God's got it all (2)

God was upset with his people. Hosea wrote about how they'd grown ungrateful, even though God had given them a pretty miraculous set-up. Israel was a nation chosen by God, and he wanted to use its people to demonstrate to other nations how to live fully and rightly. God brought the Israelites out of Egypt and made sure they had plenty to eat while they were in the wilderness (Hosea 13:4-6). That's 'provision' - a general word Christians use to describe the truth that God gives us everything we need. But unfortunately that's not the happy ending of Hosea's story. As soon as the people were belly-full satisfied, 'they became proud and forgot about [God]' (Hosea 13:6 NIV).

This 'things-got-good-so-we-forgot-God' mentality can happen to us too. But, it's not a healthy relationship with God. We don't usually forget our friends when they go out of their way to give us something, because we can see what they did. But, because we can't physically see God, we can forget that he's our number one provider.

What would our relationship with God look like if we lived remembering that he's the source of everything we need, and that he's chosen to give it to us? Let's consider that, and continually thank him for his provision.



So what now? Every time someone gives you something you need, whether it's a smile at the right moment or a nice, strong cup of tea, thank them. Tell them why you appreciate the thing they did. And thank God too!





— SCRIPTURE —

'You became proud and forgot about me.' Hosea 13:6 CEV
— SOULFOOD —

Num 22-24, Luke 8:1-15, Ps 108, Pro 3:31-32