Following the culture

Hosea 8
4They set up kings without my consent; they choose princes without my approval. With their silver and gold they make idols for themselves to their own destruction. 5Samaria, throw out your calf-idol! My anger burns against them. How long will they be incapable of purity? 6They are from Israel! This calf—a metalworker has made it; it is not God. It will be broken in pieces, that calf of Samaria. 7“They sow the wind and reap the whirlwind. The stalk has no head; it will produce no flour. Were it to yield grain, foreigners would swallow it up. 8Israel is swallowed up; now she is among the nations like something no one wants.

12I wrote for them the many things of my law, but they regarded them as something foreign. 13Though they offer sacrifices as gifts to me, and though they eat the meat, the Lord is not pleased with them. Now he will remember their wickedness and punish their sins: They will return to Egypt. 14Israel has forgotten their Maker and built palaces; Judah has fortified many towns. But I will send fire on their cities that will consume their fortresses.”

1John 3
1See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.

In Hosea 8, Isreal is trying really hard to fit in with the rest of the culture/society. 

That culture knows Israel is God's chosen people. They have seen the miracles: the Red Sea parting, water from a rock, Isreal conquering mighty nations and cities with but a few hundred men over and over again. The people in that day KNEW the Israelites were God's chosen people.

Knowing the Israelites were chosen, that society expected great things from them since God had done great things for them. Instead, the Israelites chose to emulate society: golden calves, kings, palaces. They did this over and over again. God brought them back through some sort of severity and then they recommitted themselves  to God. Then they fall apart again and emulated society, sinned against God, and God gave them over to their sin so they could see it. They repented, God took them back (1John 3). The cycle starts again.

You are thinking, as am I, "really"? How do they not see what they are doing? Why does God have to allow them to wallow in their sin before they figure this out? Then I stop and think about my days. I start off with a devotion and feel real good about things. I hit my day running and run right into a problem. Do I stop and pray for God's divine guidance or do I take charge and solve it myself. I solve it myself...my first mistake.  Then I move on and hit another problem. Do I follow the culture and solve it myself or seek God's guidance? I follow culture...I solve it myself. Another mistake. By the end of the day, I wonder why other people are so crazy and why I am so frustrated and why I am so tired. 

I am just like the Israelites. I started out with God. Then I followed the culture and solved my own problems. God knows I am weak. He knows I need His strength and guidance. He offers it all the time. He withdraws it when when I ignore Him so I will turn back to Him. I realize what I have done and ask forgiveness. I start all over again.

Father, I thank you for your persistence. For always pursuing me (us). Please forgive me when I go astray and trust this world's judgment, or mine, instead of yours. Help me to seek you all the time in everything I do. I can't do that through my own will. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.