– Is God Good Enough For You?
BRD REFLECTIONS:
(Andrew Pan, SGL LEGaO)
READ AND OBSERVE:
Hos 10:1: The more Israel prospered, the more Israel turned away from God to worship idols.
Do I forget God the more He blesses me? Do I keep His blessings to myself?
Hos 10:3-4: Having a king was as good as not having one as the Israelites did not revere God. The kings they appointed did not lead them towards God but instead led them to rely on empty promises and agreements with men (Eg. alliances with foreign powers).
Do I lead others to seek God or to rely on their own strength?
Hos 10: 5-8: God will destroy their idolatrous objects (Hos 10:2b) but instead of mourning their own unfaithfulness, they will mourn the loss of their false religion and seek death rather than return to God.
When God removes the idols in my life, do I repent and return to seeking Him or wallow in their absence and refuse God’s presence in my life?
Hos 10:11-12: The problem with the Israelites was that their heart was divided (“deceitful” NIV; “fickle” NLT) (v10:2a) and not wholly turned towards God. They had not progressed towards seeking God but were stuck in their own desires (Hos 10:9 cf Judges 19-21 the Gibeah incident). Israel, like a heifer that loved to thresh, because it could eat its fill of grain while doing so, had gotten used to enjoying God’s blessings for themselves. They had forgotten to work hard at ploughing the hardness of their hearts (seek God) so that He could cause faithfulness to grow and bear fruit
Hos 10:10, 13-15: The Israelites relied on their own strength. Wickedness is planted in our hearts when we don’t seek or rely on God. Instead, we rely on our own strength, lying to ourselves that our ways are right. This results in God’s judgement and punishment.
Do I seek God wholeheartedly or disregard Him by relying on myself?
When I need help, I remember to look up (not down) at the mighty mountains created by God. He is abundantly qualified to help me (Ps 121:1-2)! His help is careful (Ps 121:3a), continuous (Ps 121:3b-4), close (Ps 121:5) and complete ( Ps 121:6-8).
God both watches over my life in the present and preserves my soul for eternity. (Ps 121:7a-8)
APPLY:
God has blessed me abundantly with family, a stable income and fairly good health. I must continually seek, acknowledge and rely on Him, grow in faithfulness and channel His blessings into His work rather than keep them for myself. I am also reminded not to allow my hobbies to become my idols but to seek God in and through them.
Recently, I was confronted by God with, “Andrew, am I not good enough for you?” when I pondered the many disappointments I and those close to me have faced. Hos 10 and Ps 121 remind me that God is “good enough” for me if I revere Him, rely on Him and release my ways to His will. God’s got me covered anywhere and all the time.
DO:
I will:
- engage God daily about all that is happening in and around me.
- rely on God and His provision to serve others rather than myself.
- praise and glorify God as He leads me through my life journey.
- continue to hear, read, study, meditate, and memorize His Word daily.
- acknowledge God when success or disappointments come my way believing He has it covered.
PRAY:
Lord, I acknowledge you as the author and perfecter of my faith. Thank you for being a good Father that I can unreservedly rely on through this journey of life You have not only set before me but determined to guide me on to finish well. Help me to seek you daily, that I may rest in your provision for my soul. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
