Deuteronomy 6:10-12 "And when the Lord your God brings you into the land..."

"And when the Lord your God brings you into the land which he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give you, with great and goodly cities, which you did not build, and houses full of all good things, which you did not fill, and cisterns hewn out, which you did not hew, and vineyards and olive trees, which you did not plant, and when you eat and are full, then take heed lest you forget the Lord, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage" (Deuteronomy 6:10-12 RSV).

Comment:

I think this is the passage you are asking about. Deuteronomy is structured as three speeches which Moses delivers to the Israelites as they reach the end of their journey through the wilderness. In this first speech he emphasizes the importance of the First Commandment. This passage follows immediately after the great, ringing statement, "Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord, and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might." (6:4-6).   This passage concerns both the positive results of loving the Lord and the dangers inherent in receiving our good. The promise is absolute: If we devote all our energy to expressing the power of our indwelling Christ, our lives will be blessed and abundant. Sometimes it's easier to maintain that spiritual focus when we're in the midst of a wilderness experience. Once we begin to move out of the wilderness, to receive and experience the rewards of our spiritual focus, there's a temptation to forget the Source of those rewards, and to start thinking that we're doing it ourselves. We must always remember that the joy, beauty and abundance we experience in life are not the result of our own abilities. They are expressions of divine energy. The Lord is the Source, and our focus on the Lord within us is the means that allows that energy to express.   Blessings!

Rev. Ed