When things are good, it’s easy to believe we deserve it, or that our good fortune is a direct result of our efforts and importance. We may not say it out loud, but inwardly we feel the blessings are confirmation that we’re personally deserving of such good things.
But Deuteronomy chapter 9 reminds us…don’t get a big head! Here, Moses tells the children of Israel not to assume that they are somehow better than the nations they are preparing to defeat. In fact, Moses reminds them that they are just as stubborn and rebellious as these other nations. Moses even goes on to remind them of incident after incident in which they stubbornly rebelled against God.
As believers, we can sometimes have the same arrogant attitude. It’s easy to believe that, because we’re saved from our sin and walking in a relationship with God, we’re some how better than those who aren’t following God. But, we’re often just as stubborn and rebellious toward God as those we look down on. If anything, our stubbornness and rebellion is worse, because we know God personally.
We are not deserving of the blessings of God. Our best efforts come up short and are like filthy rags compared to God’s holiness and righteousness. (Isaiah. 64:6) (Romans. 3:23.) The blessings we experience are a product of God’s mercy, not our goodness. When God blesses us, it should prompt in us a submissive gratitude, not a superior attitude.
So think of it as the 11th commandment… “Thou shalt not get a big head!”