The Danger of Doing Well

The danger of doing well

Bible:Deuteronomy 8:6-18

Be careful that you do not forget the Lord your God, failing to observe his
commands, his laws and his decrees that I am giving you this day (V.11).

Reading

Have you ever done really well at something? Maybe winning an award at school, making your parents proud or acing an exam? The thing with doing well is that it can make us think we’ve got everything sorted. The danger of doing well is that we forget just how much we need God for everything! The Israelites learned the daily habit of depending on God in the Sinai wilderness where they had no choice; they needed His daily provision just to eat and drink. But when they finally stood on the banks of the Jordan River, they awaited a more difficult test. After they entered the land of plenty, which God had promised to give them, would they quickly forget about Him? Having spent many years in the desert, they didn’t know how easily they’d
be distracted by the nations around them who did what they wanted and ignored God. But Moses knew the danger. He was more afraid of the land of plenty than of the empty desert—the alluring obsession of sex; the exotic, selfcentred religions; the money and possessions. The Israelites might just put God behind them and enjoy living for themselves, thinking: “My power and the
strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me” (DEUTERONOMY 8:17). Sometimes doing well and having lots of stuff makes it harder to rely on God. The Israelites quickly got distracted from God after they moved into the Promised Land. Again and again they chased other gods and selfish ways of living. It can be quite dangerous to get what we want—and to forget who we need.

I COUNT ALL THINGS TO BE LOSS
IN VIEW OF THE SURPASSING VALUE OF
KNOWING CHRIST JESUS MY LORD. PHILLIPIANS 3 : 8

Youth Edition – Our Daily Bread Ministries