Don't Forget to Remember

I've been studying Deuteronomy 6 lately, which was Moses' exhortation to the Israelites before they entered into Canaan. There's a lot of meat in this chapter, and it's just an incredible passage to commit to memory if you're up to it. But lately, these three verses are the ones that have really stood out to me, with my personal emphasis added.

Deuteronomy 6:
10 "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,
11 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,
12 Be careful that you do not forget the Lord, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery."

Here, the Israelites were preparing to enter into the promised land. They were about to experience the life they'd been dreaming of for 40+ years, the land flowing with milk and honey...beautiful homes pre-filled with beautiful things, plenty of water, and plenty of food. This was their chance to eat and be satisfied. And with their future holding years of having their needs met without ever lacking for anything, Moses saw the danger that could arise...they would begin to forget the origin of their prosperity.

He wanted to warn them that they did not build the cities in which they lived, or the houses in which they dwelled. They didn't dig the wells from which they drew water, and they didn't plant the gardens from which they harvested their food. In fact, they weren't even responsible for their own freedom. It was God who freed them from bondage to Egypt, and it was God who ushered them into the lap of luxury in their new promised land.

I live in a home which God has given us the means to afford. I drive to the store in a car that He bestowed to us so that I can buy goods with the money that He allows us to earn. I eat the food He enables me to prepare. I spend the day He made, making my home into a refuge for the husband He blessed me with, and a place of nurture and instruction for the three beautiful children He gave us. And when it comes right down to it, I will breathe the air He created using the lungs He formed in me, only for the length of time He grants me on this earth.

I need to be careful not to forget the God who has blessed me beyond measure. I need to be careful not to forget the God who freed me from the bondage of sin. And since nothing that I have is my own, and everything that I have has been given to me, I need to be careful not to be a poor steward of the resources that He has granted me...my time, my money, my talents.

Thank God for His blessings in my life. Now, may I "walk in a manner worthy of the God who calls me into His own kingdom and glory." (I Thess. 2:12)