Tuesday, May 22, 2007

Reflections on Hosea

I recently read the book of Hosea...possibly for the first time. Just wanted to jot down my thoughts, as a rememberance of the Lord's GREAT love for me...and you.

God will "allure" us and "speak tenderly" to us. He promised to be with us forever, and He promises righteousness and justice; He promisies love and compassion and faithfulness.

Nothing we do is hidden from our Lord. He sees it all--and it breaks His heart. Our unfaithfulness, our lies, our betrayal. He is grieved by our pride, our "intent on pursuing idols" and our attempts to do everything on our own. All He wants is for us to acknowledge Him and show mercy. To turn to Him and cry out to Him with our needs and wants. To ask for His consent and approval on decisions.

God is the "Holy One among us". Although anger is stirred in Him, he shows restraint. His compassion and love outweigh His wrath. He is jealous and wants to be first place in our lives.

He wants us to remain humble. When He blesses us--we need to maintain purity. In our pride, we forget God. We become puffed up with our stuff and what we have achieved--completely forgetting that ALL of that is a gift from Him.

God's free and lavish gift of love is unending. He wants us close to Him--so He can love us deeply.

I want that. I crave that love...and He is offering it to ME.

Wow.

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