Don't Forget God
“Beware that thou forget not the LORD thy God, in not keeping his commandments, and his judgments, and his statutes, which I command thee this day” (Deuteronomy 8:11). These are the words Moses spoke to the children of Israel just before they entered into the land of Canaan.
God knew that when the people entered the land and enjoyed the abundant blessings of Canaan they would be tempted to forget Him and His laws. God knew that the people would begin to believe that the blessings they enjoyed in Canaan were blessings they had obtained by their own power and might. Therefore, it was an appropriate time to issue the warning: “Don’t forget God.”
This passage teaches us that in times of prosperity and wealth, there is the danger of forgetting God. This is certainly a potential problem for us today. We live in the most affluent country in the history of the world. We have so many material blessings we have difficulty finding room to store all the “stuff” we have accumulated. Yet, we always seem to want more.
I think we would be deceiving ourselves if we were to deny that, as a nation, we have forgotten the source of our blessings. We all need to be reminded that “every good and perfect gift is from above,” and comes down to us from the heavenly Father (James 1:17). He is the one who gives us “power to get wealth” (Deuteronomy 8:17-18). He gives “life, breath, and all things” (Acts 17:25). Rather than forgetting Him, we should put Him first in all we do and serve Him all the days of our lives.
In view of these thoughts, each one should ask: Do I allow worldly distractions to cause me to forget God? Do I put Him first in all that I do? Do I thank God daily for the blessings He provides?
Just as God had anticipated, the Israelites often forgot Him. Let us all determine that we will never forget God. “O give thanks unto the LORD, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever” (Psalms 107:1).
