Do You Appreciate Your Blessings from God?

PRAY OVER THIS

“And when Joshua had dismissed the people, the children of Israel went each to his own inheritance to possess the land. So the people served the Lord all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great works of the Lord which He had done for Israel. Now Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died when he was one hundred and ten years old. And they buried him within the border of his inheritance at Timnath Heres, in the mountains of Ephraim, on the north side of Mount Gaash. When all that generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation arose after them who did not know the Lord nor the work which He had done for Israel.”

Judges 2:6-10

 

PONDER THIS

The book of Judges is not a happy book—and yet it’s a book that holds out hope. It’s a book that tells us how God blessed the nation of Israel and how Israel then lost her glory. Israel had a glorious heritage and God had done a miracle for Israel. By the power of God, she had broken the gnawing and tormenting bonds of slavery. She had come out of Egypt and God had given to her a promised land, the land that flowed with milk and honey. But the people of Israel did not appreciate their miracle, their heritage, and the blessings of God.

God had given Himself to the people of Israel; they had a Lord. God had given them Canaan; they had a land. God had given them His commandments; they had a law. But they denied the Lord, they defied the law, and they defiled the land. What is the theme of Judges? “Everyone did what was right in his own eyes” (Judges 17:6). We are not so unlike those living in the time of the judges. Even when we have times of plenty and even after God’s provision, we still have this tendency. If we fail to exercise wisdom and caution, we will miss God Himself.

What threatens to take you off course in your faith? What brings you back to God in those moments?

How can you regularly remind yourself of all God has done for you?

PRACTICE THIS

Discuss with a friend the different things you appreciate about God and what He has done for you.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers