It’s All Gift Deuteronomy 6:10-13
“The LORD your God will soon bring you into the land he swore to give you when he made a vow to your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. It is a land with large, prosperous cities that you did not build. The houses will be richly stocked with goods you did not produce. You will draw water from cisterns you did not dig, and you will eat from vineyards and olive trees you did not plant. When you have eaten your fill in this land, be careful not to forget the LORD, who rescued you from slavery in the land of Egypt." Deuteronomy 6:10-13 (NLT)
Pastor’s Blog
Do you remember the old Smith Barney ad featuring John Houseman (famous as the law professor in the film and tv series The Paper Chase) who delivered the famous line "We make money the old-fashioned way. We earn it.”
The ad was a huge hit. Americans earn their keep. A “kept” man is a weak man. Americans are independent, strong, self made, pioneers who conquered an untamed land. If we’ve done anything good we’ve done it ourselves. And no, we don’t need your help , thank you. Others need OUR help. America’s self image perseveres to this day; We sing I’m proud to be an American and God Bless the USA.
I too love this image of the strong and proud American. My dad was “self made”, strong, an American mix of pride in his hard work and accomplishments, yet with a very real humility about him.
But today’s passage reminds that no life is lived, no accolade achieved, no merit earned, no success accomplished, no victory won, which is not fundamentally gift from beyond oneself. 80% of my life has nothing to do with my efforts. My birth, my parents, my DNA, my abilities, my sight, my hearing, my brain, the part of the world into which I was born, the culture into which I was assimilated, the schools I attended (or didn’t), the air I breathe . . . . .and on an on I could go. It’s all gift. It’s all gift.
And God reminds his Israel that life starts and continues by God’s gift. If we do well, we are like the surfer who trains hard (yes, hard work is good!!!! And necessary!!) but knows nevertheless that it’s wave who carries him. He just rides what’s been given.
As for me, were you to ask, I could tell you a very wonderful story of how God has carried me from conception to this very moment. It’s a story of gift, all gift.
(to post your thoughts, anonymously if you wish, simply click on “comments” below)
From the book "The Grand Weaver" by Ravi Zacharias
ReplyDelete"The Christian faith, simply stated, reminds us that our fundamental problem is not moral; rather, our fundamental problem is spiritual.
It is not just that we are immoral, but that a moral life alone cannot bridge wht separates us from God.
Herein lies the cardinal difference between the moralizing religions and Jesus' offer to us.
Jesus does not offer to make bad people good but to make dead people alive. "
As a Christian, my perspective always needs to be brought forth from a redemptive heart.
While attending a workshop on counseling, those attending were asked to draw and present a lifeline. It took me a few days to accurately remember the peaks and valleys, add accurate dates and other outside events, and prepare to present it to the group. It ended up being a testimony to the Lord's protection of and provision for me beginning with my premature, underweight birth, through a suicide attempt at age eleven, and eventual college scholarship and marriage. Everyone cried including me. Everything, including my birth, is because the Lord loves me and has a plan for me. Jer 29:11
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