The
Lord Your God Is Bringing You
Into
A Good Land
Observe the commands of
the Lord your God, walking in obedience to him and revering him. For the Lord
your God is bringing you into a good land—a land with brooks, streams, and deep
springs gushing out into the valleys and hills; a land with wheat and barley,
vines and fig trees, pomegranates, olive oil and honey; a land where bread will
not be scarce and you will lack nothing; a land where the rocks are iron and
you can dig copper out of the hills.
When you have eaten and
are satisfied, praise the Lord your God for the good land he has given you. 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. 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. He
led you through the vast and dreadful wilderness, that thirsty and waterless
land, with its venomous snakes and scorpions. He brought you water out of hard
rock. He gave you manna to eat in the wilderness, something your ancestors had
never known, to humble and test you so that in the end it might go well with
you. 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 ancestors, as it is today.
Deuteronomy
8:6-18
When Moses led the Israelites
into the Promised Land, he urged them to be a grateful people. Thanks to the
blessings of God, the land was abundant, but they could easily treat this
prosperity as something they deserved. From this, the Jews developed a practice
of giving thanks for every meal, no matter how small. For them, it was all a
gift.
Be
grateful to God even for the smallest gift.
Our
Daily Bread – August 12, 2017