What Makes Us Forget Our Home?
Scripture Reading — Deuteronomy 8:6-20
Be careful that you do not forget the Lord your God. . . .
It takes work to maintain a home. Whether you own your own residence or rent from others, there are always little maintenance projects that creep up: light bulbs need replacing, lawns need mowing, faucets begin to drip, doors need to be repainted. Sometimes we put the work off for another day, but if we wait too long the home will deteriorate. A home always needs regular maintenance.
We can also face temptations to take our home with God for granted. When times are good, we look at our material blessings, at our relationships with family and friends, or at our moral character, and we assume we are doing fine. We forget that these are gifts from God that we receive by grace.
Israel was reminded that when they arrived in the promised land, they needed to make work of remembering God. God warned that if they did not actively honor the Lord for his gifts, they would soon forget the Giver.
I read once that most divorces occur not because of an affair or a spouse’s violence but because of apathy—a husband or wife simply begins to take the other for granted. Something similar can happen in our relationship with God. Our God wants us to know where our blessings come from—and especially the gift of our relationship with him in Christ. Do you remember?
Gracious God, you have given us so much—and as if that were not enough, in Christ you offer forgiveness of sins and eternal life with you! Help us to remember and praise you. Amen.
About the author — Joel Vande Werken
Joel Vande Werken has been a pastor since 2007, serving churches in Sussex, New Jersey, and in Whitinsville, Massachusetts. He and his wife, Brandie, have five young children.
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