Not Earned - Deut. 9:6; 7:8

"The Lord your God is not giving you this good land because you are righteous, for you are not..." Deut. 9:6

"It is simply because the Lord loves you..." Deut. 7:8

It is only because of God's love that we are not toast! He makes it very clear in today's chapters that nothing we are blessed with is because of any righteousness on our part--it is all due ONLY to God's love for us. Our continued existence is a love gift from God every day--that puts it into perspective doesn't it?! He also warns us not to forget him after we become rich due to his blessings, and if we do, that we are on a sure path to destruction. He warns numerous times to be careful, as if we will become fat and lazy with our wealth and forget its source; or worse, think that we earned it all on our own. That could never happen, could it?

Jesus, thank you for the ways you have blessed my life. Thank you for my family, thank you for my job, thank you for my finances, thank you for my health, thank you for the struggles that stretch and grow me... thank you for dying for ME. Thank you for one more day to live for you -- keep me from wasting it.

Today's reading: Deut. 7-9; Mk. 15