“Beware that thou forget not the Lord thy God, in not keeping his commandments, and his judgments, and his statutes, which I command thee this day: Lest when thou hast eaten and art full, and hast built goodly houses, and dwelt therein; And when thy herds and thy flocks multiply, and thy silver and thy gold is multiplied, and all that thou hast is multiplied; Then thine heart be lifted up, and thou forget the Lord thy God, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt,…But thou shalt remember the Lord thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he swore unto thy fathers, as it is this day.” Deuteronomy 8:11-18 KJV
As intelligent as God created humans; the tendency to be forgetful as they make progress in life, is a reality. When God led the children of Israel through the wilderness, they had to build memorial altars from time to time and God instructed them that those monuments were to remind them of the dealings of God with them; as they pass the information across to their younger generations.
In the passage above; God had to remind them again of the need to not forget His dealings with them and all the helps they had received. Why was this necessary? I think God, who created us, knows the tendencies of the natural man. He knows that when growth comes, when affluence and influence come, when power come; Man is likely to forget his origin. Man is likely to forget that he did not arrive where he is by his own power only; but that at some point, he had been helped, favored or lifted. God warned Israel not to forget Him because He knew that prosperity can create spiritual amnesia. The danger was not primarily in poverty, hardship, or wilderness experiences; it was in the blessings that would come afterward. This shows that if Man could forget God; he simply can forget other human beings who in one way or the other have been of help to him on his way up the ladder of life.
As we grow and walk with the Lord, we must build monuments that help us put in remembrance helps that we have received from God and from the people He sent into our lives. God, surely, had raised people for us, such that without their contributions in one way or another, we might not have attained the position or heights that we are today. Someone probably showed you the way of salvation; someone discipled and labored till Christ was formed in you, someone believed in you when others did not; prayed for you; encouraged you and stood with you. Someone washed your clothes or fed you; or paid your fees; or counseled you; or stood by you when there was no one else. Someone contributed significantly to your growth process in life. Of course, the list is endless. God comes to us through the people He used and is still using to build us up; and we must not become so full (vs 12) that we begin to forget their commitments, investments, labor, sacrifices over our lives and destinies.
Our world today is characterized by lots of betrayal; and this is equally found amongst believers in Christ- when they no longer take heed to themselves and the instructions of God; and they become so full of themselves. This is a cause for concern. These days, we see adult children who neglect their aging parents who labored over them in their growing up days when they were so vulnerable. We see husbands who emotionally abandon their wives who began, stayed and labored with them when they were nobody; but now that they have grown in influence and affluence; shift their affections on some strange ladies who came up along the way. Some men even come up boldly, to appoint new wives for themselves; forgetting the sacrifices of the wives of their youth who labored and built with them. We hear of wives who threw their husbands out of their homes because they now have higher-paying jobs and live in some more civilized societies. We see where people that were discipled and raised by others grew to the point of influence and abandoned their disciplers/mentors who labored over them in ministry. The stories are endless. The sad reality is that this occurs among those who profess to follow Christ.
There is a lot of betrayal in the Church today! Why is this so?
- When people move from struggle to abundance, they can begin to feel self-sufficient and independent of God and those God used for them. Pride subtly replaces humility. (vs 14)
- When life becomes comfortable, people often forget the difficult seasons from which God delivered them. They forget those that God used to help them when they were unknown.
God called the attention of the children of Israel to beware of this; just as He is reminding us today. Do not forget the people that God brought into your life to support your growth in purpose and destiny. Do not belittle their labor, sacrifices and contributions. Doing so is tantamount to forgetting God, even if you are physically involved in serving in His vineyard. God does not come physically but He uses people for us. Learn to recognize and appreciate those who have contributed to your growth in various ways before you got to where you are today. Only so, can you make the journey ahead of you worthwhile.
May God help us to take heed to ourselves as we grow on in life. May we live in the conscious recognition of helps that God had sent into our lives through various people He places on the journey of our destiny, regardless of how little we think their contributions were (or are). May we not become so full of ourselves, that we forget all that God has done and the people He used (or is using) in our lives. May our lives constantly bring Him glory; even as we grow and prosper (going forward). May we live in constant appreciation of the helps we have received from God and from people. Amen!
©Funmi Adebayo