7 For the LORD your God brings you into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of springs and springs, flowing forth in valleys and hills; 8 a land of wheat and barley, and vines and fig trees and pomegranates; a land of olive trees and honey; 9 a land in which you shall eat bread without scarceness, you shall not lack anything in it; a land whose stones are iron, and out of whose hills you may dig copper.
10 You shall eat and be full, and you shall bless the LORD your God for the good land which he has given you. 11 Beware lest you forget the LORD your God, in not keeping his mitzvot, and his ordinances, and his statutes, which I command you this day: 12 lest, when you have eaten and are full, and have built goodly houses, and lived therein; 13 and when your herds and your flocks multiply, and your silver and your gold is multiplied, and all that you have is multiplied; 14 then your heart be lifted up, and you forget the LORD your God, who brought you forth out of the land of Mitzrayim, out of the house of bondage; 15 who led you through the great and terrible wilderness, [in which were] fiery serpents and scorpions, and thirsty ground where was no water; who brought you forth water out of the rock of flint; 16 who fed you in the wilderness with manna, which your fathers didn't know; that he might humble you, and that he might prove you, to do you good at your latter end: 17 and [lest] you say in your heart, My power and the might of my hand has gotten me this wealth. 18 But you shall remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth; that he may establish his covenant which he swore to your fathers, as at this day. - Deuteronomy 8:7-18 HNV
I don’t agree with those who rail against material things and say that owning stuff is inherently evil. And I have to admit that I’m a consumer—often tempted to pad my pile of treasures with items I think I need.
But I do recognize that one of the dangers of owning a lot of stuff is that it can lead to spiritual loss. The more we have and the more we feel as if we have all we need, the more prone we are to forget our need for God and even our desire for Him. Yet, ironically, everything we have comes ultimately from God, who “gives us richly all things to enjoy” (1 Tim. 6:17).
Sadly, our enjoyment of God’s provisions might just mean that we end up loving the gift and forgetting the Giver. This is why, when God was getting ready to give His people a life full of bounty in the Promised Land of good and plenty, He warned, “Beware that you do not forget the Lord your God” (Deut. 8:11).
If God has allowed you to enjoy material abundance, remind yourself where it came from. In fact, all of us, whether rich in this world’s goods or not, have much to be thankful for. Let’s heed the warning not to forget the Lord and praise Him for His abundant goodness.
That was good, Jonathan! (It's difficult for me to read long passages. It's like my mind can't hold all the information. It happened to me when my husband passed away. I could physically feel something change in my brain. But I could follow this post today.)
Thank you,
Patti : )
