Deuteronomy 6 & 8

I am no expert on blogging…as you can see by my entry dates, I write pieces few and far between. However, the common theme I’ve noticed is that most intelligent writers stick to one topic and explore it through detailed writing. Well I am about to defy those rules. My dear friend Adam Thada commented that I wasn’t doing such a great job at “nursing perspective.” So, here are the enticing thoughts of the day.

Deuteronomy 6:10-12. “When the Lord your God brings you into the land he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give you—a land with large, flourishing cities you did not build, houses filled with all kinds of good things you did not provide, wells you did not dig, and vineyards and olive groves you did not plant—then when you eat and are satisfied be careful that you do not forget the Lord who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.”

Perhaps we would do well to heed this caution. “Be careful that you do not forget the Lord…” Among the opulence of the land you inhabit, do not forget Him. When your stomachs are full and you aren’t desperately seeking the Lord for your next meal, do not forget Him. The danger is real.

Chapter 8 elaborates: “(10) When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the Lord your God for the good land he has given you. (12-14) Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down, and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, 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. (17-20) You may say to yourself, ‘My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.’ But remember the Lord your God for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your forefathers, as it is today. 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. Like the nations the Lord destroyed before you, so you will be destroyed for not obeying the Lord your God.”

Let us not allow money and wealth to become a god that we place in prominence above our God. I fear this is the situation among many, many Christians in America. Even those who haven fallen prey to this god are certainly tempted. How often are job choices dictated by money and not by the Lord’s leading? You may not agree with what I say here, but I really wonder if Christian college students shouldn’t spend a large amount of time considering the motivation in their major selection. Perhaps if we all honestly evaluated and then chose on correct motives, we would find more people in ministry-related fields?
Bottom-line: With fear and trembling we need to evaluate the effects of wealth on our lives.