The words we take in determine the words we speak, live by, and pass on to those around us.

我们牢记的话语，决定我们的言行，也能影响他人。

These commandments that I give to you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children.Deuteronomy 6:6–7

我今日所吩咐你的话都要记在心上，也要殷勤教训你的儿女。-申命记6章6-7节

When our son Xavier was a toddler, we took a family trip to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. As we entered the building, I pointed to a large sculpture suspended from the ceiling. “Look. A humpback whale.”

当儿子沙维尔才刚会走路的时候，我们全家人一起去参观蒙特利海湾水族馆。一进入馆内，我指着天花板上悬挂的巨大雕像，说：“你看，一只座头鲸！”

Xavier’s eyes widened. “Enormous,” he said.

沙维尔睁大眼睛地说：“好庞大喔！”

My husband turned to me. “How does he know that word?”

我先生转过身来，问我说：“他怎么知道‘庞大’这个词语？”

“He must have heard us say it.” I shrugged, amazed that our toddler had soaked up vocabulary we’d never intentionally taught him.

“他一定听我们说过。”我耸着肩地回答。但心里不免感到讶异，这么小的孩子竟能记得我们没有刻意教他的词汇。

In Deuteronomy 6, God encouraged His people to be intentional about teaching younger generations to know and obey the Scriptures. As the Israelites increased their knowledge of God, they and their children would be more likely to grow in reverence of Him and to enjoy the rewards that come through knowing Him intimately, loving Him completely, and following Him obediently (vv. 2–5).

在申命记6章，上帝鼓励祂的子民，要殷勤地教导下一代明白并遵守圣经的教训。当以色列人越认识上帝时，他们与子女就会更敬畏祂，并因着与上帝更亲密、完全地爱祂、遵从跟随祂，而享受祂所赐的福分（2-5节）。

By intentionally saturating our hearts and our minds with Scripture (v. 6), we will be better prepared to share God’s love and truth with children during our everyday activities (v. 7). Leading by example, we can equip and encourage young people to recognize and respect the authority and relevance of God’s unchanging truth (vv. 8–9).

当我们时刻默想上帝的话语，殷勤地牢记在心（6节），在每天的生活中，我们就能随时和孩子们分享上帝的慈爱与真理（7节）。我们若能以身作则，便能装备、鼓励他们认识并尊崇上帝满有权柄、适切可行的永恒真理（8-9节）。

As God’s words flow naturally from our hearts and out of our mouths, we can leave a strong legacy of faith to be passed down from generation to generation (4:9).

当我们的心和口能自然流露上帝的话语，就能留下有力的信仰典范，一代代地传承下去（4章9节）。

主啊，谢谢祢将祢的话语赐给我们。
当我们殷勤思想祢的真理时，请帮助我们，
将祢的慈爱与话语，以温柔尊重的态度带给别人。

Deuteronomy 6:1-9New International Version (NIV)

Love the Lord Your God

6 These are the commands, decrees and laws the Lord your God directed me to teach you to observe in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess, 2 so that you, your children and their children after them may fear the Lord your God as long as you live by keeping all his decrees and commands that I give you, and so that you may enjoy long life. 3 Hear, Israel, and be careful to obey so that it may go well with you and that you may increase greatly in a land flowing with milk and honey, just as the Lord, the God of your ancestors, promisedyou.

4 Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.[a] 5 Love the Lordyour God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. 6 These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. 7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 8 Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 9 Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.

整理：于姊妹