Devotionals for January 24, 2023
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READ
Deuteronomy 8:10-14; 19
10 When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the Lord your God for the good land he has given you.
11 Be careful that you do not forget the Lord your God, failing to observe his commands, his laws and his decrees that I am giving you this day.
12 Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied when you build fine houses and settle down,
13 and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied,
14 then your heart will become proud and you will forget the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.
19 If you ever forget the Lord your God and follow other gods and worship and bow down to them, I testify against you today that you will surely be destroyed
REFLECT
In every human being there is a fallen instinct to rest in themselves; to rest in what they have. God recognized this danger and warned the Israelites, who just finished witnessing an array of miraculous events, the majority of which (if not all!) involved God meeting some need for them, not to “forget the Lord your God.” His warning indicates that this is precisely what can happen when we experience His provision. Because God loves us, He will not allow Himself, the greatest gift we can have, to be forgotten amidst lesser gifts. God wants to bless us. He is a good father who desires to give us “good gifts.” But whatever God gives us is intended to inspire worship. If it does not, if we forget the giver of the gift, the haunting words “you will surely be destroyed” are a prophetic warning. This last warning seems to imply that the natural consequence of “forgetting God,” even while having obtained something good from Him, is destructive to our souls.
APPLY
Q: Why does God place such high emphasis on His people “not forgetting Him?”
Q: What are the good things in your life which have the ability to make you forget about God?
Q: How might your prayers for others change if you viewed remembering God as more important than provision itself?
SING
“Worthy of it All” by OneThing, David Brymer
PRAY
"May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven."
Lord, in your coming kingdom we will not even need a sun to light our environment. We will be totally reliant upon you, and we will never be happier until we are there. Help us to live that way now. Amen.
READ
Deuteronomy 8:10-14; 19
10 When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the Lord your God for the good land he has given you.
11 Be careful that you do not forget the Lord your God, failing to observe his commands, his laws and his decrees that I am giving you this day.
12 Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied when you build fine houses and settle down,
13 and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied,
14 then your heart will become proud and you will forget the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.
19 If you ever forget the Lord your God and follow other gods and worship and bow down to them, I testify against you today that you will surely be destroyed
REFLECT
In every human being there is a fallen instinct to rest in themselves; to rest in what they have. God recognized this danger and warned the Israelites, who just finished witnessing an array of miraculous events, the majority of which (if not all!) involved God meeting some need for them, not to “forget the Lord your God.” His warning indicates that this is precisely what can happen when we experience His provision. Because God loves us, He will not allow Himself, the greatest gift we can have, to be forgotten amidst lesser gifts. God wants to bless us. He is a good father who desires to give us “good gifts.” But whatever God gives us is intended to inspire worship. If it does not, if we forget the giver of the gift, the haunting words “you will surely be destroyed” are a prophetic warning. This last warning seems to imply that the natural consequence of “forgetting God,” even while having obtained something good from Him, is destructive to our souls.
APPLY
Q: Why does God place such high emphasis on His people “not forgetting Him?”
Q: What are the good things in your life which have the ability to make you forget about God?
Q: How might your prayers for others change if you viewed remembering God as more important than provision itself?
SING
“Worthy of it All” by OneThing, David Brymer
PRAY
"May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven."
Lord, in your coming kingdom we will not even need a sun to light our environment. We will be totally reliant upon you, and we will never be happier until we are there. Help us to live that way now. Amen.