For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land, a land with flowing streams, with springs and underground waters welling up in valleys and hills, a land of wheat and barley, of vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive trees and honey, a land where you may eat bread without scarcity, where you will lack nothing, a land whose stones are iron and from whose hills you may mine copper. You shall eat your fill and bless the Lord your God for the good land that he has given you.
Take care that you do not forget the Lord your God, by failing to keep his commandments, his ordinances, and his statutes, which I am commanding you today. When you have eaten your fill and have built fine houses and live in them, and when your herds and flocks have multiplied, and your silver and gold is multiplied, and all that you have is multiplied, then do not exalt yourself, forgetting the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, who led you through the great and terrible wilderness, an arid wasteland with poisonous snakes and scorpions. He made water flow for you from flint rock, and fed you in the wilderness with manna that your ancestors did not know, to humble you and to test you, and in the end to do you good. Do not say to yourself, “My power and the might of my own hand have gotten me this wealth.” But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth, so that he may confirm his covenant that he swore to your ancestors, as he is doing today.-Deuteronomy 8:7-18
Fortune makes us complacent. As far back as ancient Israel, they understood that hardship fosters reliance and gratitude and that those attitudes are difficult to hang on to when times are good. Yet gratitude is the thing that keeps us connected to God and our better selves. [hear sermon audio]
This week, take some time to go deeper. Use these scriptures and questions to reflect on your own life and community.
Texts to read:
- Deuteronomy 6:10-11:32
Questions to ponder:
- What is the virtue of self-sufficiency?
- What is the danger of self-sufficiency?
- How can reliance on God and gratitude make us more attuned to the needs of others?
Do and share:
- Take a picture of something for which you are grateful and share it to our Facebook or Twitter(@dpumc) with the tag #ongoingthanks
- Start a “Gratitude Fund” in an envelope. Every time you buy a Christmas gift for your family put at least 10% of the cost into the envelope. The week of Christmas, use that money to bless someone in need.
Pastor's Notepad 
Ponder….kinda hard I hope understanding here! self sufficiently and only taking care of our life in leisure and things bought and enjoying these over abundance with activities of example boats and new cars and not see too much and blind to others hurting and in need of help or think more is to be more get when the happiness will never be enough unless moderate our needs and share joy to others not over debt spend and join every expensive club …and leave love to others on the back in life. And not being grateful for what we have in moderent need. Trouble begans …..debt and try keep kids up with the most can get so they look better? But in reality best to work hard and help others with love and care. Even in nit just church help others who are in conflict not pass elder needed or young child who feel lost or teen who looking for a place in church but also do the same in our world as we walk out of church not brag we help but to do each day makes a grateful heart my grandmother would say help others when you can…she gone now much family but no need to think alone when grateful for helping others and give when you have plenty to some even groceries at home. We all can be selfish in ways in a hurry walk past or not want to bother others when see someone might need a shoulder to listen. Be more accepting to others never feel better then anyone when do so and not continue complain over others when we ourselves nit walk perfectly either.
Most all you can’t shove Christian way to People but when I try walk in Jesus ways as he taught in gospel s can help others see love too..
I say thank you Lord Jesus for all you do even if things go wrong or something good happens. I not perfect not near at all! I seen much in life I not only one in world and not any compare to each everyone are totally different survival and ways we live . When try live way above our neighbors and families can make a hard heart even if wealthy never forget what you have not over need and be there to help our world and neighbor friends in nonjudgmental ways to care and nit think we all better in bible words and knowledge when better to stand with someone and build them up then tell what they do wrong or throw out over knowledge to do nothing to build up others. I try be grateful I say to self to Lord Jesus even in my hardest times. I have terrible English but this I hope what the ponder is on.