Wednesday, July 25: Hosea 13 - Danger of self-satisfaction.

As I read the continuing saga of Israel (sometimes called Ephraim), my eyes and heart were attracted to verse 6. When I fed them, they were satisfied; when they were satisfied, they became proud; then they forgot me.

I found myself pondering the dangers of becoming ‘satisfied.’ When I read about this kind of satisfied, I read it as being self-satisfied. I have all I need, I have provided all this for myself, I am set for life… I did, I am, I... This kind of “I” attitude closes out the need for God. Since I provided, produced, made, etc., why do I need God? The well-known Sinatra tune, “I did it my way” came to mind as I pondered this text.

As Hosea put it, as Israel grew more and more satisfied, they became proud; then they forgot God. Israel stands as a warning for me (for us). What they allowed to happen could happen to me.  If I grow self-satisfied in what I can do to care for myself… the negative of growing self-confident and self-satisfied is that I leave the Lord and His care for me out of the equation.

Lord, may it never be.  May I never grow satisfied with myself and my abilities that I crowd out trust in You. Keep me humble and reliant on You, Oh Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer. Amen.