“Beware that thou forget not the Lord thy God, in not keeping His commandments, and His judgments, and His statues, which I command thee this day: Lest when thou hast eaten and art full, and hast built goodly houses, and dwelt therein; And when thy herds and thy flocks multiply, and thy silver and they gold is multiplied, and all that thou hast is multiplied; Then thine heart be lifted up, and thou forget the Lord they God, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage.” Deuteronomy 8:11-14
Today’s Christian daily devotional
“I know exactly the kind of husband I want.” I’m standing on my tippy-toes. My mouth is wide open in great expectation of licking the extra brownie mix off my mother’s spatula.
“Oh, really.” My mother hands me the spoon without hesitation.
“Yes, and I know God will answer my prayers…because my Sunday school teacher told me that He would.” I close my eyes while licking every gooey inch of that spoon.
“Well, sometimes God answers prayers in ways we don’t expect Him to.” Mother gently wrangles the spatula from my vice-like grip.
“God knows what I want. I gave Him my list.” The brownie residue just wasn’t quite enough. I carefully help myself to more by dipping the tip of my finger into the batter…
“Julia! No. You’ll just have to wait like the rest of us.” She swats my sticky finger out of her bowl.
“So, what’s on this request list of your’s?” My mother inquires with piqued interest while coating a pan with a wrapped stick of butter.
“Oh, he’ll be handsome with light eyes and dark hair. He will also have lots of muscles so I’ll never be afraid.” I grab the butter in attempt to help her along.
My captured audience of one gave me the freedom to rattle my obscure requirements. Most of them were consistent with what most seven year olds would find important. This list was so exhaustive that mom’s brownies were almost half-baked by the time I got through it!
“With a wish list like that, God certainly has His work cut out for Him.” She smiled.
“Yeah. I know. But, He can do it.” I march to the oven window, peeking hungrily inside. The brown mass of goo was turning into something that was making our house smell heavenly. My feet couldn’t help but dance in anticipation.
Decades later, when I met my husband, any doubt about God’s existence that had attempted to creep into my mind over the years was immediately cancelled. Over time, my dreams had matured and that list was adapted. But, John had every quality that I held dear and had continued to pray for on and off all those years.
Despite the fact that I was far from living for God and hadn’t thought about Him in years; God hadn’t forgotten the heartfelt prayers of a little girl who had long since forgotten about Him.
The sweetness of falling in love was mixed with the bittersweet taste of my own callous heart. How could I continue to dismiss and ignore a God who was so good? I wasn’t worthy of His goodness. Whenever I would look into the eyes of my John, conviction pulled heavy on my heartstrings.
In Deuteronomy 8:11-14 we are reminded that the Israelites (like so many of us) struggled with the pride and arrogance that often comes hand in hand with success. They were warned not to forget the God who had so generously blessed them.
How blessed are you? Have you given God the credit for His gracious gifts? You could get away with it—so many people do. But, what does that say about you?
“Dear Heavenly Father,
Oh, you are so good. Your mercy, kindness and patience extends far greater than any of us deserves. You continue to bless those who curse you, because that is how good you really are.
Forgive me, Lord! I have taken so much for granted. Show me what I have forgotten to thank you for. Give me a heart to not only give you credit, but has such a deep appreciation for who you are and for all you do.
Lord, in a world that is hung-up on conditional love, I admit that sometimes I start to think in that way. How corrupt my heart can be! Help me to love like you do—in a PURE way. Help me to give to those who cannot give back, to love those who are unloveable.
I know that what I am asking for is outside the realm of reality. To be like this is to be like Jesus and that takes a supernatural power.
But, I have the faith that if you can answer the prayers of a little girl, you can answer the prayers of a big girl as well. Lord, give me the faith of a child. This will be a gift that will bless the both of us.
In Jesus’ precious name, because I know you are a good God and I want to be a bit more like you. Amen.”
Thank you for reading today’s Christian daily devotional on verses: Deuteronomy 8:11-14
Please check back and see what we have for you tomorrow!
Author: Julia Shalom Jordan