I desire faithful love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God instead of entirely burned offerings.
Hosea 6:6 (ceb)
Hosea is the first of “The Book of the Twelve” or the “Minor Prophets” (though not chronologically first).
It shares a shocking command from God for the prophet in regard to his family in the first three chapters and then a series of collected “sermons,” warning Israel of God’s coming punishment and their exile; pleading with them to repent.
Yet they won’t and what is prophesied will come to pass.
Yet, even then, God’s love and grace will prevail and restoration will take place.
Through it all, God is good and faithful, even if His people aren’t.
Pentecost is an amazing day in the life of the Church!
A day we celebrate when Jesus fulfilled His promise to send the Holy Spirit, pouring Him out “on all flesh,” reversing the curse of the Towel of Babel; joining believers in the Holy, united mission of the Gospel.
It is a day when the promise of salvation is promised for “everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord” for salvation!
What a wonderful day! What a wonderful celebration!
“Thank, You, Lord, and grant that Your Spirit, poured out on me, flows through me to ‘all flesh!’”
First Peter speaks a lot about suffering; the suffering of Jesus and suffering for the sake of Jesus.
Today is no different.
That doesn’t seem comforting or a reason to rejoice; but that is precisely what God tells us to do, for rejoicing in suffering leads to rejoicing in His glory!
That is the end goal: to share in His glory! To share in the blessedness that is to come. To share in the everlasting joy that is ours in and through faith in Jesus!
Knowing that is the ultimate outcome, it is far easier to endure the trials and sufferings – no matter how bad – for the sake of Jesus!
So we can endure suffering. We can live humbly. We can live sober lives. We can resist the devil. We can do it all, for the revealed glory everlasting!
I desire faithful love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God instead of entirely burned offerings.
Hosea 6:6 (ceb)
Hosea is one of those Bible books that often gets overlooked. There are some difficulties in it and, like most prophets, some of the things he has to say, well, don’t sound nice!
It’s as if what God has to say isn’t what we want to hear!
But it is something we need to hear – and then obey!
Hosea speaks to a people who have been grossly unfaithful to God, “whoring” after other gods and nations; being appallingly unfaithful in every way to the God to loves them.
He also warns Israel of the coming disaster – being conquered and deported to Assyria.
Yet, the story does not end in Assyria, but with the assurance of a coming Messiah, through Whom God’s loving covenant will be renewed – forever!
Our faithlessness as a people and as the Christian Church has plenty to heed from what God says through Hosea. Although we do not fear deportation again, we are called to be faithful in our love and commitment to God and His good, righteous Word and Law!
May we be so faithful!
Thank You, Lord God, for Your faithful and never-ending love for us!
The need for more blood donations is growing daily. Your blood donation is essential to keep the blood supply strong and steady. Without on-going donors, we cannot ensure people have the blood they need.
We’re asking you to come in and donate! The need is real. The need is now.
This summer kids at VBS will launch on a cosmic quest where they’ll have a blast shining Jesus’ light to the world. Stellar rockets kids on an out-of-this-world adventure that’s light years of faith-building fun.
We want kids and volunteers to join us for this exciting week!
July 10-14, 2023 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Participant Registration
Parents or Guardians, click below to register kids for this event.