2 minute read.
Daily Reading: Hosea 3-6 GW; Romans 10 GW
“Ouch, God!”
Today’s verse lives in the book of Hosea. With a prostitute chosen by God for his wife, Hosea’s calling is to love her every time she cheated on him. (Hosea 3:1 GW)
Marriage isn’t the topic in this story, how the Israelites constantly turned their back on God, yet God loved them anyway is. Chapter four of Hosea is the Lord’s legal case against Israel, which doesn’t start well.
God’s anger is at their lack of faith. Because they lack faith, they don’t know God. Without God, you can’t know unconditional love. We’re just like the Israelites. Every one of us is guilty of cheating on God, somehow, some way. God knows every time we do and still loves us.
God never leaves.
Our world has moved away from God, but He hasn’t moved away from us. Recently, I spent a Saturday afternoon in a writing seminar titled “Writing for Healing.” The topic was grief. Each of the participants had lost loved ones, some tragically. As we worked through the exercises, I realized quickly, I was the only person of faith in the class, or so I thought. Listening to the conversations of people dealing with heartbreak without Christ to help them caused me to pray fervently for each of them. God worked a miracle.
From one person who vehemently denounced God, the conversation turned to another whose grief awakened her relationship with God. Working towards a close, we discussed the fear associated with grief. And we ended with the opposite of fear: love. The facilitator used John’s first letter to make his point:
“There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.”
Amid a group of people bashing God, they ended with God. He is the only answer to our pain and suffering. I never spoke; I just prayed, all glory is His. In Him, we will find love.
.
Lord, thank You for loving us even though we’ve turned our back on You. Forgive us for constantly straying away from You. Always bring us back into the fold, Lord. Don’t let us stray too far. Protect us from ourselves, Lord. IJNIP. Amen
Question for reflection
How is God growing your faith today?
