Scripture – “When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the Lord your God for the good land he has given you. Be careful that you do not forget the Lord your God, failing to observe his commands, his laws and his decrees that I am giving you this day. Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down, and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, then your heart will become proud and you will forget the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. He led you through the vast and dreadful wilderness, that thirsty and waterless land, with its venomous snakes and scorpions. He brought you water out of hard rock. He gave you manna to eat in the wilderness, something your ancestors had never known, to humble and test you so that in the end it might go well with you. You may say to yourself, “My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.” But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your ancestors, as it is today. If you ever forget the Lord your God and follow other gods and worship and bow down to them, I testify against you today that you will surely be destroyed. Like the nations the Lord destroyed before you, so you will be destroyed for not obeying the Lord your God.” Deuteronomy 8:10-20 NIV
Observation – God is warning the Israelites not to forget him when they enter the promised land. The land that God is giving them is beautiful and abundant in food and natural resources. Once they enter, their lives are going to be great after 40 years of wandering in the desert. God knows that when he blesses us we have the tendency to become complacent in our worship which can lead to us actually believing that we are responsible for our success. God says that when we claim our success is from our own power and forget him and begin worshipping false gods and idols we will be destroyed.
Application – This happens to all of us but the most obvious everyday examples are professional athletes, entertainers and business owners. If God gave you a 6’5” 250 pound body that can run a 4.5 40 and jump 40 inches you should roll out of bed everyday, hit your knees and praise God for the incredible gifts he has given you and dedicate your life to serving him and doing his will, the last thing you should do is pound your chest and say “Look at me and how great I am.” You may claim that you didn’t receive any good gifts from God, that you are a “grinder” and have earned everything you have. This is just as arrogant has the athlete that takes credit for his body and athleticism. If you can see, speak, walk, hear and eat food that God turns into energy and have one person in your life that loves you, you have received many great gifts from God. We should be grateful and praise him and use them to serve him and others.
Prayer – Lord you oppose the proud but give grace to the humble. I pray for those that are proud that they would realize that every good gift comes from you and I pray for those that know this but have become complacent because of your blessings. Amen.
What are you doing? Do it better 