“When
the Lord your God brings you into the land … with large, flourishing cities you
did not build, 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, 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
These 2 verses are from the words God gave Moses
to share with the people of Israel. Time
has a way of causing a message to lose its impact and so it had been with the
Israelites. These verses directly challenge the longevity of their affection for
and obedience to God. Once the blessings
flowed freely and life was comparatively easy, they were told not to forget the
One who brought them into the blessings.
Today it’s no different.
We plead with God to alleviate our problems and bless us, but when the
blessings come we forget all about the giver of those blessings. It’s as if He were no longer needed. Now everything is just the way we like
it. We give a head nod to the Lord and
go on with our focus on the things that surround us rather than the creator of
all things. It’s a great danger
Christians face and it can and must be avoided.
We were under the bondage of sin with no way out. Our Heavenly Father made a way out of our sin
dilemma by sending His Son Jesus to earth to take our sin on Himself. As if forgiveness weren’t enough, God gives
us everything we will ever need this
side of heaven. Sadly, many times we
fall victim to complacency with the accumulation of creature comforts. While there is nothing intrinsically wrong
with them, often times they make one spiritually lazy. Our focus drifts wistfully to that which is
pleasing to the senses rather than on the Lord who saves men’s souls.
We are all guilty of forgetting God’s place in our lives
from time to time, myself included. Our
duty to the Lord is to revere Him at all times with awe and wonder. He is the One who brought us out of the
slavery of sin into our glorious new life.
Let us never forget that which is most important to us, for without
salvation we would be bound for an everlasting hell. Until next time, walk with the King and be a
blessing!
