Then God said: Call his name Lo-Ammi, for you are not My people, and I will not be your God. Hosea 1:9
All over the world there are different groups of people who each have their own customs and ways of doing things. Outsiders who come in do not usually fit in because they are different and not their people. Only over a long period of time and learning, can a person really fit in as family or a part of a different group of people. All the customs and ways have to be learned and practiced.
Hosea records that when Gomer, his wife, had a son God told him to name the son Lo-Ammi because they are not His people, and He would not be their God.
In some cultures, when a family member does something that brings disgrace to the family, that member is cast out of the family. They are no longer considered a part of the family because of what was done. This can be commonly seen when a person becomes a believer in Christ and the family does not believe in Christ in any way.
There are many people who claim to be believers in Christ yet live a life of sin. Nothing in their lives shows that they truly believe in Jesus, other than a few words that they claim. Just as the Israelites during the time of Hosea claimed to believe in God, yet turned their backs on Him, people do the same today.
To continue in sin, is to have God reject the person. God cannot be God to the one who rejects Him.
Any person who claims to believe in God, must turn the back towards sin and live for God. The believer must be willing to change ways and customs and take on the holiness and righteousness that Jesus provides.
On this earth you will have some family that may or may not reject you. You also may or may not reject your family. If you have chosen to believe in and follow Jesus, you have a new family in God. God has become your God and your Father. Do not cause God to have to reject you because you choose to walk in sin. Allow God to change you and teach you His ways of living that will bring on eternal life. May God never have to say that you are not a part of His people.
Today I pray that you will know Jesus as your Lord and Savior; that God will be able to call you His people; that God will guide you in fleeing all sin; and that you will live as Jesus lived in pleasing God in every area of your life.
Photo by Patricia Prudente on Unsplash
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