Daily Devotional

"Take care lest you forget the Lord your God by not keeping his commandments and his rules and his statutes, which I command you today." Deuteronomy 8:11

The Fourth of July has always been a fun holiday to me. It has a lot going for it, no school, warm weather, barbecue, swimming, and of course, fireworks! I still remember the awe and wonder I had as a young child learning there was a day where we celebrate by blowing things up. I couldn’t help but wonder (as I still do to be honest) why we don’t add fireworks to more holidays?

To me, the Fourth of July isn’t just a day to celebrate our freedom, but to also remember what a gift that freedom is, and a reminder to give thanks to God. For the great majority of human history, people did not live as we do now. We are truly a privileged people. One of the things I find fascinating and heart-breaking in Scripture is the pattern of God blessing people, followed by those very people turning away from God.
 
Deuteronomy 8 goes on to warn the people of Israel that it is exactly when they are full, living in good houses, with plenty and wealth that they are most likely to forget the very God who is the giver of all good things. Once their focus becomes the good things they have instead of the one who gives them those good things, they are on dangerous ground. This is the danger for us too if we focus too much on our blessings in place of focusing on the one who gave us the blessings; the danger of merely being thankful versus actually giving thanks to God.

When we set aside a day to celebrate our freedom, let us also remember to set aside time to give thanks to the God who gave us that freedom. More than that, let us also remember the even greater gift of our true and ultimate freedom that we have been given in Jesus Christ, freedom from sin’s curse and freedom to boldly approach the throne of grace. As the apostle Paul puts it in 2 Corinthians 9:15, “Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift!”
English Standard Version (ESV)
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.