Deuteronomy 8:7-18 (NRSV)
Read Deuteronomy 8:7-18 on biblegateway.com
Verse 7For 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, Verse 8a land of wheat and barley, of vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive trees and honey, Verse 9a 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.
Verse 10You shall eat your fill and bless the Lord your God for the good land that he has given you. Verse 11Take 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. Verse 12When you have eaten your fill and have built fine houses and live in them, Verse 13and when your herds and flocks have multiplied, and your silver and gold is multiplied, and all that you have is multiplied, Verse 14then do not exalt yourself, forgetting the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, Verse 15who led you through the great and terrible wilderness, an arid wasteland with poisonous snakes and scorpions. He made water flow for you from flint rock, Verse 16and 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. Verse 17Do not say to yourself, "My power and the might of my own hand have gotten me this wealth." Verse 18But 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.
Devotion
My, oh, my, this lesson from Deuteronomy should hit us affluent Americans right between the eyes during this week of national Thanksgiving. We have been given good land. Even with a bad harvest or sluggish economy, we have plenty to eat, drink and otherwise consume. Every day we must remember from whence our blessings come.
It is easy to think we are in control, to say to ourselves, "My power and the might of my own hand have gotten me this wealth." We believe we are the ones who worked hard, made the crops grow, built our shelters and pursued the knowledge to make all things happen.
Then comes the wind, rain and fire. If we are the least bit reflective, we will see how minute our power really is. We will remember the Lord our God as the true source of power and promise.
Prayer
Gracious God, help us to see how we are truly blessed. Inspire us to live with less and share our excess. In your holy name we pray, Amen.