Deuteronomy 8:10-11

Moses preached this sermon just before the people of Israel crossed into the promised land. An exciting new life awaited them, but it was going to be different from anything they had ever known. For a generation they had been wandering in the wilderness, and so their new settled life in Canaan would present lots of entirely new challenges.

Firstly, it would be easy for them to forget about the Lord. They would be so busy setting up home, establishing their farms and bringing up their families that they would simply neglect the God who had brought them to the promised land. And in forgetting about the Lord, they would then neglect to obey all the loving regulations that he had given them to ensure their happiness, peace and security. It’s no different today. It is incredibly easy to forget about the Lord, not through any deliberate intention to do so, but simply because life gets busy. Perhaps we get a new job, move to a different area, have an illness or take up a new hobby and, suddenly, our faith gets sidelined. We need to beware.

The second danger which Moses identified was pride. When the people arrived in the promised land, saw their flocks, herds and beautiful homes, they might conclude that they had been responsible for their success. They might totally forget their history and the way in which the Lord had led them to their new life. That is something that can just as easily happen to us as well. When we look at our possessions, it is very tempting to pat ourselves on the back and think that our success is our own work. Like the people of Israel, we need to remember our history. We need to look to the Lord who gave us life and ensure that we are living our lives for him.

QUESTION

In what ways might your responsibilities and possessions distract you from following
the Lord?

PRAYER

Loving God, thank you for your generosity to me. Help me always to remember that everything I am and have has come as a gift from you. Amen