For thought and meditation

[rl69]

"I used to wander off until you disciplined me; but now I closely follow your word."

—Psalm 119:67

Prosperity has a tendency to make people proud and self-sufficient. We don’t think we need God when we have our salary, our investments, our career, our homes, our health, and our family. But when an economy goes south, or a stock market crashes, or our home burns, hopefully we turn to God and are reminded of what really matters. We should not always be so afraid of pain, because often it is during times of prosperity that we will forget God.

As the Israelites were poised to enter into the Promised Land, God said to them, “When you have eaten your fill in this land, be careful not to forget the Lord, who rescued you from slavery in the land of Egypt” (Deuteronomy 6:11–12).

Prior to this point, Israel had wandered in the wilderness for forty years. They were completely dependent on God for everything. Every day when they walked outside their tents, there would be manna waiting for them just like the morning paper. They would eat it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, sort of like Thanksgiving turkey that keeps recycling. It was their meal from Heaven. God also directed them through the wilderness with a cloud by day and a fire by night. They had to look to the Lord completely.

But then God brought them to the brink of the Promised Land, where they could see lush green hills and flowing rivers. They could see fruit the size of which had never been seen before. And they could hardly wait to get in. And so God said, in effect, “Now watch out, because when you get in there, the danger is that you will forget all about Me.”

When pain hits, when tragedy strikes, when adversity comes, we pray—and we pray a lot. Adversity levels us and keeps us humble. And God can use adversity to bring us closer to Him.

[claude]

Basic human nature, that is what we must guard against.

Deu 32:15-19 KJV But Jeshurun waxed fat, and kicked: thou art waxen fat, thou art grown thick, thou art covered with fatness; then he forsook God which made him, and lightly esteemed the Rock of his salvation. (16) They provoked him to jealousy with strange gods, with abominations provoked they him to anger. (17) They sacrificed unto devils, not to God; to gods whom they knew not, to new gods that came newly up, whom your fathers feared not. (18) Of the Rock that begat thee thou art unmindful, and hast forgotten God that formed thee. (19) And when the LORD saw it, he abhorred them, because of the provoking of his sons, and of his daughters.

Look up Jeshurun in your Strong's, quite revealing H3484

[buckwheatpaul]

How true, how true. We are often so self assured that we think that we can do anything by ourselves....when in reality what we have we owe to the love and goodness of God. When we put our pride aside and ask for help is when we truly get closer to God and his rewards become sweeter......Paul

[Boaz]

A good lesson !

[Thundarstick]

And when I think of how hard I've worked, what I've sacrificed to get where I I'm at in life. Lord don't let me forget where my strength and my mental abilities have come from! Don't let me forget to give up praise to God for all! Let me use my gifts for your service and your praise! Thank you for your blessings God!

Think you for this reminder!

[Blackwater]

Wow! What a powerful and much needed lesson in this one! Thanks! Our nation has had it so easy, comparatively speaking at least, for so long, that it's as if we've come to believe that "it'll always be this way" whether we do anything to keep it so or not! As ol' Shakespeare said, "What fools these mortals be!" I've played that game myself, but let's not start counting how often! My memory likely as not wouldn't do the count justice!!!