Deuteronomy 9:4-6
4 “Do not say in your heart, after the Lord your God has thrust them out before you, ‘It is because of my righteousness that the Lord has brought me in to possess this land,’ whereas it is because of the wickedness of these nations that the Lord is driving them out before you. 5 Not because of your righteousness or the uprightness of your heart are you going in to possess their land, but because of the wickedness of these nations the Lord your God is driving them out from before you, and that he may confirm the word that the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. 6 “Know, therefore, that the Lord your God is not giving you this good land to possess because of your righteousness, for you are a stubborn people.
One of the pitfalls we can face in recovery is thinking that we can overcome our sin due to our own strength and goodness. Moses warns against this kind of prideful thinking when he tells the Israelites not to think that it was because of their righteousness that God has blessed them. We need to remember that it is God who is the source of our blessings and strength. One good thing that we can take away from our sinful weaknesses is a deep realization of our need for God. We all need to learn to be God-dependent rather than self-sufficient, and those who have struggled with their sin and admitted their weakness are sometimes in a better place than those who have never had to struggle in life. But we need to beware of falling back into pride and self-sufficiency once we attain some sobriety. We need to always give glory to God and not ourselves.
Lord, I confess that I tend to take pride in myself and my self-sufficiency. But without You I am a mess. Help me to remember to always give You the glory.
4 “Do not say in your heart, after the Lord your God has thrust them out before you, ‘It is because of my righteousness that the Lord has brought me in to possess this land,’ whereas it is because of the wickedness of these nations that the Lord is driving them out before you. 5 Not because of your righteousness or the uprightness of your heart are you going in to possess their land, but because of the wickedness of these nations the Lord your God is driving them out from before you, and that he may confirm the word that the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. 6 “Know, therefore, that the Lord your God is not giving you this good land to possess because of your righteousness, for you are a stubborn people.
One of the pitfalls we can face in recovery is thinking that we can overcome our sin due to our own strength and goodness. Moses warns against this kind of prideful thinking when he tells the Israelites not to think that it was because of their righteousness that God has blessed them. We need to remember that it is God who is the source of our blessings and strength. One good thing that we can take away from our sinful weaknesses is a deep realization of our need for God. We all need to learn to be God-dependent rather than self-sufficient, and those who have struggled with their sin and admitted their weakness are sometimes in a better place than those who have never had to struggle in life. But we need to beware of falling back into pride and self-sufficiency once we attain some sobriety. We need to always give glory to God and not ourselves.
Lord, I confess that I tend to take pride in myself and my self-sufficiency. But without You I am a mess. Help me to remember to always give You the glory.