“When the Lord your God brings you into the land he swore to your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob that he would give you — a land with large and beautiful cities that you did not build, houses full of every good thing that you did not fill them with, cisterns that you did not dig, and vineyards and olive groves that you did not plant — and when you eat and are satisfied, be careful not to forget the Lord who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the place of slavery.”
Deuteronomy 6:10-12 CSB
As the Israelites were preparing to enter the promised land, God was preparing their hearts to not forget Him. God reminded His people of His long track record of miraculous faithfulness and assured them that His generosity and provision would continue.
But . . . God also offered a warning.
“Be careful not to forget the Lord.”
God knows that human hearts can easily become so satisfied with the gifts that we forget the Giver.
Yes, the Israelites would enjoy occupying safe cities and beautiful homes, having access to water and a variety of delicious foods. These blessings would be an intense contrast to their forty years of living in tents in the wilderness, constantly moving, and being sustained on manna alone. But be careful, God said. Don’t forget Me. I’m the One who made your freedom and flourishing possible. The One you still need — in times of plenty and in times of want.
Sister, accept God’s gentle warning today. Is there an area of your life where you’ve become so focused on the gift that you’ve forgotten the Giver?
Take time today to remember what God has done in your life. Thank Him. And recommit to living dependent on Him.
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God has blessed me with so much and I am so very thankful for all and everything. But, my greatest blessing is to set up my treasures in heaven, not in this world. “Every good gift and every perfect gift us from above and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness or shadow of turning.” (James 1:17)
Praise God, for the bounty of His love and His promise of life eternal with Him!
Thank you for this gentle reminder to be grateful every day. Gratefulness is the soil for joy!
Can I have a copy of 100 days for strength in the struggle. Only thing I am senior citizen on fixed income: if grant request: Gail Mattox; 2200 Kerwin Rd. #411; University Heights, OH 44118
There’s a copy in the mail for you, Gail! 🙂
When my brother, who was an alcoholic, went through the process of getting sober, he stayed a firm believer in AA the rest of his life. He faithfully gave thanks to God for getting him through each day before he went to sleep and when he woke up, he thanked God for getting him through the night.
That taught me a lot about gratitude. The Bible tells us that in everything we are to give thanks. I have come to believe that when we first practice gratitude, everything else we do falls into place.
Thank you for todays reading. We can get so caught up in our own world and in doing our things. We forget those that have been good to us and God. We can become self centered.We forget even to thank the people who have been good to us and God who has especially been good to us. We can get so caught up in our own world. Then when something happens we are looking for people to help us and pray for us. Plus especially God to help us. When things are going well we are in our own little world. We can have no care for God or the people who helped us in the past. We can get oh I don’t need them I can do it on my own. Then as I said something happens and we find we need them especially God. So at all times we have to be greatful and thankful for those that helped us in the past and especially God for always being there for us and never leaving us and guiding us in the right way. We should never get so self centered that we think we don’t need people to help us and we don’t need God and we tend to want forget about them. As we will always need them. We have to be thankful for them and God who was always there to help us. Still is when we get we need the help again and things are not going well. We have to say sorry God I was wrong. I thought I could do it without you and people to help me. Know we can’t and that’s why God sends others to help us. We should thank God for that. Thank you so much for today’s reading love it. Love Dawn Ferguson-Little xx
It’s also a side-warning in the Parable of the Sower: where the riches and worries of this world choke out the wheat, making it unproductive. Technically alive, but: no fruit. I find it pretty easy to get filled with independence and pride and consumerism and busy-ness and worries, in different proportions depending on the day/season, and it looks like that’s pretty normal, but: the world and dealing with the world being our focus chokes out the life of the kingdom.
Thank you for this reminder to remember!
My husband & I reach the 4-5th grade Sunday school class at our church. This passage was part of hubby’s intro lesson to I Samuel this morning. 2 random sources with the same scripture gets my attention. Dear Lord enable me to focus on the Giver not the gifts! Blessings (((0)))
In Courage,
I love that some churches have communion meditations & take communion each week. It reminds you of Jesus’s deep love. So much so that He went to the cross just.for.me. It can make you cry. Now I attend a church that emphasizes praising God through songs. We don’t just sing the words, but get to really have them sink into our souls. When the tendency comes to forget God I make a thankful journal. Listing everything God has blessed me with from Home in Heaven, to paper clips. I also remind myself of the trials He has brought me through.
Blessings 🙂