JUNE 9, 2015
Deceptive
Currents
Read:
Deuteronomy
8:11-20
When
they had pasture, they were filled; they were filled and their heart was
exalted. —Hosea 13:6
In his book The Hidden Brain, science writer Shankar
Vedantam describes the day he went for a leisurely swim. The water was calm and
clear, and he felt strong and proud for covering a long distance so easily. He
decided to swim out of the bay and into open water. But when he tried to return
he couldn’t make any progress. He had been deceived by the current. The ease of
swimming had not been due to his strength but to the movement of the water.
In our relationship
with God something similar can happen. “Going with the flow” can lead us to
believe we’re stronger than we are. When life is easy, our minds tell us that
it’s due to our own strength. We become proud and self-confident. But when
trouble hits, we realize how little strength we have and how helpless we are.
This happened with the
Israelites. God would bless them with military success, peace, and prosperity.
But thinking they had achieved it on their own, they would then become proud
and self-sufficient (Deut. 8:11-12). Assuming that they no longer needed God,
they would go their own way until an enemy attacked and they would realize how
powerless they were without God’s help.
When life is going
well we too need to beware of self-deception. Pride will take us where we do
not want to go. Only humility will keep us where we ought to be—grateful to God
and dependent on His strength.
Lord, we don’t dare
trust in our own strength to do our tasks today. You are the Giver of our
talents and opportunities. Help us use them not for our own advancement, but to
help others.
True humility
credits God for every success.
INSIGHT:
The
book of Deuteronomy, the final book of the Pentateuch, covers a period of only
40 days. The children of Israel had wandered in the wilderness for 40 years and
now stood at the threshold of the Promised Land. This important book reviews
their covenant with God.
Source: Our Daily Bread 2015