“And you shall remember the whole way that the Lord your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not…. 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,” (Deuteronomy 8:2, 19).
Do you remember the time…? Yes, it’s a Michael Jackson lyric but it also is from the Bible. And it’s probably more appropriate and powerful there.
Deuteronomy 8 has a beautiful passage where God reminds His people of His faithfulness. He shows them why they can trust, why they can believe, why they can obey. It’s amazing to think how good God has been to us, and it’s very strange to think how quickly we forget. We can be astounded by God’s grace and move on at the next commercial break. God warns us here that if we forget Him, we will perish. For life is found in Him, nowhere else. No matter how much we invest in it. All else will perish.
So today, let’s take time to remember. To remember that He made us – every function we have we owe to Him. To remember He made every good thing we enjoy in life –food, sex, laughter. To remember the cross – the sacrifice He made out of love for us and passion for His glory. To remember the calling – the invitation to partake in His life.
Your thoughts?
Todd
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It’s a simple concept, isn’t it? But we get tripped up by its simplicity. James 1:23 refers to a man who looks in a mirror and then goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. We’re just like that. We take so much for granted, and we often fail to even acknowledge where our blessings and our very lives come from. We can even get to where we think we’re too smart for God. Since He can’t be pinned down by our scientific methods, He must not exist. How arrogant is that!?
If we forget God, we shall surely perish. Maybe this is a warning of a punishment, or maybe it’s a warning of what happens when we choose to abandon a relationship with God and thereby (I love words like “thereby”, “therefore”, “furthermore”, and “whatsoever”.) leave His protection.
If we read through the Old Testament we see a God who is broken hearted over the waywardness of His children. We see a God who weeps at their disobedience. We see a God willing to cause great pain to those He loves, if that’s what it will take to bring them (us) home to Him. He is the definition of love, and His love knows no bounds.
My heart is heavy right now thinking about my unfaithfulness, about my fear and my lack of trust. He’s always there, and I don’t deserve that.
I still haven’t posted that dissertation on your new record, but that doesn’t mean I’ve forgotten. It’s coming.
“The invitation to partake in His life . . .” I wonder what that would be like. I’ve heard the life of the Trinity described as a flowing rhythm of joy and selfless love, as a perfect union of sweet harmony, as a choreographed, graceful dance, as a party . . . and we are invited to join in. We see glimpses of it in community and marriage and enjoy a small taste of His life in those rare moments of sacrificial love and pouring out ourselves for the good of someone else. God, please keep inviting me to the party and asking me to dance.
God recently reminded me of my own 40 years in the desert, and although I still walked in the blessings of his grace, it was a time of pondering the enormity of it all. God spoke to me on the night of my sons horrible car accident, and reminded me as I recognized the place we spoke in, that he had saved me for this moment. My son is now home with us in Merced, but as we have lumbered through his slow recovery we have realized the blessings and messages of hope in God far more than we could have ever imagined. God has spoken through this tragedy to thousands of souls seeking his voice and has given them hope. Tragedy is not punishment, it is an opportunity to meet God and when you accept his invitation He will meet you where you are. His love is all around us, and is at no cost but faith. Forty years is such a short time in God’s time continuum, yet so long for the troubled yet frenzied mosquito. Faith and patience, Faith and patience.
Just wanted to
Let you k ow how much I appreciate your ministry and music. Thanks and God bless
It is so hard to make a grumpy person happy, yet so easy to make a happy person grumpy.. in fact, my wife says I’m pretty good at both but not at the appropriate times.. but I keep telling myself that no matter where my life has taken me, I have been blessed in the fact that He has a luxury suite view to my life and in fact loves me soooo much that he is even letting me “think” I am in charge, but yet, He is making all the calls.. and honestly, He’s much better at it than I am… just ask my wife..
I was in a really crabby mood untill I read this, it probally shouldn’t make me laugh, but it does. My Mom say’s the same thing thank God for the good things you do have. A job, a home and a six year old Grandson who gives daily hugs, kisses and lots of I miss you and love you. Walk in my shoes and the laughs come in only little sparks but Ill take them. The cross is the only thing I have to hold onto most days. Enjoying food, if its bland and boring then I get to eat. Because of a heart valve replacement and pacemaker my heart muscle weakened and I was just diagnosed with congested heart failure. Try living on a 2000mg sodium diet, I dare you to try for 1 month. There is no going out to eat, unless you like baked potatoes. I use to love pizza, spaggetii, fried rice, cheese, but thats a part of my past now. Sex, lets say promise ring, and Im 3 months shy of 9 years, another thing thats only part of my past. I raised my Daughter on my own, and she really gave me a run for my money. Now at age 25 bipolar with a personality disorder she married a Ill be nice, boy. Has now decided raising a child doesn’t work for her and left her son with me, along with his new puppy that for the life of me I can’t get house broken. Caleb is also bipolar and there is no such word as quiet in our home. So just when I thought job done, child raised I get to do it all over again and still alone. But Im fine with that, I prayed one simple prayer God protect the child, one year later my Daughter left him in my care and his Father went to prision (which is were he needed to be). I just finished the Alpha program at church, and healed more than what I thought I would. At least I no longer hate my Daughter, and really enjoy hearing Caleb tell me theres 4 books in the bible and names them. I started him on medication and no longer have to sign incident reports at daycare, and be told by his teachers it took them 45 min. to calm him down as he threw the chairs and flipped the tables over or gave the director a black eye. So this Im gratefull for, to know no matter what good days and really bad days the cross is what holds me up. So when ever I hear someone say thank God for the good things you have in life food, sex and laughter, it does make me laugh, much better than anger or tears.