Then your heart will become proud and you will forget the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. (Deut. 8:14)
Expanded Passage: Deuteronomy 8:10-14
A close friend was desperate to prove himself after he took charge of the family business. All of us were excited for him to use his education to advance a company that had spanned three generations. As I sat with him one day I began to notice an out of character desire for gaining more money, business, and power.
Later, I was watching The Lion King with my kids. Simba is wrestling with what to do when he sees his father’s reflection and hears his father’s words: “remember who you are!”
I reached out to my friend to ask him this question: “do you remember why your family started this business?” He paused for a moment before he said, “yes, it was to serve the people in this community.” Before I could even ask him a follow up question, he lifted up his head and said, “no matter who leads, that should never change.” My friend’s pride and competitiveness had gotten the best of him, but when he remembered where he came from, he was able to make a change.
This was also true of God’s people when they were told to remember what God had done for them. The cost of forgetting is we think we made it by our skills, effort or education. However, a glimpse into our history reveals that it was God’s grace that kept us.
What do you need to remember today in order to resist a posture of pride?
Santes Beatty is an ordained minister and serves as the director of NextGen for Church Multiplication and Discipleship of The Wesleyan Church. He loves traveling with his family, writing, cooking, and equipping leaders.
© 2025 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission. Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®.
