Well, it’s no surprise that Thanksgiving is just around the corner…in fact, it’s a week from the very day this is going to post! Where did 2014 go? What’s in store for 2015? These are some of the questions that will arise on Thanksgiving day as families gather together around tables filled with food, friends and family.
It’s also no surprise that there will be tons of posts and Facebook statuses, tweets and pictures this year about making sure we stay focused on what is important in life and not on the materials things of this life. These are good, strong reminders for a society that often focuses on seeking after the rewards of this life and world, over and above the reward that is found in Christ Jesus.
But, I would just like to focus on Deuteronomy 8:1-10 for today. Go ahead, and flip to in your Bible. Here’s a little background for you. Deuteronomy is a record of Moses relaying God’s commands and statutes to the people of Israel before they finally enter the Promised Land. They have wondered around in the desert for 40 years, a whole generation has died off already. They are preparing to enter the land flowing with milk and honey. Okay, read our text for today.
Notice something? Notice that Moses does not speak against the evils of over-abundance? In fact, Moses reminds the people they are entering a land where they will have more than they could ever need, and this is actually a blessing from God. The over-abundance they are going to experience is a gift from God, not something to be shunned or shamed.
I feel our society often speaks strongly against over-abundance as if it’s a tremendous evil. Interestingly enough, the Scripture doesn’t ever seem to say that. Even in Jesus telling the rich, young ruler to go sell everything he had wasn’t about his over-abundance. Throughout the Scriptures, and in our reading from Deuteronomy, the problem isn’t the over-abundance. The problem is where our heart typically follows when we experience such blessings from our loving God…to the blessings and not to the one who gives them to us and sharing that love and gift.
Our abundance is a blessing from God. Everything we have comes from His provision, not our own. We may have worked for the money that bought the food, but who provided such an opportunity? Our loving God. Moses was calling the people to remember the Promised Land and all its blessings was a gift from God-certainly not one they had earned, but one He so lovingly provided.
As you sit around your table this Thanksgiving, whether its filled with food, or barely something to eat, it’s a reminder that God provides, God blesses. Whether its a lot or a little, it’s God’s blessing and provision. And we know that this is just a foretaste of the amazing banquet that awaits the whole people of God in the day of everlasting life. The blessings we experience in this life is nothing like the amazing blessing and provision in Jesus Christ- the forgiveness of our sins and life everlasting. He came to bring us into the ultimate Promised Land, the New Jerusalem, the life everlasting!
We have many things to be thankful for, many blessings given to us by God. I pray you enjoy the day to stop and remember, praise and honor God for His amazing gifts to us, and even to share with one another, how He has provided more than we could ever imagine!
The Home Connection 