God Provides

Continuing with Life Together by Dietrich Bonhoeffer, we get to this on page 72:

God must feed us. We cannot and dare not demand this food as our right, for we, poor sinners, have not merited it. Thus the sustenance that God provides becomes a consolation of the afflicted; for it is the token of the grace and faithfulness with which God supports and guides His children. True, the Scriptures say, “If any will not work, neither let him eat” (II Thess. 3:10, A.R.V.) and thus make the receiving of bread strictly dependent upon working for it. But the Scriptures do not say anything about any claim that the working person has upon God for his bread. The work is commanded, indeed, but the bread is God’s free and gracious gift. We cannot simply take it for granted that our work provides us with bread; this is rather God’s order of grace.

we would do well to remember the admonitions that Moses gave the children of Israel in the book of Deuteronomy and especially chapter 8.

11“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, 12(M) lest, when you have eaten and are full and have built good houses and live in them, 13and when your herds and flocks multiply and your silver and gold is multiplied and all that you have is multiplied, 14(N) then your heart be lifted up, and you(O) forget the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, 15who(P) led you through the great and terrifying wilderness,(Q) with its fiery serpents and scorpions(R)and thirsty ground where there was no water,(S) who brought you water out of the flinty rock, 16who fed you in the wilderness with(T) manna that your fathers did not know, that he might humble you and test you,(U) to do you good in the end. 17Beware(V) lest you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth.’ 18You shall remember the LORD your God, for(W) it is he who gives you power to get wealth,(X) that he may confirm his covenant that he swore to your fathers, as it is this day19And if you forget the LORD your God and go after other gods and serve them and worship them,(Y) I solemnly warn you today that you shall surely perish. 20Like the nations that the LORD makes to perish before you,(Z) so shall you perish, because you would not obey the voice of the LORD your God.

emphasis added

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