Wednesday, May 25

Wednesday

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, 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.  Fear the LORD your God, serve him only and take your oaths in his name.  Do not follow other gods, the gods of the peoples around you.  – Deuteronomy 6:10-14

Although this passage was written over 3,500 years ago, it is amazingly relevant for Christians living in American culture today.

Notice that Moses doesn’t say “if God brings into the land”, he says it is going to happen – no question.  Moses tells the Israelites that God is going to make good on His promise to bring them into the “promised land”.  God is going to bless them and provide for them in ways they cannot even imagine.  Remember that this is being written to people who were slaves in Egypt for generations, and they have been wandering in the wilderness for forty years.  It might seem ridiculous to us think that they could possibly forget God after all of the miraculous ways that God had protected and provided for them. 

Many of these people had seen the plagues and witnessed the parting of the Red Sea.  They had eaten the manna from heaven and seen the pillar of cloud by day and fire by night, which symbolized the guiding presence of God with them.  So how could they possibly forget about God?  The same way that you and forget about Him when we feel that we no longer need Him.  Moses is warning the people of Israel about a natural phenomenon in the human heart – we may cry out to God when we are in trouble, but we will forget about Him when things are going well.  This is just as true today as it was then.

As a pastor I have met with many people who are reaching out to God in the midst of their pain and/or need.  In fact most of the people who come to see me are hurting in some way and they feel the acute need for God in their life.  Some want God to heal a broken relationship, some want God to provide for a specific material need, some are asking for God to heal a friend or loved one, etc.  But I have never had somebody call or meet with me simply to praise God for how good He has been.  I have never had somebody ask me to help him/her NOT to forget Him in a time of blessing.  Hmmmm, come to think of it I rarely do this either.

So Moses warns the people of Israel (and God warns us) not to forget Him! 

Moses also gives us some clues as to how we can remember God.  In the beginning of the passage, he says you did not build these cities, you did not dig these wells, and you did not plant these vineyards.  God is giving them to you, they are not yours by right.  God was giving them what they did not earn or deserve. Can you imagine being given a house for free?  Full of furniture, a stocked fridge, all of the appliances, utilities all paid for life?  I remember reading about an Oprah Winfrey show that had a contest which gave the winner a brand new 3,00 square foot, 1/4 million dollar house, full of appliances and furniture.  God was doing that for all of the Israelites. They were moving into a land where the inhabitants were judged by God, driven out and destroyed.  Now, God has not promised Christians material blessings, but spiritual ones which are far superior.  He has not promised us undeserved land, wells, and houses, but undeserved salvation!

Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”  God's grace is the free gift He's given to us. It will outlast every house in the land of Canaan and in the Fox Valley!

The principle here is simple but profound – You have nothing good in your life that is not a gift from God!  Your home, your family, your job, your car, the food you eat, the air you breathe, you don’t deserve any of it.  So, right now, take a moment to make a mental list of all of the undeserved blessings in your life (go ahead)…Now go through that list and thank your God for each one!  Ask Him to help you never to forget Him. 

Jeff Frazier