Blog

Written by Lisa Mason
on 11th July 2022

The Shema is the central statement of Jewish belief, " Hear, O Israel: the Lord is your God; the Lord is One" (Deuteronomy 6:4). This and the accompanying command to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and strength are recited in the morning, midday and evening in order to keep God’s people’s hearts fixed on him. In our DMM training we learned that the word ‘Shema’ means to hear, not just in the sense of listening but to hear and obey.

As disciples of Jesus, we don’t just want to hear his word, we want to obey it too and this leads us to make decisions to serve and bless the people around us - sometimes in specific ways, sometimes more general. But there is a danger here, if we are not careful, because when we choose to do things that bless other people, we can end up looking quite good in their eyes. They might be misled into thinking that the reason we have cared for them is because we are somehow especially good, nice or kind, rather than the truth - that we were asked to do it by God, who loves them more than they can possibly imagine.

So a shema action is doing something for someone else in obedience to God’s word. A shema statement is your opportunity to give the glory to God instead of yourself for whatever it is you have done. Last week, a member of our team told me how she had gone to the shop for a bunch of flowers but while she was there, the Spirit had prompted her to buy two bunches. As she left the shop, not knowing who the second bunch was for, she encountered a friend who she knew was having a difficult time and was able to give the flowers to her - later texting her to share a verse from the bible about how much God cares for her.

As I type this blog post, I feel convicted because last week, we invited our neighbour for cake and tea on his birthday. While we did have some spiritual conversations, I didn’t specifically tell him that the reason we wanted to bless him on his birthday was because God cares so much for him. Shema actions without statements, only give glory to me.

Yesterday, after reading the story of the good samaritan together, I went out for a prayer walk. I saw a man on the other side of the road, sitting at the top of an alley and having a drink. I smiled and waved but then felt convicted - was I just going to walk by on the other side? I had met this man before and spoken to him about Jesus, but what did my words mean if I wasn’t willing to cross over the road and have a conversation with him? Shema statements without actions can be hypocritical - it is no use telling somebody how much God loves them if I am not willing to go out of my way to demonstrate that love myself.

Can I encourage you to to take a moment to think about this? As you reflect back on the last few days, have you had any opportunities for shema statements and actions? How did it go? What did you decide to do in response to reading the bible story yesterday? (Luke 10: 25-37) How can you give glory to God with your words and actions as you seek to bless others this week? Do you find it hard to think of shema statements or actions? You could talk to another member of the team and ask them to help you practice! God sees our hearts and if our desire is to give glory to him, he will help us find the words to say. May you know him with you in all that you do this week.