FIRES

Their hearts are like an oven as they approach their plotting.  Their anger smolders all night, in the morning it burns like a flaming fire.  Hosea 7:6

    Coals that are stoked all night by the keeper of the fire are kept alive. Embers are hot and ready for the job of baking the morning bread.  There would be no fire without someone having fiddled with coals.  The message is clear.  No person commits a grave sin without forethought.  Though people don’t yet see the fire of his deeds, there are coals he has been stoking.

    Every sin begins as a seed-thought.  For it to turn into a deed, there is a process of keeping the ‘thought of it’ on the back burner of our minds.  The idea is nurtured. It’s turned over and over in our heads, the place we think we can indulge safely, but the heat of the coals are preserved.  Fire will not be far away. Continue reading “Fires” →

A TRUTH TELLING FATHER     

When I would heal Israel, the iniquity of Ephraim is uncovered.  They do not consider in their hearts that I remember all their wickedness.  Now their deeds are all around them; they are before My face.  Hosea 7:1

         Repentance begins with the recognition that God sees my sin, is grieved by it, and longs to forgive.  If I pretend that He doesn’t notice it, I will fail to take responsibility for it.  It’s as if I believe that God is a God who doesn’t see all, hear alls, and perceive all.  But meanwhile, everything I do, and everything I think of doing, is under His spotlight.  Since sin is conceived in the heart, what is in my heart is as real as if I had already said it or done it.  There are no secrets.

God’s desire is to heal and forgive.  That is His bent.  When I block His great love, expressed by His desire to forgive and restore, by hiding or denying my sin, He is frustrated because He is not able to do what He longs to do for me.  Continue reading “A Truth-Telling Father” →

BETRAYAL BY ONE INTIMATE

Like Adam, they have broken the covenant– they were unfaithful to me there.  Hosea 6: 7

 If betrayed by a stranger, we shrug our shoulders and declare, “That’s life!”  But an act of betrayal committed by one close to us leaves us with an open, gaping wound that must heal.  Have you suffered the treachery of one in covenant with you?  The covenant of friendship, perhaps.  Or marriage, or business.  Within an intimate relationship, promises are made, vows of fidelity are taken, and well-intentioned love is understood and expected.  Things seem to run smoothly for a while, maybe even for decades, so it’s no wonder that when one close to us is revealed as a “Judas”, we are stunned and left staggering in disbelief for years.  Continue reading “Betrayal By One Intimate” →

THE UNACCEPTABLE EASY WAY OUT

Oh Ephraim, what shall I do to you?  O Judah, what shall I do to you?  For your faithfulness is like a morning cloud and like the early dew it goes away.  I desire mercy and not sacrifice, and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.  Hosea 6:4-6

    Why is it that I think I can get away with cheating God?  This issue of mercy and sacrifice was of utmost importance to Jesus.  He quoted this passage twice in Matthew to the religious leaders of His day.  He wanted them to know what is still so pertinent today ~ you bring animals for sacrifice but you don’t bring me your life as a sacrificial offering.  What’s missing is commitment of the heart.

    What constitutes a sacrifice Jesus accepts?  Continue reading “The Unacceptable Way Out” →

UNPREDICTABLE AFFECTION

What can I do with you, Judah?  Your love is like the morning mist, like the early dew that disappears.  Hosea 6:4

It is confusing to experience fickle behavior at the hands of a friend. One moment their eyes may be framed with concern, the next, they appear unmoved by our plight.  Not being able to predict which ‘friend’ we will encounter, our heart cannot be fully at rest.  We are on guard when sharing our thoughts and feelings.  If one visit goes well, we nervously anticipate the next, waiting for the shoe to drop.

I know many who were raised by parents whose behavior was unpredictable.  Happy one day, but in a rage the next.  The children lived nervously.  Continue reading “Unpredictable Affection” →

CARRIED BY THE WIND

The wind wraps them in its wings and they will be ashamed because of their sacrifices. Hosea 4:19

This morning, my spirit has been so drawn to this verse. I have spent a lot of time just walking around my office, asking God what it is about this concept that is so important for me to know. I feel that the message is this ~ that we are captives of a wind we can not see and may not even be aware exists. It’s the wind created by our evil deeds. Sin creates movement, a current that sweeps us away before we know what is happening to us. Continue reading “Carried By The Wind” →

WHY AM I A CAPTIVE?

“Since Israel is stubborn like a stubborn heifer, can the Lord now pasture them like lamb in a large field?”  Hosea 4:16

Cattle can afford to roam open pastures because they are not easy prey.  Their size makes them secure.  A lamb is another matter.  He is vulnerable as soon as he strays from his shepherd.  He is easily lost, easily overtaken by many enemies.  Hosea’s point is clear.

Christ died for His sheep and He unites them in His fold.  When one begins to stray, another is supposed to call out, “Where in the world are you going?  Jesus is going this way.  Stay with us!”  Still, there are casualties because one sheep begins to believe that he’s a cow, that he can go his own way and survive.  Continue reading “Why Am I A Captive?” →