the easy stuff
You know that saying, “God won’t give you more than you can handle”?
Last year I had a very different experience and shared my thoughts here: Give Me More Than I Can Handle… It is in this weakness that brings us to our knees – where He can do His most beautiful work.
My ugly… His beautiful.
Our circumstances have changed since then. Financial pressures have eased some… and I find myself getting busy with life.
I’ve got this one.
{uh… yeah.}
I find it interesting that when our circumstances are difficult, it is almost easier to lean on our Lord’s understanding and strength.
I mean – when I’ve got nothing left… when I have hit rock bottom… He’s all I have and I cling to Him.
But what about when circumstances aren’t so tough?
In the first few verses of Deuteronomy 8 … the Israelites are reminded of all the struggles they have been through and how their God has met them at every step of the way on their journey.
“Remember every road that God led you on for those forty years in the wilderness.”
“Your clothes didn’t wear out and your feet didn’t blister those forty years.”
Seriously – they had faced some major difficulties and struggles! And, God met every single need… even in the midst of His discipline.
Then, Deuteronomy goes on about the blessing that is coming to them in the promised land!
“God is about to bring you into a good land, a land with brooks and rivers, springs and lakes, streams out of the hills and through the valleys.”
It goes on and on talking about the amazing beauty of this blessing… and then says – when you get to this blessing, thank your God.
verse 10, “After a meal, satisfied, bless God, your God, for the good land he has given you.”
The next few verses are what get me where I am at right now… a warning.
The NASB translation starts verse 11 with “BEWARE”…
NIV says “BE CAREFUL”…
and the MSG translation says “MAKE SURE”…
In other words – PAY SPECIAL ATTENTION!
verses 11-16 “Make sure you don’t forget God, your God, by not keeping his commandments, his rules and regulations that I command you today. Make sure that when you eat and are satisfied, build pleasant houses and settle in, see your herds and flocks flourish and more and more money come in, watch your standard of living going up and up—make sure you don’t become so full of yourself and your things that you forget God, your God,
the God who delivered you from Egyptian slavery;
the God who led you through that huge and fearsome wilderness,
those desolate, arid badlands crawling with fiery snakes and scorpions;
the God who gave you water gushing from hard rock;
the God who gave you manna to eat in the wilderness, something your ancestors had never heard of, in order to give you a taste of the hard life, to test you so that you would be prepared to live well in the days ahead of you.”
Life is full of seasons… we all go through seasons of difficulty and struggle…
seasons of trials… and discipline…
and seasons of easy circumstances…
It is interesting to me how this passage in Deuteronomy mentions that the blessings flow through both seasons.
It isn’t a season of trials and a season of blessing. The blessings, the gifts, are there in both.
The Lord clearly blesses the Israelites throughout their journey to the promised land. He provided food for them – just enough, at just the right time… from unexpected places – it was clearly from the Lord. He made their clothes not wear out – in the wilderness for 40 years! My kids can’t go 6 months without their clothing wearing out.
Our God blesses us in the season of discipline.
Then He brings us out of the battle and to the other side and blesses us even more!
But, BEWARE… because it is in this time…It is in this season of ‘easy’ circumstances where we tend to do it on our own.
“…make sure you don’t become so full of yourself and your things that you forget God, your God,”
Don’t get so caught up in your blessing that you forget your King…
The God who delivered you…
The God who led you…
The God who gave you…
The God who prepared you…
Today. I caught myself doing this thing alone.
I’ve been thinking that I’ve got this… and I wonder if I’ve become ‘so full of myself and my things that I forgot my God’…
God prepared me for this time.
I know He did… just like it says He was using the season of discipline to prepare the Israelites for the blessing of the promised land – my God spent a good portion of last year preparing me for the blessing of this year.
What does that mean?
What does that look like?
Why do we need preparation for easier circumstances?
Could it be because what looks ‘easy’ in the world’s eyes has it’s dangers of turning into prideful living?
Further in Deuteronomy 8…
“Beware lest you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth.’ You shall remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth, that he may confirm his covenant that he swore to your fathers, as it is this day. And if you forget the Lord your God and go after other gods and serve them and worship them, I solemnly warn you today that you shall surely perish. Like the nations that the Lord makes to perish before you, so shall you perish, because you would not obey the voice of the Lord your God.”
I don’t want to get so caught up in the ‘easy’ stuff that I forget that it is my King who brought me here.
All of this – was/is His doing… yet, in this world… in this life, it is so easy to get busy and forget.
I don’t want to get so caught up in the blessing that I forget my King…
So… what do I do with this?
Look at chapter 10:12-13…
“ So now Israel, what do you think God expects from you?
Just this:
Live in his presence in holy reverence,
follow the road he sets out for you,
love him,
serve God,
your God,
with everything you have in you,
obey the commandments and regulations
of God that I’m commanding you today—
live a good life.”
Isn’t that beautiful?
It starts with living in His presence… beginning my day, living my day, and ending my day with Him.
Do you feel your eyes wandering from your King?
Both the battle and the times of rest can distract us from Him… Remember the battle… the ugly… the ashes… the beautiful.
Remember His deliverance and abundant blessing… and then?
Keep on remembering.
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- blossoms | No Longer Ashes - […] The other day I posted about what I had been learning from Deuteronomy 8… How God uses the times…
Browsed around a bit…excellent insights here. From Wise Woman link up. Love & prayers, in Jesus, Cynthia
Thanks for stopping by Cynthia 🙂