When the LORD your God brings you into the land he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob,to give you—a land with large, flourishing cities you did not build, 11 houses filled with all kinds of good things you did not provide, wells you did not dig, and vineyards and olive groves you did not plant—then when you eat and are satisfied, 12 be careful that you do not forget the LORD, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. Deuteronomy 6:10-12 (NIV) Israel was blessed according to God’s promise. They were to become richly favored, and had to do nothing to earn it, not unlike many of us. We have roads to drive on and cities that we live in which we did not build ourselves. We live in houses not build by our own hands. Even when the economy is poor, we are still some of the most blessed people on earth. In many regards, we have it all! Moses, says, when you have it all, it becomes easy to forget about God. Repeatedly in scripture, people who have everything they need physically forget their spiritual neediness. SLOW DOWN!!!! In our own culture—so fast paced, technology driven, consumer centered, and celebrity obsessed—the remembrance of God seems like a faint and distant memory of times gone by. People who have it all seemingly do not need God, but nothing could be further from the truth. The Israelites were a people who God delivered from captivity and blessed with the promise of land. The covenant God makes with us is freedom from the bondage of sin. Often times our allegiance to an earthly kingdom—a corporation, a sports team, a dream to retire comfortably, or even a nation state—far outweighs our allegiance to the kingdom of God. Affluence and privilege may make it difficult to relate to the heart of God, who cares for the poor, the afflicted, and the brokenhearted. There is nothing wrong with being blessed, or even living a comfortable lifestyle, but Moses’s words still ring true: “be careful that you do not forget the LORD, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.” As Job cried out to the Lord in his affliction...Naked I came into the world...naked I will go out. Stop right now and just say...Thank you Lord, help me to always remember and never forget. Pastor Mike
Posted on: Wed, 06 Aug 2014 01:46:34 +0000
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