Giving Thanks to The Giver
Scripture Passage: Deuteronomy 8:11-20 (NASB)
11 “Beware that you do not forget the Lord your God by not keeping His commandments and His ordinances and His statutes which I am commanding you today; 12 otherwise, when you have eaten and are satisfied, and have built good houses and lived in them, 13 and when your herds and your flocks multiply, and your silver and gold multiply, and all that you have multiplies, 14 then your heart will become proud and you will forget the Lord your God who brought you out from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. 15 He led you through the great and terrible wilderness, with its fiery serpents and scorpions and thirsty ground where there was no water; He brought water for you out of the rock of flint. 16 In the wilderness He fed you manna which your fathers did not know, that He might humble you and that He might test you, to do good for you in the end. 17 Otherwise, you may say in your heart, ‘My power and the strength of my hand made me this wealth.’ 18 But you shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He who is giving you power to make wealth, that He may confirm His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day. 19 It shall come about if you ever forget the Lord your God and go after other gods and serve them and worship them, I testify against you today that you will surely perish. 20 Like the nations that the Lord makes to perish before you, so you shall perish; because you would not listen to the voice of the Lord your God.
SUMMARY
Moses reminds the Israelites that when they get blessed by God, their pride might make them forget about God. He reminds them that it was the power of God and not man that led them out of Egypt. Moses also reminds the people that if they forget God, they will perish.
MEDITATION & REFLECTION
This passage spoke to me because I can easily forget about God after all of the blessings that God has given me. Moses’ teachings to the Israelites is a good reminder for me that everything I have accomplished and own is because of the power of God. I am just a manager of God’s wealth and will need to use it to glorify God and further His kingdom. This passage also shows me that God knows man’s heart, and He knew that the Israelites’ pride will lead them to forget God. Verse 19, “It shall come about if you ever forget the Lord your God and go after other gods and serve them and worship them, I testify against you today that you will surely perish,” makes me fear God even more. I have started to wonder about idols that I worship and how I prioritize them over God. Also, whenever I struggle with tithing, I remind myself that God was the reason for my wealth and therefore, I give more cheerfully rather than by guilt.
APPLICATION
Every time I pray I will thank God and praise God for all the blessings and wealth He has given me. I need to be thankful to God for the small things that I easily take for granted, such as clean water, a bed to sleep in, safety and shelter. Whenever I pray, I will start with praising and thanking God for at least 3 things. Also, I plan on starting a gratitude journal with my wife thanking God for all the blessings He has given us. There were many things I prayed for in the past and God has either fulfilled them or blessed me even more. For example, God has blessed me with my wife, Hanna, and she is everything that I have prayed for. Knowing that God gave me Hanna reminds me that I have to love and care for her the way God has loved me. Seeing her, reminds me of how much God loves me through her. I thank God for that reminder.
PRAYER
God, I praise You for being so wise and for reminding me that everything I have is from You. I praise You for all the blessings You have given me and for reminding me that my pride can easily make me forget You. Thank You for my loving wife. Thank You for my health. Thank You for the love and support from all my friends and family. I ask for forgiveness for glorifying myself whenever I get competitive or win in sports or board games. I pray that the Holy Spirit will remind me that everything I have in my life is from You, Lord.
Please share your personal meditations on this Scripture passage with the HolyWave community in the comments section below. (We reserve the right to moderate comments.)