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Pay attention to what’s important…. (devo reflection)

Hosea 7:2 …but they do not realize that I remember all their evil deeds. Their sins engulf them; they are always before me.

Hosea in this chapter is describing a completely oblivious Israel. They don’t realize, they don’t notice, they don’t care. “Their sins engulf them; they are always before me.” As I search for connections in my own life, the chapter brought to mind Matthew 7:3 “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?”

Hosea 7:9a Foreigners sap his strength, but he does not realize it….

I’ve been struggling this week with the hurtful actions of a friend, analyzing and over analyzing what’s done and undone. I feel Jesus gently calling me here to pay attention to what’s important: Him, to focus on actions I can control—my own, and to let the rest go, to find my center, my comfort, my peace in Him alone. Thank You, Jesus.

Hosea 7:9b …His hair is sprinkled with gray, but he does not notice.

Lord, You are my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer; my rock in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold (Psalm 18:2). Forgive me for taking my eyes off of You. Forgive me for worrying about things outside of my control. Thank You for forgiving me of my iniquities and remembering my sins no more (Jer 31:34). Help me to keep You as my center and my focus. Draw me closer. Always. Amen.

Hosea 7:10 Israel’s arrogance testifies against him, but despite all this he does not return to the Lord his God or search for him.

Have a blessed day.

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“Oh, that we might know the LORD!…” (devo reflection)

Hosea 6:3a “Oh, that we might know the LORD!…”

We all know what it’s like to just go through the motions. If a kid is told to clean his room and he’s not feeling it, you might get things shoved in closets and under beds, you might get the letter of what you asked, but the spirit of the request—sort, trash, organize, clean—will definitely be missing.

Hosea 6:3b “…Let us press on to know him….”

Today’s scripture is similar. The Israelites have been going through the motions, checking the religious boxes of sacrifice, but their hearts are far from God. And what God really wants from us isn’t blind obedience. He wants a relationship with us. He wants us to seek Him, to know Him. He wants our hearts, not just mindless actions.

Hosea 6:3c “…He will respond to us as surely as the arrival of dawn or the coming of rains in early spring.”

Lord, Forgive me for the time I’ve just been going through the motions, checking off boxes, instead of honestly, earnestly seeking You. Help me to rise above the chaos and irrelevance of this world and to press on to know You more every moment of every day. Amen.

Hosea 6:6 For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings.

Have a blessed day.

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Pride, arrogance, and humility…. (devo reflection)

Hosea 5:4 “Their deeds do not permit them to return to their God. A spirit of prostitution is in their heart; they do not acknowledge the Lord.

Matthew 6:24 comes to mind as I read Hosea 5 today: “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other….” Israel is arrogant, prideful. They have a spirit of prostitution, of using their talents in unworthy or corrupt ways. They are so full of themselves that they have turned from God toward man and idols.

Hosea 5:5 Israel’s arrogance testifies against them; the Israelites, even Ephraim, stumble in their sin; Judah also stumbles with them.

Jeremiah 29:13 also comes to mind: “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” The Israelites are so full of themselves that their attempts to seek God are halfhearted. They aren’t really looking for Him. They want to look good. God doesn’t care about appearances. He wants our hearts. He has no use for pride and arrogance. He cannot be found with apathy.

Hosea 5:6 When they go with their flocks and herds to seek the Lord, they will not find him; he has withdrawn himself from them.

Lord, I stand before You humbled this morning. I have been arrogant and prideful. I have used my God-given talents in unworthy ways. I have called out to You for appearance sake. Forgive me. Renew me. Cleanse me. Empty me of myself so that I can be filled with Your love, compassion, mercy, and grace. Help me, Lord. Amen.

Hosea 5:15 Then I will return to my lair until they have borne their guilt and seek my face—in their misery they will earnestly seek me.”

Have a blessed day.

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Reverence…. (devo reflection)

Hosea 4:1 Hear the word of the Lord, you Israelites, because the Lord has a charge to bring against you who live in the land: “There is no faithfulness, no love, no acknowledgment of God in the land.”

Proverbs 1:7 comes to mind as I read this chapter: “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.” I’ve long struggled with this idea of “fear of the LORD,” but I have come to equate it with reverence—understanding the LORD’s place in our lives—as opposed to terror of the LORD.

Hosea 4:6 “My people are being destroyed because they don’t know me….”

In this chapter, Israel seems to have no fear, no reverence for God and His place in our lives. That lack of understanding, lack of knowledge is directly responsible for their destruction. God wants to protect them like a shepherd guards his sheep, but the Israelites act like stubborn heifers instead.

Hosea 4:14 “…O foolish people! You refuse to understand, so you will be destroyed.”

Lord, Thank You for the ability to sit with You each morning, to study Your word, to draw closer to You. Thank You that my thirst to know You more grows stronger every day. Help me, Lord, to always understand Your place in my life, to reverence You, to glorify You, to know You more. Draw me closer. Amen.

Hosea 4:16 The Israelites are stubborn, like a stubborn heifer. How then can the Lord pasture them like lambs in a meadow?

Have a blessed day.

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Restoring relationship…. (devo reflection)

Hosea 3:1 The Lord said to me, “Go, show your love to your wife again, though she is loved by another man and is an adulteress. Love her as the Lord loves the Israelites, though they turn to other gods and love the sacred raisin cakes.”

Love is not always easy. In the early days of a relationship, sure, but time and habit can make the most endearing quirks become nails-on-chalkboard annoyance. That can be hard enough, but today’s chapter takes it to another level entirely.

Hosea 3:2-3 So I bought her for fifteen shekels of silver and about a homer and a lethek of barley. Then I told her, “You are to live with me many days; you must not be a prostitute or be intimate with any man, and I will behave the same way toward you.”

Gomer is still actively involved with others. She is actively betraying her marriage vows. But God’s purpose here is for Hosea and Gomer to be a living example of God’s unfathomable love for us, of His desire for relationship with us and our ultimate redemption in Him. This lesson goes far beyond adultery into any form of betrayal.

Hosea 3:4 For the Israelites will live many days without king or prince, without sacrifice or sacred stones, without ephod or household gods.

Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. What You are asking of us is incredibly difficult—to restore relationship that has been intentionally violated, to forgive and welcome back those who have betrayed our trust, those who are still actively betraying us. We encounter these relationships daily in a variety of ways. Give us the strength, the humility, the wisdom to love and forgive others in the same unfathomable way You love and forgive us. Amen.

Hosea 3:5 Afterward the Israelites will return and seek the Lord their God and David their king. They will come trembling to the Lord and to his blessings in the last days.

Have a blessed day.

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I will respond…. (devo reflection)

Hosea 2:21 “In that day I will respond,” declares the Lord— “I will respond to the skies, and they will respond to the earth;

Isaiah 55:8 comes strongly to mind as I read this chapter: “My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the LORD. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine.” What would I do in this situation?

Hosea 2:22 …and the earth will respond to the grain, the new wine and the olive oil, and they will respond to Jezreel.

An adulterous wife who goes so far as to take the provisions I give her as I see how her paramour is mistreating her and uses those provisions as a feast for said paramour? I think I would just cut my losses and walk away. But God’s ways are far beyond anything I could imagine. He seeks relationship and redemption. He knows the plans He has for us.

Hosea 2:23a I will plant her for myself in the land; I will show my love to the one I called ‘Not my loved one.’…

Lord, Thank You for Your love and compassion. Help me, in those times where I am ready to turn my back and walk away, to respond as You respond—with unparalleled love, compassion, and grace. Your ways are not my ways, Lord, but help me to strive to become more like You every day. Amen.

Hosea 2:23b …I will say to those called ‘Not my people,’ ‘You are my people’; and they will say, ‘You are my God.’ ”

Have a blessed day.

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Asking the impossible…. (devo reflection)

Hosea 1:2 When the Lord began to speak through Hosea, the Lord said to him, “Go, marry a promiscuous woman and have children with her, for like an adulterous wife this land is guilty of unfaithfulness to the Lord.”

I recently wrote a devo reflection for my church based on Luke 9:15, and today’s chapter reminds me of it. In that reflection, I talk about the story of the loaves and fish, of feeding the 5000, of the grumbling at Jesus’s impossible ask and the fact that when the disciples did as asked, Jesus worked a miracle.

Hosea 1:3 So he married Gomer daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived and bore him a son.

In Hosea 1, God again seems to ask the impossible—marry a prostitute (who will be unfaithful), have children, name them really difficult names (Jezreel, “Not Loved,” “Not My People,”) live the story of Israel so that through your story I can show the power of redemption. Hosea obeys without hesitation.

Hosea 1:4 Then the Lord said to Hosea, “Call him Jezreel, because I will soon punish the house of Jehu for the massacre at Jezreel, and I will put an end to the kingdom of Israel.

Lord, Forgive me when I balk and grumble and drag my feet when You call me to act in ways that make no sense to me. Help me to get over myself, to obey like Hosea—without grumbling or needless questioning. Lord, Help me to humble myself in You so that I can shine Your light for all. Amen.

Hosea 1:6 Gomer conceived again and gave birth to a daughter. Then the Lord said to Hosea, “Call her Lo-Ruhamah (which means “not loved”), for I will no longer show love to Israel, that I should at all forgive them

Have a blessed day.

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Seeking understanding…. (devo reflection)

Daniel 12:8 I heard, but I did not understand. So I asked, “My lord, what will the outcome of all this be?”

Chapters like this make me incredibly uncomfortable. They are so different, so beyond comprehension for me. Even Daniel, who was the only one capable of interpreting the dreams early on cannot understand. The angel Michael’s response brings me comfort. He basically tells Daniel that this prophecy is beyond what he needs to know right now, that he has a job to do, and he needs to just keep on keeping on.

Daniel 12:9 He replied, “Go your way, Daniel, because the words are rolled up and sealed until the time of the end.”

There is so much in life that I don’t understand. And I crave understanding, sometimes to the point that I stop doing in order to search for understanding. Michael’s advice applies to me, too: I’m not meant to understand everything, but I do have a job to do, and I need to keep doing that job, regardless of what I don’t understand.

Daniel 12:10 Many will be purified, made spotless and refined, but the wicked will continue to be wicked. None of the wicked will understand, but those who are wise will understand.

Lord, Thank You for the example of Daniel. Thank You for this new understanding of the things that confuse and trouble me. Help me know when to keep seeking understanding and when to let it go so I can keep doing the job You have for me. Thank You, Lord, for meeting me here each morning and for helping me to understand You more. Amen.

Daniel 12:13 “As for you, go your way till the end. You will rest, and then at the end of the days you will rise to receive your allotted inheritance.”

Have a blessed day.

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So much more than I deserve…. (devo reflection)

Daniel 11:32 With flattery he will corrupt those who have violated the covenant, but the people who know their God will firmly resist him.

Flattery leads to pride. Pride can lead to all sorts of issues—chiefly, a lack of humility. Humility, being humble, not clinging to pride, is something God has been working with me on for a while.

Daniel 11:33 “Those who are wise will instruct many, though for a time they will fall by the sword or be burned or captured or plundered.

The nature of pride can be insidious. It’s not like I’m strutting around thinking that I’m “all that and a bag of chips.” It’s more about attitude, the things I think I deserve, the anger and bitterness when they don’t pan out.

Daniel 11:34 When they fall, they will receive a little help, and many who are not sincere will join them.

Lord, You have already given me so much more than I deserve or could ever earn, simply by giving me the title of Your beloved child. Help me to be forever humble in You. Help me to resist those who oppose You. Help me to shine Your light, to comfort Your people, to be Your hands and feet. Draw me closer. Amen.

Daniel 11:35 Some of the wise will stumble, so that they may be refined, purified and made spotless until the time of the end, for it will still come at the appointed time.

Have a blessed day.

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Your words were heard…. (devo reflection)

Daniel 10:12 Then he continued, “Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them.

I find this verse incredibly profound. God heard Daniel’s prayer. Why? How? Because Daniel set his mind to gain understanding and Daniel humbled himself before the Lord. And since the first day he started—not the day he finally got it right but from the first attempt—God heard his words, his prayers. Thank You, Jesus.

Daniel 10:18 Again the one who looked like a man touched me and gave me strength.

I am at once both humbled and unsettled. I have been studying God’s word earnestly for years, trying to gain understanding, trying to humble myself. And I’ve been praying most all my life. According to this verse, my prayers reached God from the moment I set my mind to studying Him. Sadly, not all my words have been worth hearing. There is a lot of grumbling mixed in, like this morning when my alarm went off and I didn’t want to get up. Help me, Jesus.

Daniel 10:19a “Do not be afraid, you who are highly esteemed,” he said. “Peace! Be strong now; be strong.”

Lord, Thank You for recognizing that I have set my heart to study You, that I strive to humble myself before You. Thank You for hearing my words and my prayers. Help me not to grumble, Lord. Help me not to squander a single precious moment You have given me. Help me to strengthen my prayer life as I lift up Your people. Amen.

Daniel 10:19b When he spoke to me, I was strengthened and said, “Speak, my lord, since you have given me strength.”

Have a blessed day.