10 When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the Lord your God for the good land he has given you. 11 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. 12 Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down, 13 and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, 14 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. 15 He led you through the vast and dreadful wilderness, that thirsty and waterless land, with its venomous snakesand scorpions. He brought you water out of hard rock. 16 He gave you manna to eat in the wilderness, something your ancestors had never known, to humble and test you so that in the end it might go well with you. 17 You may say to yourself, “My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.” 18 But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your ancestors, as it is today.
19 If you ever forget the Lord your God and follow other gods and worship and bow down to them, I testify against you today that you will surely be destroyed. 20 Like the nations the Lord destroyed before you, so you will be destroyed for not obeying the Lord your God. (Deuteronomy 8:10-20)
Thoughts: On Memorial Day weekend, we need to remember what is really important. When God prospers us- and we get out of the recession. When we get rest from war and peace, and we build fine houses and settle down, we forget what God has done for us. It is not just that the pioneers made America great. It is not that we pulled ourselves up by the bootstraps. It is not just 99% perspiration and 1% inspiration or luck. We do not make ourselves be born. We cannot raise ourselves up as children. We do not make all of our breaks. Americans have known this for a long time- and have acknowledged God's help everywhere. Somehow today we have forgotten that God acts, God helps, God leads and guides. When the worst recession ever comes- this time we have not repented but have gone the other way- away from God. More and more are not believing in God. Four times as many churches close than open. Morally, for the first time ever- the majority of Americans believe sex outside of marriage and homosexual relationships are moral. It is time for us to remember God- and remember His ways. It is important to remember that we were not a theocracy before 1960 but the majority of people held to biblical values- even if they did not believe. It is time to remember we are not on our own- but we owe God our thanks.
Prayer: Lord, may my memory and vision be sharp. Help me to remember you this Memorial Day weekend.
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