SCRIPTURE
Deuteronomy 6:10-25 (NRSV)
When the Lord your God has brought you into the land that he swore to your ancestors, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give you - a land with fine, large cities that you did not build, houses filled with all sorts of goods that you did not fill, hewn cisterns that you did not hew, vineyards and olive groves that you did not plant - and when you have eaten your fill, take care that you do not forget the Lord, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. The Lord your God you shall fear; him you shall serve, and by his name alone you shall swear. Do not follow other gods, any of the gods of the peoples who are all around you, because the Lord your God, who is present with you, is a jealous God. The anger of the Lord your God would be kindled against you and he would destroy you from the face of the earth.
Do not put the Lord your God to the test, as you tested him at Massah. You must diligently keep the commandments of the Lord your God, and his decrees, and his statutes that he has commanded you. Do what is right and good in the sight of the Lord, so that it may go well with you, and so that you may go in and occupy the good land that the Lord swore to your ancestors to give you, thrusting out all your enemies from before you, as the Lord has promised.
When your children ask you in time to come, "What is the meaning of the decrees and the statutes and the ordinances that the Lord our God has commanded you?" then you shall say to your children, "We were Pharaoh's slaves in Egypt, but the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand. The Lord displayed before our eyes great and awesome signs and wonders against Egypt, against Pharaoh and all his household. He brought us out from there in order to bring us in, to give us the land that he promised on oath to our ancestors. Then the Lord commanded us to observe all these statutes, to fear the Lord our God, for our lasting good, so as to keep us alive, as is now the case. If we diligently observe this entire commandment before the Lord our God, as he has commanded us, we will be in the right."
DEVOTION
Today's devotion is a reminder not to get a case of the "big head." This happens when a person experiences great success, fame, or fortune and neglects to remember where s/he came from and how s/he got there.
A person with "a big head" begins to imagine that it was solely by their might, power, intellect, or good fortune that good things have befallen them. They don't remember the tears cried by mama, the long hours worked by papa, the folks in the neighborhood who supported them when they were starting out, or the many others who have contributed to their success in word, thought, or deed.
In the Deuteronomy reading from today the Hebrew children are being reminded that IT IS GOD who delivered them out of the bondage of slavery in Egypt and blessed them with "a land with fine, large cities that they did not build, houses filled with all sorts of goods that they did not fill, hewn cisterns that they did not hew, vineyards and olive groves that they did not plant."
In the midst of this kind of great wealth and abundance, it would be easy to take God for granted. But, today we are reminded that the appropriate response to great blessing is to love, fear, obey, and serve God all the days of our life and to teach our children to do the same.
The Bible says that "all good and perfect gifts come from God." Everything that we have comes to us as a gift from God--our spouses, children, jobs, houses, cars, jobs, vacations, etc. All of it is as a result of the love and generosity of our great God!
I don't know about you, but on a daily basis, I try to remember to thank God for all of my many benefits! I am especially grateful for the gift of God's love that gave Jesus to die on the cross to save us from our sin and gift us with eternal life.
The gift of Jesus' death and resurrection is the best gift that I have ever received. When I think on it, I can't help but offer to God the best of my worship, praise, and adoration!
All of us have been blessed beyond measure. The very fact that we woke up this morning, clothed in our right minds, with the activity of limb necessary to be on the computer right now, lets us know that we are blessed!
Let us remember to give thanks to God, observe God's commandments, and pass the good news message on to our children, neighbors, friends, and colleagues all of the days of our lives!
Peace be with you!
Read good news. Share good news. BE good news. Amen.
THE INVITATION
If you have questions about how to become a friend and follower of Jesus, please see the devotion entitled, “Come to Jesus” @
http://aintathatgoodnews.blogspot.com/2009/03/come-to-jesus.html
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