The strength to Produce Wealth

The People of Israel were going to inherit the land of Canaan. God promised it to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Now, the new generation of the descendants of Jacob were ready to go in and take the land. Moses instructs them what to do to keep God's commands. Then, he warns them about their attitude after the conquest is over, and they enjoy the land flowing with milk and honey. If they begin to think they did it all by themselves, they will be all wrong. If they begin to think they are rich, and they own it all, their arrogance will destroy them. He reminded them to always remember that it was the Lord their God who gave them the strength to produce the wealth, so they could fulfill their part of the covenant. (Deuteronomy 8:17,18) This reality is still true for all of us today.

It is easy to give ourselves credit for the money and the possessions we accumulate. This comes from pride after we work hard and save. The problem is that we start to think that we are rich because of our own hard work, and we not only did it all, but we own it all, too. Nothing could be farther from the truth. God gave us life. He enables us to breathe and to have strength to do whatever we do. We do nothing on our own. We only do it in the power God gives us. Also, we do not own anything. God is the Creator and owner of everything, but by His grace He generously gives us even more than we need, as we trust Him and fulfill our covenant with Him through knowing Jesus and living for Him. Therefore, pride should never be a factor. We should humbly confess to God that we know He gives us the strength to produce wealth. We should give Him thanks for that daily, and acknowledge that it all belongs to Him, while we use what He gives us for His glory.
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Tomorrow, I intend to read Deuteronomy 9-11.