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Verse:“Beware that you do not forget the LORD your God by not keeping His commandments, His judgments, and His statutes which I command you today.” —Deuteronomy 8:11
Living in a prosperous country brings with it a raft of temptations. It is imperative that people guard against their wealth or possessions overtaking them and compromising their faith in God. Moses said this in Deuteronomy 8:11–17: “Beware that you do not forget the LORD your God … lest —when you have eaten and are full, and have built beautiful houses and dwell in them; and when your herds and your flocks multiply, and your silver and your gold are multiplied, and all that you have is multiplied; when your heart is lifted up, and you forget the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage.… then you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gained me this wealth.’” A person who works hard, spends carefully, and invests wisely will typically enjoy a measure of comfort or even prosperity in life. But that prosperity could end up being your undoing.
You can become so enamored with your goods that you forget your God. There is nothing inherently wrong with wealth. God is certainly not against it.
Again and again, in the Bible, He blessed certain individuals with fabulous material wealth. But He reminds us that we need to be careful that our prosperity doesn’t cause us to forget Him. When your secular needs are being met, it is easier to forget that you have spiritual needs. And you don’t have to be wealthy for this to be a challenge. Forgetting God is Lord of all of your life can result in worldly cares becoming much greater than spiritual cares. It is possible that getting ahead in the world can lead a person to forget that it is God who truly provides for you.
Everyone needs possessions to one degree or another.
It is appropriate to want to do well in life.
But it is necessary to acknowledge that abundance can lead to forgetfulness of God. Abundance is given to us so we might remember God and be supportive of His work. Remember that it is God who gives you all you have.
Let your possessions cause you to turn toward God, not turn away from Him.