Rich & Privileged
When I was growing up as a kid in Kentucky, I was one of five children. I didn’t know that we struggled financially. My parents ran a pretty tight ship. I knew that we didn’t have the same kind of money that my best friend’s family had – he had a mini-bike. I do remember some pretty lean Christmas’s. I do remember a lot of things that I wanted, but we couldn’t afford them. The bottom line was I didn’t know we were rich. We were rich in spiritual values. We never missed one meal growing up. There are lots of families in the world that are trying to figure out IF they are going to eat today, not what restaurant they will go to for lunch.
Fast forward to today, I have learned that rich is a very relative term. A family on welfare or government assistance in the United States is in the top tier of wealth worldwide. We are a blessed nation for sure.
Moses is speaking to the people of Israel as they are on the cusp of invading the land the Lord God had promised their ancestors long ago. I’m not sure that they knew that they were rich with the Lord’s Presence and His leadership in their lives. Moses reminds them of where they came from and of God’s mighty hand upon them. Check this out….
7 “The Lord did not set his heart on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other nations, for you were the smallest of all nations! 8 Rather, it was simply that the Lord loves you, and he was keeping the oath he had sworn to your ancestors. That is why the Lord rescued you with such a strong hand from your slavery and from the oppressive hand of Pharaoh, king of Egypt. 9 Understand, therefore, that the Lord your God is indeed God. He is the faithful God who keeps his covenant for a thousand generations and lavishes his unfailing love on those who love him and obey his commands. 10 But he does not hesitate to punish and destroy those who reject him. 11 Therefore, you must obey all these commands, decrees, and regulations I am giving you today.
12 “If you listen to these regulations and faithfully obey them, the Lord your God will keep his covenant of unfailing love with you, as he promised with an oath to your ancestors. (Deuteronomy 7:7-12 NLT)
When I take time to reflect on my journey with the Lord, I am blessed beyond words. I had the privilege to pray with a gentleman who loves the Lord but is left holding pieces of a marriage that was. It’s so hard for him to find hope in such a devastating situation, but the Lord ALWAYS brings hope with Him. I am living proof that the Lord can take broken pieces of a life and make them into a beautiful piece of art.
I am wealthy, richly blessed and highly favored because of the Lord’s Presence in my life, NOT because the size of my portfolio or bank account. I am a kid whose DAD is wealthy beyond my wildest imagination. I don’t deserve this wealth and privilege, but I still have it. He fights for me. He defends me. He provides for me. He rescues me. He forgives me when I make dumb decisions. He is my Strength when I’m weak. He is really MY EVERYTHING. I’m a bit of a “spoiled rich kid” and I’m so thankful for His Presence in me and His Patience with me.
Pressing On!
Dwayne