January 11, 2025

Passage Read: Deuteronomy 8-11
Meditation Verses: 9:6-7

Thought

It is easy to forget who we are when the Lord grants victory over our enemies. We can begin to think we're pretty awesome, that the Lord loves us and blesses us because we're so good and righteous. But it's actually because the people He gives us victory over are people who have been even more unrighteous than us, and who don't have a forefather that loved the Lord. We need to remember how often we have provoked the Lord to anger, so as to remain humble and always seek to improve our obedience. We need to remember that it is because of God's commitment to someone who went before us that we enjoy His favor.

Application

Humility is hard when I'm so set on thinking highly of myself. But if I can maintain an understanding that on my own, I'm as wicked and stubborn as even the worst of sinners, then I can remember how much work I need to put in to change my reputation. And I should be surprised when I get things right! And I can marvel that God does anything kind to me, because I so don't deserve it. It is because of the obedience of Jesus that I can stand before the Lord, not because of my own righteousness. And recognizing how much mercy and grace I enjoy, I should be more compelled to seek the Lord and obey Him. That's the path to humility.