Remember the Lord

February 4, 2016

Deuteronomy 8:1-20

It’s easier to forget than it is to remember.

That’s the lesson that Moses is teaching the people of Israel in his final address as their leader. Moses is getting ready to leave his people and he wants them to remember one thing. What does he tell them?

Remember the Lord

These were the people whom God delivered out of Egypt. These were the people whom God fed and clothed in the desert. These were the people whom God protected from dangers all around them. For 40 years, God had directed their steps. He reminded them that their goal was in sight. He reminded them that He would keep His promises to them. All they needed to do was remember the Lord.

The danger is to forget and in the case of the Israelites, forgetting meant not keeping the commandments (Deuteronomy 8:11). God knew that they would be prosperous and in their prosperity they would be in danger of forgetting the Person who brought them prosperity (Deuteronomy 8:12-14).

This is the same danger we face today. God has provided all that we have and we take His goodness for granted. He easily forget that He has provided everything. So we need reminders. We need to remember the Lord.

How soon does a memory fade? Does it take a year, a month, a week, a day, or maybe even an hour? This is how quick it can be for us to forget God.

When it comes to wealth, God has provided what we have. But easily deceive ourselves. We want to believe that what we have comes from our own hands (Deuteronomy 8:17-18). We have to remember the Lord with our finances. If we fail to remember the Lord, there are grave consequences as a people and as a nation (Deuteronomy 8:19-20).

It is easy to remember God when times are tough. Some choose to remember and blame God for their poor conditions. Although in reality, God works these conditions for my good and His glory (Deuteronomy 8:15-16). We easily remember that God does something for my good. But we forget to give God the glory. Yet the purpose of God giving me what is good for me is for Him to get the glory. In order to do that, we need to remember Him.