"But I am the Lord your God who brought you out of Egypt.
You shall acknowledge no other God but me, no Saviour
except me. I cared for you in the desert, in the land of the
burning heat. When I fed them, they were satisfied; when
they were satisfied, they became proud; then they forgot me."
Hosea 13:4-6
I have often wondered how we forget God in the good times. I've even striven (that cannot be a word) to remind myself of this to not repeat the history of O.T. Israelites. It's there for a reason, right?! Yet I believe this to be a great struggle of churched people. Let's face it, we live in a very affluent culture. I know we are in a recession but doesn't that just mean we shop the 50% off racks, make the kids order water at restaurants, go to the matinee and maybe even sneak in some candy.
Now Tori and I have learned the value of a dollar (those items listed above are a lifestyle here) and we strive to teach our children gratefulness. So I recently had my children list all the ways God has "satisfied" us this summer. We filled a white board. Just listen - season passes to Splashtown, vacation to Grammy and Grandaddy's house then to Arkansas and Mississippi, spending the night at Grandma and Papaw's house numerous times, trips to Lake DeGray, Lake Conroe, and Lake Somerville, movies, lazy days at home, parties with friends, and the list goes on. Summer is only halfway over and I'm technically unemployed!
We seek to satisfy our appetites. And we seek often. Vacations, fun, enjoyment, satisfaction are not bad. After all, good gifts come from God. But Hosea reminds us that we seek satisfaction and then become proud, haughty, arrogant, and independent of God. We believe we have provided for ourselves, have earned these gifts, deserve all that we have. We don't say it out loud, it's just the way we live.
Which leads to this - "then they forgot me." How can such blessed, affluent, saturated, satisfied people forget God. Seems preposterous! But there is a remedy, "Return, O Israel, to the Lord your God. Your sins have been your downfall! Take words with you and return to the Lord ..." Hosea 14 is incredible. I especially like "take words with you and return." Like a spoiled child who has long taken advantage of loving, patient parents desperately needs to ask forgiveness we need to return and "take words." It is not always enough to just stand there quietly waiting for the lecture to end. You want a response. You want to hear the words roll off their tongues. You want an acknowledgement. "I'm sorry!" "I was wrong!" "Please forgive me!"
Read Hosea 14 and hear God's unfailing love for his children. "Whoever is wise, let him understand these things; whoever is discerning, let him know them; for the ways of the Lord are right, and the upright walk in them."
Chris
Side bar - My apologies to anyone who is truly struggling financially. Though it will not resolve all your problems, I highly encourage you to find a church family or if you already have one, lean on them . We were meant to walk this life together!
