God’s Kindness

Readings for today: Hosea 11-14, Psalms 124

In the midst of judgment, hope springs eternal. God loves His people with an everlasting love. He cannot abandon them to their fate. He cannot relinquish them or give them up. He cannot walk out on them. His love is steadfast. True. Loyal. Even in the face of betrayal and adultery and sin. I love how Hosea 11 describes God’s love...

“When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son. It was I who taught Ephraim to walk, taking them by the hand, but they never knew that I healed them. I led them with human cords, with ropes of love. To them I was like one who eases the yoke from their jaws; I bent down to give them food.” (Hosea‬ ‭11‬:‭1‬, ‭3‬-‭4‬ ‭CSB‬‬) One thing we must always remember when reading the Scriptures is that God has revealed Himself to us as Father. Abba. Daddy. This description is a precious one every parent can understand. We teach our children to walk. We watch them take those first steps. We hold them in our arms. Comfort them when they fall. Bandage up their nicks and cuts and “owies.” We lead them throughout the course of their lives, always desiring what is good for them. We provide for them. Train them. Discipline them. Teach them. This is our calling as a parent and it is notable that God chooses this particular metaphor to describe His relationship with His people. 

“How can I give you up, Ephraim? How can I surrender you, Israel? How can I make you like Admah? How can I treat you like Zeboiim? I have had a change of heart; my compassion is stirred! I will not vent the full fury of my anger; I will not turn back to destroy Ephraim. For I am God and not man, the Holy One among you; I will not come in rage. They will follow the Lord; he will roar like a lion. When he roars, his children will come trembling from the west. They will be roused like birds from Egypt and like doves from the land of Assyria. Then I will settle them in their homes. This is the Lord’s declaration.” (Hosea‬ ‭11‬:‭‭8‬-‭11‬ ‭CSB‬‬) How many of us as parents have watched our children go astray? Watch them wander off the path? Watch them choose self-destruction? How many times have I sat in my office across from parents trying to give them hope for their addicted son or estranged daughter? How many times have I prayed these very words myself over my own children? No matter what they do, I cannot give them up. I cannot hand them over. I cannot let go. I will always love them. I will always cherish them. I will always pursue them. I imagine the same is true for every parent reading these words today. Isn’t a great comfort to know God feels this same way?

All those who believe in Jesus Christ are adopted as sons and daughters into the family of God. God becomes our Father. We, His children. Like Israel, we too have sinned. We too have gone astray. We too have chased after other gods. Idols in our lives. Whatever we wrap our lives around that is NOT God. Thankfully, our Father is merciful and gracious. He disciplines us in His love. And when we feel His discipline, what should our response be? Hosea 10:12 CSB, “Sow righteousness for yourselves and reap faithful love; break up your unplowed ground. It is time to seek the Lord until he comes and sends righteousness on you like the rain.” When we repent and turn back to God, we will find Him waiting with open arms. Ready to welcome us back home. 

Readings for tomorrow: Joel 1-3, Psalms 125

Repentance

Readings for today: Hosea 6-10, Psalms 123

I’m convinced there comes a time - or maybe multiple times - in a person’s life where they realize their resources are played out. All their strength and wisdom and wealth and power simply are not enough to meet the demands of the moment. I think of a friend of mine who passed away a few years ago. He was the very definition of a “self-made” man. He came from a challenging background. His family was dysfunctional and abusive on so many levels. He worked hard to build a company from the ground up. He was extremely successful and ended up selling it for millions. He traveled the world and had all kinds of “once in a lifetime” experiences. He met all kinds of amazing people along the way. And yet, he had broken relationships with both his kids. Sadly, the patterns of abuse from his family were perpetuated through him. He was a high functioning alcoholic who often verbally assaulted those around him. As he lay dying from complications from the multiple health issues derived from his hedonistic lifestyle, I had the opportunity to share Christ with him. To talk to him about how the life he had worked so hard to build had come crashing down around him and though he lived in a huge home with all the material possessions one could ever want, his resources were simply not enough to save him.

How many of us have come to the same place in our own lives? I remember getting to this place in college when the life I had so carefully constructed came down around me. The facade I projected to the world of self-confidence was really a cover for deep insecurity. All my achievements up to that point were attempts to distract people from what was really happening inside. I was a mess. As smart as I was and as strong as I was and as successful as I was, I was losing ground in a hurry. My life headed on the fast track to nowhere. That’s when I met Christ and turned to Him. In our passage today, Hosea looks forward to the day when Israel will return to the Lord. Listen to his words again from Hosea 6:1-3 CSB…

“Come, let’s return to the Lord. For he has torn us, and he will heal us; he has wounded us, and he will bind up our wounds. He will revive us after two days, and on the third day he will raise us up so we can live in his presence. Let’s strive to know the Lord. His appearance is as sure as the dawn. He will come to us like the rain, like the spring showers that water the land.”

Come, let’s return to God. Such beautiful words. They represent the very definition of “repentance.” All of us have wandered and gone astray. All of us seek our own way. All of us do what is right in our own eyes. And where does it lead us? Into cul-de-sacs of pain and heartbreak. When we place “Self” on the throne of our lives, we find our appetites insatiable. Our desires uncontrollable. Our passions unquenchable. The result is oppression. Bondage. Slavery. God wants to set us free from “Self” but the only way that happens is if we turn to Him. We must dethrone “Self” and enthrone God if we want to experience the freedom and peace and joy He promises. This is why the Father sent His only Son. To show us the way back home to Him. He didn’t want to leave us wandering in the darkness. He didn’t want to abandon us to our fates. He refused to rely on random chance or wishful thinking to reclaim His wayward children. Like a good shepherd, He pursued us and pursues us until He finds us and embraces us.

Readings for tomorrow: Hosea 11-14, Psalms 124

Faithfulness

Readings for today: Hosea 1-5, Psalms 122

We held my father’s funeral last Friday. It was a special time. Over fifty family members flew in from all over the country. Many friends took time to attend. We were blessed by all who showed up to comfort and care and show their support. After the service, my mom and I were talking about what a blessing it was to see so many that we love. She was surprised by the number of people who came out or who called to express their condolences over the last several weeks because dad wasn’t all that connected to that many people. I told her I wasn’t surprised at all. They didn’t come for dad. They came for her. They called for her. They reached out because my mother is an absolute model of faithfulness and grace. Her unconditional love for my father over fifty-five years - forty of which he battled an addiction to alcohol - is worthy of honor. The sacrifices she made to remain true to her marriage vows is inspiring.

My mom reminds me of the prophet Hosea. Hosea remained faithful though he had every reason to abandon his marriage. His wife was a prostitute. She was an adulterous. By law, he could have had her stoned to death. But Hosea heard from God. He offered his life up as a living witness to the faithfulness of God in the face of the unfaithfulness of His people. People like Hosea or my mom are rare. Most of us, if we’re honest, would cut and run in such situations. Many of us would encourage those we love to walk away if they were cheated on or if they were verbally and emotionally abused. Adultery. Addiction. Abandonment. Abuse. A case can be made that each of these are biblical reasons for divorce. And yet, books like Hosea remind us that though we do all of these things and more to God, He never abandons us. He never walks away from us. He never leaves us or forsakes us. He is faithful. And perhaps there is something to be said for sticking with a marriage for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, till death do us part.

Perhaps that’s why I admire my mom so much. Of course, I admire her for many things but her faithfulness to my dad stands above them all. She loved a man who was often unlovable. She served a man who was often selfish. She continued to forgive a man who didn’t do much to earn such grace. To be fair, my dad had several redeemable qualities as well. Life wasn’t all bad with him. He was a tremendous grandfather and had softened a great deal in his later years. But the decades of addiction took a toll. At the same time, all those years of suffering have revealed a glory in my mother. She has a beauty and dignity and grace that can only come to those who have walked roads filled with great pain. She has endured. She has persevered. She has been faithful and God has honored her as a result.

Each of us has a road to walk. A road marked by suffering to some degree or another. A road filled with challenges to face, obstacles to overcome, and pain to endure. Will we remain faithful?

Readings for tomorrow: Hosea 6-10, Psalms 123

God Knows Best

Readings for today: Hosea 10-14

I was talking to one of my children the other day about their future. They are in their mid-twenties and just moved to a new city. They are starting their first real job as a teacher and are looking to make a career of it. They are a bit anxious as you can imagine. They are feeling the pressure to make the right decisions. They wonder how life is going to turn out. I get it. I remember when I was in their position. All the feelings I had when I was getting started came rushing back. Then a few days later I was hanging out with a college buddy. We are both in our fifties now and for the first time in our lives, we can see the horizon of our careers. I happen to be a pastor. He happens to be a business owner. We’ve both been blessed beyond measure. We have great marriages. Great kids. Great jobs. We derive a lot of meaning and joy from what we do. At the same time, we’ve also faced significant challenges in our lives. Life has not always been up and to the right. It’s been filled with both success and failure and through it all, we’ve both tried our best to serve the Lord. As we hung out in his pool overlooking a beautiful valley in the hills of California outside Los Angeles, we talked about how we got to where we are today. What was the secret?

Honestly, there isn’t one. We simply did our best to follow the words given by the prophet Hosea when he says, “If you want to live well, make sure you understand all of this. If you know what’s good for you, you’ll learn this inside and out. God’s paths get you where you want to go. Right-living people walk them easily; wrong-living people are always tripping and stumbling.” (Hosea‬ ‭14‬:‭9‬ ‭MSG‬‬) To be clear, I’m not talking about a “health and wealth” gospel here. These words are just as true for the rich as they are for the poor. Just as true for the powerful as they are for the powerless. Just as true for those who seem to sail through life as they are for those who seem to suffer at every turn. The truth Hosea expresses here is not dependent on circumstances. It’s not dependent on the size of one’s bank account or the number of degrees on the wall or the neighborhood where one lives or the power and influence one accumulates. It’s simply a reflection of the reality that God’s ways are better than our ways and His thoughts better than our thoughts. If we seek Him with our whole heart, we will get to where He wants us to go. If we seek Self or any other idol in place of God, we will find ourselves stumbling and bumbling along the way.

God knows best. Such a simple and yet profound truth. If we believe what the Bible reveals about God then we know we can trust Him. He is our Heavenly Father who will not give His children stones when they ask for bread or snakes when they ask for fish. He is merciful and gracious, full of steadfast love and faithfulness. He is Love who lays down His life for us. This is who God is. He is all-powerful, all-knowing, all-loving, and all-good. All the time. So when this God instructs us, advises us, and gives us commands to follow; we would do well to obey Him because He knows what’s best for us. Not just what’s best for us in this world but for all eternity. Not just what’s best for us in the moment but over the course of a lifetime. He knows where we are going and He knows the best path to get us there. Trust Him. Believe Him. Surrender to Him. Let Him take the wheel of your life and guide you along the way!

Readings for tomorrow: Isaiah 1-4

Turning to God

Readings for today: Hosea 6-9

I’m convinced there comes a time - or maybe multiple times - in a person’s life where they realize their resources are played out. All their strength and wisdom and wealth and power simply are not enough to meet the demands of the moment. I think of a friend of mine who passed away a few years ago. He was the very definition of a “self-made” man. He came from a challenging background. His family was dysfunctional and abusive on so many levels. He worked hard to build a company from the ground up. He was extremely successful and ended up selling it for millions. He traveled the world and had all kinds of “once in a lifetime” experiences. He met all kinds of amazing people along the way. And yet, he had broken relationships with both his kids. Sadly, the patterns of abuse from his family were perpetuated through him. He was a high functioning alcoholic who often verbally assaulted those around him. As he lay dying from complications from the multiple health issues derived from his hedonistic lifestyle, I had the opportunity to share Christ with him. To talk to him about how the life he had worked so hard to build had come crashing down around him and though he lived in a huge home with all the material possessions one could ever want, his resources were simply not enough to save him.

How many of us have come to the same place in our own lives? I remember getting to this place in college when the life I had so carefully constructed came down around me. The facade I projected to the world of self-confidence was really a cover for deep insecurity. All my achievements up to that point were attempts to distract people from what was really happening inside. I was a mess. As smart as I was and as strong as I was and as successful as I was, I was losing ground in a hurry. My life headed on the fast track to nowhere. That’s when I met Christ and turned to Him. In our passage today, Hosea looks forward to the day when Israel will return to the Lord. Listen to his words again from Hosea 6:1-3 MSG…

“Come on, let’s go back to God. He hurt us, but he’ll heal us. He hit us hard, but he’ll put us right again. In a couple of days we’ll feel better. By the third day he’ll have made us brand-new, Alive and on our feet, fit to face him. We’re ready to study God, eager for God-knowledge. As sure as dawn breaks, so sure is his daily arrival. He comes as rain comes, as spring rain refreshing the ground.”

Come on, let’s go back to God. Such beautiful words. They represent the very definition of “repentance.” All of us have wandered and gone astray. All of us seek our own way. All of us do what is right in our own eyes. And where does it lead us? Into cul-de-sacs of pain and heartbreak. When we place “Self” on the throne of our lives, we find our appetites insatiable. Our desires uncontrollable. Our passions unquenchable. The result is oppression. Bondage. Slavery. God wants to set us free from “Self” but the only way that happens is if we turn to Him. We must dethrone “Self” and enthrone God if we want to experience the freedom and peace and joy He promises. This is why the Father sent His only Son. To show us the way back home to Him. He didn’t want to leave us wandering in the darkness. He didn’t want to abandon us to our fates. He refused to rely on random chance or wishful thinking to reclaim His wayward children. Like a good shepherd, He pursued us and pursues us until He finds us and embraces us. Stop running. Stop hiding. Turn to God today.

Readings for tomorrow: Hosea 10-14

The Pain of Unfaithfulness

Readings for today: Hosea 1-5

I’ve been a pastor for over twenty years and have spent countless hours counseling people through all sorts of painful circumstances and tragic life events. Death. Terminal illness. Addiction. Abuse. Criminal activity. The breakdown of marriages and families. Honestly, I’ve just about seen it all. One of the worst, in my experience, is helping couples deal with the pain of marital unfaithfulness. There is nothing quite like it. The betrayal of the most intimate relationship one can have in this life cuts a relationship to the heart. The breakdown of trust makes recovery almost impossible. And while with God all things are possible, the burden is too much to bear for most couples and they end up splitting over the affair most of the time.

This is one of the many reasons to read and meditate on the Book of Hosea. In fact, I’d encourage you to read it in the Message version so you catch the full weight of what God is saying to His people through His prophet. Hosea is called to an impossibly shameful life. He is called to marry a prostitute. He is called to give his children horrible names. He is called to live his life publicly in front of Israel with the hope that what he endures will be seen as analogous to what God is enduring through His covenant with His people. Imagine the pain Hosea has to endure. Imagine the heartbreak he experiences on a daily basis. Imagine the suffering he undergoes as he seeks to serve God with all his heart. Don’t let anyone ever tell you again that “God won’t give you more than you can handle.” Hosea absolutely begs to differ!

And yet, all is not lost in this story. Throughout there are signs of God’s great faithfulness even in the face of our great unfaithfulness. Though we abandon God to chase after idols. Though we worship so many other things other than Him. Though we give our heart and our resources to other gods, God will not let us go. He continues to pursue us no matter how many different lovers we take. He continues to search for us on the slave blocks of this life. And when He finds us, He redeems us and brings us back home. Not only that but God promises there is a day coming where “in the very place where they were once named Nobody, they will be named God’s Somebody. Everybody in Judah and everybody in Israel will be assembled as one people. They’ll choose a single leader. There’ll be no stopping them - a great day in Jezreel! Rename your brothers ‘God’s Somebody!’ Rename your sisters ‘All Mercy!’ (Hosea 1:10-2:1)

Make no mistake, our unfaithfulness to God is painful to Him. It is heartbreaking on levels we cannot begin to understand. The story of the Bible is the greatest love story of all time. It’s also the greatest tragedy of all time. It’s the story of God’s pursuit of a people who reject Him and mock Him and ignore Him and abandon Him. But He never gives up. No matter how much pain He endures. No matter how much He suffers. No matter how much heartbreak He must undergo. He will never stop until He wins back the deepest affections of our hearts. That’s truly the message of the cross. “In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins.” (1 John‬ ‭4‬:‭10‬ ‭ESV‬‬)

Readings for tomorrow: Hosea 6-9