Freedom From Things and Self

Deuteronomy 8 has become one of my favorite chapters in all the Bible. The Israelites are about to go into the Promised Land -- no more wilderness. And, it is a land flowing with abundance. God knows their tendency is to become proud of what they have "accomplished" and so he tells them that he was humbling them and testing them to see if they would obey. In fact he let them go hungry and thirsty and then fed them and gave them water. And, the purpose was so that they would learn that it's not about "bread and water." It is about the bread that comes from heaven.

An analogy from fishing helps me understand even more. When fishing for Marlin, other Billfish, and Dorado, we may put out a teaser -- a lure with no hooks. The purpose is to make the fish to try to eat the lure and then pull it away right before it takes it. Finally, the fish is so singularly focused on eating it will come close enough to the boat to throw out another lure that it wouldn't have eaten before. God wants a singular focus from us and he will use other "teasers" to bring us right to him and his kingdom.

Back to the Israelites, God was developing in them a freedom from things and self. God had to teach them to be free from things so that they could be free to receive things because the land they were going to would be so plentiful that without this lesson they would stray. In fact, He states "when your flocks and herds have become very large and your silver and gold have multiplied along with everything else, be careful! Do not become proud at that time and forget the Lord your God..." The reason was that He wanted to make sure that they were free from things and free from self so that none would say that "he achieved this wealth with [his] own strength and energy." Because, the reality is that "he is the one who gives you power to be successful."

This has made me think about the last 7 years or so for me. While I have been faithful to give back, did I let some "self" creep in and say, "I have done such"? Not sure, but it is possible. Also, might God have something even greater in store for all of us that are in the midst of a trial as long as we allow Him to take us where we have to go? Where we need to go, even if it hurts? God wants us to be thirsty and hungry for Him. He wants us to be free from things and self so that we can be free to receive things. At some level, it is freeing to know that there is nothing that anyone can take from you. But, if we are really just stewards, then hasn't this always been true? It's all a matter of perspective and one I am grateful to have experienced!