Did You Do Good?
She just asked one question
Reference: They delight the king with their wickedness, the princes with their lies. (Hosea 7:3 NIV)
Explore: I was having coffee with a friend the other day when her child came home from school. He was boasting about a grand feat that he had been involved in during lunchtime.
Apparently one of the annoying children had taken off their shoes and my friend’s son was part of a group who threw the shoes up into a tree. He was still showing much elation from the whole experience and had clearly been praised by his peers for his effort.
My friend was patient with her son, but really quite concerned. She just asked one question: “How did he feel when you threw his shoes up into the tree?”
Her son’s face immediately dropped. He suddenly realised that, in a different context, here in front of his mother, his great achievement was not all it was cracked up to be.
He quickly changed from his boastful confidence to hesitant justifications, but knew that his excuses were now futile. To his peers it was victory, to his mother it was disappointment.
Application: In Hosea we read of a rebellious nation. They had turned so far from God’s ways that they boasted of their evil.
I guess Hosea the prophet played the same role as my friend – the mother figure who sees things from a more moral perspective. Unfortunately, there weren’t more people around who could give this view.
Time and time again I hear adults speak of their prowess, and yet, it’s in actions that they should not be proud of. Their peers cheer them on but I stay silent.
Maybe I need to be more like my friend with her son – highlight how distasteful their behaviour is and get them to consider how others feel. And maybe I can help by living such an exemplary life that they can see my values and strive to do similarly.
Prayer: Lord, help me to be a great example to my friends and colleagues. May I not boast of my wrong doing but stay in line with your Word. Amen.
How can you promote the values that you believe in?
This article was written by Linda Bailey
Linda started theological studies in 1999 in Australia. After working for ten years in various church ministries, she now works as the breakfast producer at 89.9 LightFM - the Christian radio station in Melbourne, Australia. She writes blogs every day about passages she is currently reading in the Bible. Follow her on Google Plus +Linda Bailey or Facebook by clicking the like button on the right of this page.