Deuteronomy 8:11-14
“Take care lest you forget the Lord your God by not keeping his commandments and his rules and his statutes, which I command you today, lest, when you have eaten and are full and have built good houses and live in them, and when your herds and flocks multiply and your silver and gold is multiplied and all that you have is multiplied, then your heart be lifted up, and you forget the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery,
Tag: Prosperity Hinders Pursuit of God
When we have al that we need and more we can be assured there is a temptation to stop pursuing God. This is the warning we see in the above verses. Having blessing and riches is not evil or wrong in itself. It is the impact those blessings, wealth and prosperity have on us in regard to our pursuit of God. God is about to bring the nation of Israel into the promise land. It is a land that is “flowing with milk and honey.” The nation is about to cease eating manna and, instead, eat real food, for the first time in 40 years. They are going to eat of the crops they did not grow and the cattle they did not raise. They are going to live in houses they did not build and have access to wells they did not dig. Like winning an instant lottery, the nation is about to experience blessings they have seldom had in their 40 years of wandering in the wilderness. Moses, in the above verses, is warning them to NOT turn away from God as a result of this instant prosperity.
Note what Jesus also says to us about riches:
Matthew 19:23
And Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly, I say to you, only with difficulty will a rich person enter the kingdom of heaven.
Note what Jesus says we should do instead:
Matthew 6:31-34
Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
“Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
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