Monday, January 10, 2011

Deuteronomy 8

6 comments:

Berry Girl said...

"He humbled you and let you be hungry, and fed you with manna which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that He might make you understand that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord." v3

I'm taking this with me today.

Chris said...

I noticed that passage repeated a few times too.

vs 17 "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..."
"If you ever forget the Lord your God and follow other Gods and worship and bow down to them, I testify against you that you will surely be destroyed"

It is so easily to fall into the idol trap. Lately when I think of idol worship, the idol I most confess is myself. Putting my needs, my comfort, my wants ahead of my God. Very sobering and humbling. Reading and remembering the plight and journey of the Israelites reminds me to be watchful... just this morning our family read about Satan prowling around like a lion ready to devour...

Unknown said...

That was the theme that got me to, B-girl. It continued to build on that theme of forgetting God when all is going well for us. those words from that song last week still resonate here,

"Grant that I may have enough that I don't have to beg. Grant that I don't get so much that I forget your grace."

Unknown said...

I didn't have time this morning to do your comment justice Chris, but I have sure been thinking about it today. It is so true. I remember sometime after my third baby, with the sleepless nights and the loss of everything "me" related, not even being able to bathe for 20 minutes in uninterrupted peace where the light bulb went on in regards to the whole "dying to self" thing. Wow. Totally hadn't sunk in until that moment. When I realized how much anxiety my "me" mentality was causing me (because of course, the more people you have to serve, the less space there is for you) and started to pray for redemption from it, I couldn't believe how after the fact I could "give up" things joyfully. What a paradigm shift!

My own idolatry now I think is still centred on control. I still desperately seek to control my environment instead of just "be" in it and "be" the best I can be in the current moment without trying to micromanage every miniscule aspect. That robs joy as well.

Chris said...

Also brings Joel's message on Sunday to new light, as well as a sermon I just heard today. In light of eternity, what really matters? Bringing glory to Him, and bringing people to His glory matter. Everything else is secondary.

Berry Girl said...

Still thinking on all this today.