January 17, 2013 … Remembering Whose We Are

Daily Berry Patch Devotions in 2013 - Day 17

Passage of the Day: Deuteronomy 8: 18a [in the context of verses 15-20] …  
15 Do not forget that He [God] led you through the great and terrifying wilderness with poisonous snakes and scorpions, where it was so hot and dry. He gave you water from the rock! 16 He fed you with manna in the wilderness, a food unknown to your ancestors. He did this to humble you and test you for your own good. 17 He did it so you would never think that it was your own strength and energy that made you wealthy. 18 Always remember that it is the LORD your God who gives you power to become rich, and He does it to fulfill the covenant He made with your ancestors. 
19 “But I assure you of this: If you ever forget the LORD your God and follow other gods, worshiping and bowing down to them, you will certainly be destroyed. 20 Just as the LORD has destroyed other nations in your path, you also will be destroyed for not obeying the LORD your God.” 
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Contextual Reference Passage: … To study today’s highlight passage in context, go to Deuteronomy, Chapter 8 … by using this link … 
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Reference Passage #1: 2nd Corinthians 13: 5-6 : [NLT] … {Pop Quiz: “Whose are we? … Self or Savior?” } …  
5 Examine yourselves to see if your faith is really genuine. Test yourselves. If you cannot tell that Jesus Christ is among you, it means you have failed the test. 6 I hope you recognize that we have passed the test and are approved by God. 

My Journal for Today:  ... “Pop quiz!” …

Oh, how I hated it when one of my college profs would come into class and say those dreaded words. It meant we were about to have to write a theme about some book in English, or take a test over some text we had been assigned, … both usually involving a lot of reading.

The Apostle Paul, in 2nd Cor. 13: 5-6 [copied above], said that periodically we Christians needed to give ourselves a self-inventory (a self-induced “pop quiz”) to see if we were staying true to our faith, … i.e., putting God first, avoiding pride, and going deeper-deeper into our relationship with Christ. And Moses wrote much the same thing, with a tough “pop-quiz” of our faith in the Deuteronomy 8, which I have copied above from the Os Hillman devotional for this day.

Those are tough words from God to test His people, aren’t they, telling them (and us) to do all His chosen ones should to remember “Whose they were?” Certainly the Old Testament is replete with stories of how God’s chosen ones lapsed into forgetfulness, either grumbling when things were going badly or taking their own credit when things went well. And actually it’s more of a temptation for the human heart to forget God when things are going well for us, isn’t it?

Oh, how easy it is for us to deceive ourselves (remember the truth of Jeremiah 17:9 - if you don’t know that one – look it up and memorize it!), thinking that we’re the ones who’ve accomplished some good things in life, … when, in point of fact, as Deut. 8: 18a points out, it is always God who goes ahead of us (see also Deut. 31:8) to pave the way for our successes or accomplishments. So, when the latter, i.e., human success, becomes reality, do we remember WHOM is One Who deserves the credit?

 Because, if we fail this pop quiz from God’s truth, the outcomes could be disastrous, especially taking in the truth of Deut. 8: 19 above. Being prideful when we have been successful in producing wealth or riches, we could reap a whirlwind our own pride and selfishness if we forget WHOSE WE ARE. So, take God’s pop quiz today and do a self inventory of your faith, … remembering … as I so often say in my morning journal entries … “GOD is God and we are not!!!”

My Prayer for Today And I thank you, Lord, for giving us all we need to do the good stuff in life – Your stuff!! … Amen