True Source of blessings
When you have eaten your fill, be sure to praise the Lord your God for the good land he has given you. “But that is the time to be careful! Beware that in your plenty you do not forget the Lord your God and disobey his commands, regulations, and decrees that I am giving you today. For when you have become full and prosperous and have built fine homes to live in, and when your flocks and herds have become very large and your silver and gold have multiplied along with everything else, be careful! Do not become proud at that time and forget the Lord your God. Deuteronomy 8:10-14
When circumstances are going well and we are experiencing good times, it is easy to forget the true source of these blessings. This can lead to a tendency to assume that life’s good things are the result of our own effort and the reward of our abilities. From the text, Moses is urging the Israelites how to react to plentiful blessings. “When you have eaten your fill, be sure to praise the Lord your God.” As God has provided, so they are to pray immersing their lives in thanksgiving for the blessings. Once we forget to express our gratefulness to God for His faithfulness, pride sets in. “Do not become proud at that time and forget the Lord your God.” God is the One who is giving you the power to make wealth. Thanksgiving that blesses God who confers the blessings is the secret of life. The counsel is of the same essence as God’s through Paul to rejoice always in the Lord (l Thessalonians 5:16) and render thanks in all things (v. 18). Whether we are going through times of plenty or hardship, Paul’s admonition is to give thanks. Growing attitude of gratefulness to God will provide for us the opportunity to testify of God’s love and grace. Do not allow your heart to become cold and hardened by being forgetful of the source of your blessings. Things of this world will not warm our hearts for they are temporary. It is only the love of God and His presence can warm a cold heart. A Christian’s joy is not a natural joy that ebbs and flows according to the circumstances that surround us. Real joy comes from God and is rooted in our relationship with Him.
Blessings,
