Hosea 14:2 Take words with you and return to the Lord. Say to him: “Forgive all our sins and receive us graciously, that we may offer the fruit of our lips.
I love the expression “fruit of our lips.” Some translations say “sacrifices of our lips,” which brings to mind Hebrews 13:15, “Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name.”
Hosea 14:4 “I will heal their waywardness and love them freely, for my anger has turned away from them.
For me, these verses and thoughts raise the question: How can I use my words, the fruit of my lips, as a sacrifice of praise to my Savior? And in my current grumpy, exhausted mood, the answer seems to be to turn all my negative thoughts into praise to God for the abundant blessings that are all around me if I will only take the time to look.
Hosea 14:5 I will be like the dew to Israel; he will blossom like a lily. Like a cedar of Lebanon he will send down his roots….
Lord, I’m grumpy and tired, which makes me much more likely to look for and dwell on every single negative thing in my life. Forgive me. Help me to use the “fruit of my lips” to offer up a “sacrifice of praise” to You for the many, many (many, many) blessings that are all around me if I will only look. Draw me closer to You. Amen.
Hosea 14:6 …his young shoots will grow. His splendor will be like an olive tree, his fragrance like a cedar of Lebanon.
Have a blessed day.