CREDIT WHERE CREDIT IS DUE
Deut. 8:10-14, 17
“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. .
. You may say to yourself, ‘My power and the strength of my hands have produced
this wealth for me.’"
This
was, in some ways, a surprising warning. After all, how could the people that
God had rescued from bondage and brought through the Red Sea forget about Him?
They had seen the cloud and fire and followed it. Yet the Word says: "Be
careful." I think God knows us pretty well. And if they needed to be
careful about this, so do we!
This passage exposes the strong tendency that people have to do two things:
1)
Forget to acknowledge God.
2) Give themselves too much credit.
Think
about this, would we be free from our bondage if it weren't for God?
Could we stay free without His help? The answer to both questions is
"no." He set us free from our enslavement to sin and death, and we
are kept secure, by His power alone, not by our effort or by our good
intentions. We have to be careful to remember that. Otherwise we will
not praise God or worship Him and serve Him as we should.
As far as our material possessions go . . . how much credit can we take? Here
is a humorous story to think about:
A
fellow bought a farm that had become run-down and unproductive because of the
neglect of the previous owner. He worked hard and got the property back in
shape. One day a friend of his stopped by and commented: "You and the Lord
have really done a great job with this place." The farmer replied: "O
yeah, you should have seen it when the Lord had it by Himself!"
Yes,
the Lord does expect us to work. It is good for us on many levels. But is there
room to acknowledge God in the process? Of course there is! That is the point
of vs. 18, "But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who
gives you the ability to produce wealth…" Here is the truth of
the matter; our health, our strength, our intelligence and training, our
experience, our resources, our friends and family, our opportunities . . . you name
it. It all comes to us through His good hands of God our Father, and on account
of His grace and mercy. You know what? I'd like to see the farm if the farmer
had it by HIMSELF!
Praise God from whom ALL blessings flow!
Pastor Keith Andrews