Scripture:

“Make sure you don’t forget God, your God, by not keeping his commandments, his rules and regulations that I command you today. Make sure that when you eat and are satisfied, build pleasant houses and settle in, see your herds and flocks flourish and more and more money come in, watch your standard of living going up and up—make sure you don’t become so full of yourself and your things that you forget God, your God,

 

If you start thinking to yourselves, ‘I did all this. And all by myself. I’m rich. It’s all mine!’—well, think again. Remember that God, your God, gave you the strength to produce all this wealth so as to confirm the covenant that he promised to your ancestors—as it is today.” Deuteronomy 8:11-18 (MSG)

 

Perspective: 

Moses had just given the people of Israel the commandments from God on how to live right and well. They were preparing to enter the Promised Land, although Moses would not be going with them. He instructed them on placing God as the upmost priority in their lives, as well as reminding them of the Ten Commandments. Moses had delivered this information to the Israelites after they left Egypt and were freed from slavery. However, there was a different generation that was about to enter the Promised Land. The parting of the Red Sea was a distant memory. The hardships in Egypt would have faded from their minds. So, there was a recounting of God’s Word to the people. Moses reminded the people to not lose perspective when they entered the land that God was giving them. There would be blessing, but also with that blessing, an opportunity to forget God’s goodness. It was God who had continually delivered and provided for the people. It wasn’t their own ingenuity or done of their own accord. Yet, with the blessings that would come, Moses warned the people about turning their hearts away from God. The blessings God would bring had the potential to cause pride to take a foothold in their lives. And in a spirit of pride, it would be easy to think that they were the ones with the strength, power, and resources instead of God. 

 

We can also experience this shifting of our perspective if we are not continually humbling ourselves before the Lord. When we are facing difficulties in our lives, it seems that we are often on our knees crying out to God. Yet, as God helps us through those times in our lives, we can quickly forget how He has helped us. When we look around at the things in our lives and gloat on our accomplishments, we miss an opportunity to celebrate God’s work in our lives. It is God who enables us to do what we couldn’t do on our own. He is the One who gives you strength, creativity, favor, wisdom, and time. Yet, if we forget this, we can start having an inflated sense of our abilities, and pride can creep into our hearts. There is danger in receiving a blessing if we are quick to forget the One giving it. Time can remove us from the moments when we were up against a wall and God answered as only He could. The common denominator then and now is God. In the Promised Land, the Israelites would face battles and blessings that they had never experienced before. Their hearts needed to be in the right place through remembering God’s goodness. So, as we experience the blessing of God in our lives, let us not forget His goodness but create markers in our lives that remind us of how God has helped us. Whether it is a journal recounting the goodness of God or a small reminder sitting on your desk, celebrating God’s work in our lives increases our faith for the journey ahead.  Remembering God’s faithfulness will help our hearts to be in the right place no matter the circumstances around us. 

Scripture taken from THE MESSAGE. Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002.  Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group. 

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About Hona Amer

I help people live life to the fullest. Check out my book, Smart Work U. Follow me on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram. In order to receive updates, subscribe below.

 

 

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