Living in the Spirit
November 23, 2020
Scripture Reading: Deuteronomy 8:7-18
For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land, a land with flowing streams, with springs and underground waters welling up in valleys and hills, a land of wheat and barley, of vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive trees and honey, a land where you may eat bread without scarcity, where you will lack nothing, a land whose stones are iron and from whose hills you may mine copper. You shall eat your fill and bless the Lord your God for the good land that he has given you.
Take care that you do not forget the Lord your God, by failing to keep his commandments, his ordinances, and his statutes, which I am commanding you today. When you have eaten your fill and have built fine houses and live in them, and when your herds and flocks have multiplied, and your silver and gold is multiplied, and all that you have is multiplied, then do not exalt yourself, forgetting 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 terrible wilderness, an arid waste-land with poisonous snakes and scorpions. He made water flow for you from flint rock, and fed you in the wilderness with manna that your ancestors did not know, to humble you and to test you, and in the end to do you good. Do not say to yourself, ‘My power and the might of my own hand have gained me this wealth.’ But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth, so that he may confirm his covenant that he swore to your ancestors, as he is doing today.
This is a scripture for this time, this nation, our people. The first paragraph tells us that God brought us into a good land with everything we need. The next paragraph warns us not to mess it up. Do not morph from a people that welcomed God’s abundance to taking credit for everything God does. We must not define ourselves by our nation’s worldview Pull yourself up from your own bootstraps. Be a self-made man. She needed a hero, so that is what she became. I can do anything I want to do whether it hurts others or not.
Self-reliance, being all that one can be, and overcoming obstacles were instilled in us through the creative acts of God. God surrounds us with guidance through scripture, the example of Jesus Christ, and the gifts of the Spirit. We separate ourselves from God when we say, ‘My power and the might of my own hand have gained me this wealth.’ Such an attitude is rampant in the USA today. A review of the ancient Hebrew prophets’ writings verify that such an attitude was prevalent among the people of Israel leading up to their exile.
The Israelites and God’s people in the USA might want to thumb back a little earlier in their faith history to Joshua’s saying, Now if you are unwilling to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served in the region beyond the River or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.’ –Joshua 24:15
Prayer: Creator God forgive us for separating ourselves from your guidance and love. Accept us back into your service of love. Amen.