We Want to be Like...

1 Samuel 8:19 – 20 is instructive.  Samuel tells us that God’s chosen people, those who were supposed to represent Him to the nations around them, instead wanted to be like the nations around them.  The nations had a king.  Israel had God.  But they wanted a king.  A king you can see and touch.  God, not so much.  Kings were cool.  God was distant.  Kings are present, I can watch them in the parade.  God is Spirit, hard to see and follow, takes faith.

Each of us face the exact same situation Israel did.  Our kids probably more so, in that they do not have the experiences that we do.  Daily we are bombarded with what is “cool”.  What cars, what clothes, what food, what body type, what schools, what income, what leaders are the current “cool”.  Further we are told over and over again that to talk about Christ and His values, is intolerant.  Being intolerant, is not cool.  Coexistence, now that is cool.  We should not really speak about Christ that is judging others.

So, like the Jews, we have to choose.  Are we going to go the way of the nations and accept their standard, their king?  Or are we going to choose to trust the God who came into this mess and died in order to get us out of it?

It seems like and easy choice.  But it does not seem to work out that way.