathers to give unto them and to their seed, a land that floweth with milk and honey. 18 Therefore shall ye lay up these my words in your heart and in your soul, and bind them for a sign upon your hand, that they may be as frontlets between your eyes. 19 And ye shall teach them your children, speaking of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. 20 And thou shalt write them upon the door posts of thine house, and upon thy gates: 21 That your days may be multiplied, and the days of your children, in the land which the LORD sware unto your fathers to give them, as the days of heaven upon the earth. In other words, living long upon the land of promise, eating the “fat of the land” depends, in large part, upon our keeping the covenants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob

What is “the Shema” The Shema [hear], named from the opening words of Deuteronomy 6:4, consists of Deuteronomy 6:4-9 and 11:13-21, and Numbers 15:37-41, preceded and followed by one or two benedictions. These passages were recited as the great confessions of faith among the Jews: "Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord: and thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. Kent P. Jackson and Robert L. Millet, eds., Studies in Scripture, Vol. 5: The Gospels, p.202 - 203

Deut. 11 18 ¶ Therefore shall ye lay up these my words in your heart and in your soul, and bind them for a sign upon your hand, that they may be as frontlets between your eyes. 19 And ye shall teach them your children, speaking of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. 20 And thou shalt write them upon the door posts of thine house, and upon thy gates:

Question The “doorpost” is also symbolic of our hearts. What kind of things should we be writing on the “doorposts” of our hearts?

Sister Susan W. Tanner Just recently President James E. Faust reiterated this very point in a BYU devotional address. He said The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is found in the hearts of its members. He told of an experience he had some time ago when a car with an out-of-state license plate stopped him on his walk and asked, “Where is the church of the Mormons?” He directed them to Temple Square, but said in retrospect, “I could have pointed to my chest and said that the Church should be first and foremost in our hearts” (Church News, Mar. 5, 2005, 7).

Harold B. Lee Service and obedience are the keys that unlock the door to the celestial glory. Now you remember that and write it on the tablets of your heart, and remember that is the sure way to safety in this church. Harold B. Lee, The Teachings of Harold B. Lee, edited by Clyde J. Williams, p.179

Question In the Shema, the Lord states that He is the “one God”. What are some “other Gods” we might go to? Why would we go to any other Gods? An alternate god is whatever we place “our heart” upon. Even good things like charities can become an alternate god if we let it eclipse the important aspects of the gospel.

Why is our motive so important? Elder Oaks When we think of service, we usually think of the acts of our hands. But, as shown in earlier chapters, the Lord looks to our hearts as well as our hands. He is concerned not only with our acts but also with our motives. One of his earliest commandments to Israel was to "love the Lord your God, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul" (Deuteronomy 11:13). In order to purify our service to God and to our fellowmen, it is therefore important to consider not only how we serve, but also why we serve. [Here are 6 reasons why we serve] Earthly Reward Good Companionship Fear of Punishment Duty or Loyalty Hope of Reward Charity Question: Why is our motive so important? “Pure in Heart”, Dallin Oaks, p. 38 As you go through each of Elder Oaks 6 reasons to serve, you might ask for the advantages and disadvantages of each.

Sooooo… If we are not ready to serve for the right reason, should we just not serve at all? No, we serve until we can do it for the right reason!

Elder Oaks Continues: We know from these inspired words that even the most extreme acts of service fall short of the ultimate "profit" unless they are motivated by the pure love of Christ. If our service is to be most efficacious, it must be unconcerned with self and heedless of personal advantage. It must be accomplished for the love of God and the love of his children. Serving for the wrong reasons can result in the opposite effect. For instance, someone might help another person in the ward move to another house. But if the person being moved isn’t “grateful enough” or is “unprepared” for the movers, those helping can sometimes become resentful and angry. They soon leave and the one being moved feels unsupported and unloved. A service project then becomes a place where both the server and the served feel worse about each other and might carry destructive feelings for a long time. Conversely, service, with love in our hearts, should have little to do with the way those served are receiving it. The important thing is that the service take place- not reward those giving service in the way they think they should be served. What

Question How did the Law of Moses, with all its many requirements, prepare the people of Israel to serve God for the right reason? The Law of Moses required complete obedience to every aspect of the Israelite life. And, every jot and tittle of the law was placed, by the Lord, to prepare the people for the coming of Jesus in the meridian of time. Service, when done properly, also prepares us for His coming. We become a people who’s sole purpose in life is to serve Him and to love others as He would were He here. We serve because we love