Saturday, April 2, 2011

Deuteronomy 8 - Dangers of Success

In children's ministry, the most challenging kid to reach is not the one who acts up or bounces off the walls; the most challenging kid to reach is the one who has always been shielded from consequences.  Without this connection, their capacity for growth will always be stunted.

In this passage, we see so vividly how God our Father is always interested in helping us grow, in helping us see things as they really are:

“He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna,… to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.” —Deuteronomy 8:3

Could this be one reason God allows us to experience the full consequences of our actions—if only for a moment we might see our need for Him as intense as it really is?

Reuben Smith

3 comments:

  1. good thoughts, Reuben.

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  2. God warned us many times over, not to worship other idols.

    In today's world we often find ourselves on the border of crossing this line. The first thing that I thought of was money and how it can change a persons life (for good and bad). We need money to live; yet, it can become the primary focus of our lives, in place of God. When we put items such as; our home, cars, hobby, business, etc. ahead of God, the line has been crossed.

    God will humble you if needed. When we believe we have everything under control, God can and probably will, humble us in some way. Remember, it all belongs to God anyway. He is a loving God and will always provide, he is also a jealous God too. It can all be taken away from you, much faster then you ever can get it back.

    I thank you Lord for teaching me the lessons I needed, and humbling me to be a better man.

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  3. Really good example about children, Reuben.

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