Readings for today: Deuteronomy 8-11
It is so easy for us to forget God. I think about my own life. I’ve experienced the miraculous provision of God. From the moment He first saved me on the campus of the University of Colorado, I have been blessed far beyond what I deserve. He introduced me to incredible, life-long friends through University Christian Fellowship. Introduced me to lifelong mentors who have shaped me into the man I am today. He introduced me to my wife of almost 26 years. He guided and directed my steps professionally at Boulder Community Hospital, Princeton Theological Seminary, New Jersey State Prison, Overlook Presbyterian Church, John Knox Presbytery, and now Parker Evangelical Presbyterian Church. Along the way, I’ve had a front row seat to the lives He has changed. It’s truly incredible. Then I think about the conversations I’ve had with so many fellow believers down through the years. The miracles of healing they experienced through modern medicine. Miracles of provision as God opened new doors and new opportunities. Miracles of protection from bad decisions. Miracles of deliverance from sin and death. And still we forget. Still we lose sight of all God has done. Sadly, none of this is new.
Israel also had a tendency to forget God and Moses knew it. He knew they would get into the Promised Land and begin to prosper. They would build homes and plant vineyards. They would harvest crops and raise their herds. They would conquer cities and lay claim to the territory once promised to Abraham. And in the midst of all their success, they would lose sight of God. So he warns them. “Take care lest you forget the Lord your God by not keeping his commandments and his rules and his statutes, which I command you today, lest, when you have eaten and are full and have built good houses and live in them, and when your herds and flocks multiply and your silver and gold is multiplied and all that you have is multiplied, then your heart be lifted up, and you forget the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, who led you through the great and terrifying wilderness, with its fiery serpents and scorpions and thirsty ground where there was no water, who brought you water out of the flinty rock, who fed you in the wilderness with manna that your fathers did not know, that he might humble you and test you, to do you good in the end. Beware lest you say in your heart, 'My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth.” (Deut. 8:11-17)
The reality is we have to work hard to remember. We have to incorporate spiritual rhythms into our daily lives so we do not forget. Reading God’s Word and humbling ourselves before Him in prayer on a daily basis. Participating in corporate worship every week. Finding ways to serve. These are the holy habits that help us remember the most important truth of our lives...we are not our own! It is God who gives us the power to get wealth. (8:18) It is God who gives us victory over our enemies. (9:1-3) It is God alone who is righteous. God alone who is holy. To God belongs the heavens and the earth and all that is in them. And the only reason we are not destroyed along with the rest of the nations is because God made a decision in eternity to love us and set us apart for Himself. “Yet the Lord set his heart in love on your fathers and chose their offspring after them, you above all peoples, as you are this day.” (Deut. 10:15)
This is why we walk in the ways of the Lord. This is why we keep His commandments. By following the Law of God, we are constantly reminded of His great goodness towards us. Reminded of His great love for us. Reminded of His great faithfulness. God demands our obedience not because He needs it. Not because He’s controlling or manipulative or demanding or insecure. God demands our obedience because He wants to preserve in our hearts our memory of Him. “And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments and statutes of the Lord, which I am commanding you today for your good.” (Deut. 10:12-13)
Readings for tomorrow: Deuteronomy 12-15