At the end of the Book of Joshua, we find this summary statement of what God has done for His people. No, it is not God patting Himself on the back, but it is God reminding His people of where they have come from and what their status is now. This is designed to inspire faith by encouraging everyone to reflect upon the blessings God has given His people over the years.
It is helpful for us to also stop and reflect upon the blessings we have received and the progress in our faith life until the present time. If we are disciplined enough to do this regularly, it will keep us in a spirit of gratitude in good and bad times. When we go through tough times, we will surely be able to find blessings in the midst of our trials. There is never an excuse not to be grateful to the Lord.
One of the great failings of the Jews was that they seemed to easily forget the blessings of the past. Not much has changed with the advent of Christianity. Christians also seem to have a tendency to forget even the blessing of being victorious over sin. It does not make any sense to forget such a gift. No one would want to relinquish such a gift, which should make us pause and reflect why we so readily forget it.
It seems that we have a tendency to take God and His blessings for granted. This is very unfortunate as with the sin of assumption comes the weakening of our faith and a greater reliance and submission to the lures of the world. We should avoid this pitfall if we want to remain faithful disciples. The world needs faithful disciples as a reminder of what our true focus in life should be.
Reflection Question:
Do I tend to take the blessings of God in my life for granted? When was the last time I specifically tried to enumerate them in order to thank God for them?
Holy Spirit, help me to remember and be grateful for all the many blessings of the Lord in my life.
St. James Nam, pray for us.
