FINDING SATISFACTION

Can I pray for you in any way? Send any prayer requests to faithhopegodlove@aol.com In Christ, Mark

The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

Know then in your heart that as a man disciplines his son, so the Lord your God disciplines you. Observe the commands of the Lord your God, walking in his ways and revering him. For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land—a land with streams and pools of water, with springs flowing in the valleys and hills; a land with wheat and barley, vines and fig trees, pomegranates, olive oil and honey; a land where bread will not be scarce and you will lack nothing; a land where the rocks are iron and you can dig copper out of the hills. When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the Lord your God for the good land he has given you. 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. Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down, and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, then your heart will become proud and you will forget the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. Deuteronomy 8:5-14

This ends our reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

“When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the Lord your God for the good land he has given you.”

These words from Moses form the foundation for today’s devotion as we focus on the matter of satisfaction. Israel was about to enter the land God promised them, a land that was flowing with milk and honey…a land that was sure to meet their needs. Moses tells them more about Canaan saying it was a “good land—a land with streams and pools of water, with springs flowing in the valleys and hills; a land with wheat and barley, vines and fig trees, pomegranates, olive oil and honey; a land where bread will not be scarce and you will lack nothing; a land where the rocks are iron and you can dig copper out of the hills.” Certainly, these must have been wonderful words of assurance to the people of Israel who had been wandering the desert for forty years to get this moment in time. The struggles they faced during that exile…struggles that left them hungry and thirsty…were about to be replaced with a rich abundance…and abundance that would lead them to “lack nothing.” Surely, things were about to change for Israel and change big time.

With this pending change, there was an associated concern. For Moses tells Israel that “When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the Lord your God for the good land he has given you.” In other words, don’t forget the blessed, almighty Hand that feeds you. There would be a danger in Israel’s newfound bounty…a danger that they would get so comfortable that they would forget to give credence to the One who made it all possible for them. Thus, they were to “not forget the Lord” and were cautioned to not allow their heart to become proud…so that they might take for granted what the Lord had done for them. Instead, the hope was that they would come to realize and profess the Lord’s provision in all things, being satisfied with what He provided and giving Him full credit for everything.

Question: How satisfied are you in your life? Have you reached a point where you have taken the Lord for granted? Have you become one who is never satisfied with what God has given you and instead continuously longs for more and more and more? Has your heart become proud to the point where you have seen everything you have as being by your own hand and not from the Hand of the Lord?

Friends, we need to look at what we have at any one given time and give thanks for it. It’s easy to do this when we are experiencing times of plenty but the true test of our satisfaction comes when we go through the lean times in life, when it seems that we have little but the Lord to our name…when we come to appreciate Him the most.

It’s been said that when we place all our attention on possessions, they soon will start to possess us and I believe this is very true. Maybe you can relate.

The Lord would have us make Him our greatest possession in life so that He and He alone possesses us. For it’s then and only then, that we will find satisfaction in life…a satisfaction that perseveres and endures…a satisfaction that brings us peace, now and forever. Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

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