God’s Goodness
“Oh no!” That was my response upon opening a beehive and discovering the colony had suddenly died. It had been a thriving hive with lots of honey. I’d carefully maintained it throughout a mild winter and anticipated an early harvest. But a cold snap in the warm weather had led to collapse.
I checked with local experts. “Many beekeepers lost hives this time,” they reassured me. Mild winters present challenges for bees, even healthy hives. Bees fan their wings to maintain warmth in the hive in winter, but when the weather warms briefly, they exhaust themselves seeking even more food. If temperatures drop quickly, they don’t have strength to keep warm. Their “distraction” leads to destruction.
Even good things can become dangers when they turn us from what matters most. Moses cautioned God’s people about this after they left Egypt and before they entered the land God was about to give them—a land with “houses filled with all kinds of good things” that they “did not provide” (Deuteronomy 6:11). “When you eat and are satisfied,” Moses warned, “be careful that you do not forget the Lord” (vv. 11-12).
Remembering God in our blessings helps us because He is the source of “every good and perfect gift” (James 1:17). When we humbly respond to His goodness by loving Him with heart, soul, and strength (Deuteronomy 6:5), we find in Him the best blessing of all.
By James Banks - Our Daily Bread Ministries
Deuteronomy 6:10-19
10When the Lord your God brings you into the land he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to give you—a land with large, flourishing cities you did not build, 11houses filled with all kinds of good things you did not provide, wells you did not dig, and vineyards and olive groves you did not plant—then when you eat and are satisfied, 12be careful that you do not forget the Lord, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.
13Fear the Lord your God, serve him only and take your oaths in his name. 14Do not follow other gods, the gods of the peoples around you; 15for the Lord your God, who is among you, is a jealous God and his anger will burn against you, and he will destroy you from the face of the land. 16Do not put the Lord your God to the test as you did at Massah. 17Be sure to keep the commands of the Lord your God and the stipulations and decrees he has given you. 18Do what is right and good in the Lord’s sight, so that it may go well with you and you may go in and take over the good land the Lord promised on oath to your ancestors, 19thrusting out all your enemies before you, as the Lord said.
