Day 247, or September the 4th. Why not choose to make God smile? Our thoughts today come
from Hosea chapter 11 verse 7. My people are determined to turn from me, even though they
call me God Most High. I will by no means exalt them.
Here are the big pictures surrounding this verse. Hosea reminds his fellow countrymen that God's
judgment is certain, but that doesn't mean God has stopped loving them. On the contrary,
he loves them so much that wherever they go, he will always be their God. They have been
given chance after chance, until chances run out and judgment comes. Hosea knows how God
feels because he has given his unfaithful wife Goma many chances too, and she has spurned
them all in favour of simply going her own way.
And now today's action step. When I taught our two sons to ride a bike,
I ran behind them ready to catch hold of them and their bicycle if they lost control. As
they became more proficient, they began to insist on doing it themselves. I had no choice
but to let them, as I couldn't keep up with them. I had to watch them fall sometimes and
graze their knees or elbows. Of course it was the only way they could learn. Should
I have insisted on keeping hold of them? That wouldn't have been a sign of love. It would
have been a sign of control. When they eventually could ride, they thanked me for teaching them,
but so often we neglect to thank God for his help in our lives. It's the same with us
when we insist on doing it ourselves rather than working with God. He allows us to try,
fail and try again. That's how much he loves us. You hear people say, Why doesn't God
do something about this or that? The answer is that he loves us too much to take our free
will from us. He wants us to choose for ourselves. When a child turns to you for a cuddle simply
because they want to, it's a great feeling. Today you can please God simply by trusting
him instead of worrying. Now isn't that an amazing thought? You can make God happy or
sad.