- Woe to them, for they have strayed from me! Destruction to them, for they have rebelled against me! I would redeem them, but they speak lies against me. Hosea 7:13 – Chapter 7 seems to be summed up with this idea of being blinded by love, but not in the typical sense. Israel was in love with idolatry. They were sinning deeply with the worship of other gods, yet where does the blindness come into play? They believed God was blind to their sin. That somehow they could worship all these other gods, yet still come to church and worship God and He wouldn’t notice all the idolatrous things they did that week. God though wasn’t blind to all this, everything they did was plainly before Him. Look though at the language of this verse, “they have strayed from me…I would redeem them, but…” God, who saw every sin they committed was ready to forgive, redeem, and restore His people after they strayed from Him. His people though rejected, lied about their sin, and kept after their idols. In our story know God’s posture is always forgiveness, even when we stray. We can chase after sin for years in our life but turn to the Lord and find forgiveness. What isn’t honoring to God though is pretending He is blind to our sin and keep “worshipping” Him while wallowing in sin. He’s not a fool and His eyes see clearly what we are doing. Let us then finally and fully give to the Lord our sinfulness so we can properly follow Him unhindered by the baggage of sin. No more hiding, no more lying, and no more believing God can’t see it. Give it to the Lord and allow God to begin His healing process in our life. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 2946
- They do not cry to me from the heart, but they wail upon their bed; for grain and wine they gash themselves; they rebel against me. (v.14) What’s at the heart of why you pray? The reason why I ask is what can easily happen is our prayer life can become a “wish list” rather than a conversation. That if we pray to God enough, then He’ll give me what I want. That if I show Him I’m a dedicated, praying person He’ll work everything out like I want. Almost treating God like some vending machine. That if we place in the right amount, push the right combination, we’ll get exactly what we want. Recognize it’s not bad to request things from God, God desires that from us, but is that really all your prayer life with Him is? Simply a wish list? Our prayers should be an outburst of our gratitude of what He has already done for us. Sadly, that gratitude can be the smallest part of our prayer life, if it holds any part at all. Let’s change that. Today, rather than your prayers just being for provision, let it be thanking the provider as well. Let this be the theme to your prayers – We lift up our voices to God not to earn blessings, but to praise Him for the blessings He’s already given. – Daily DEVO 30
- They return, but not upward… Hosea 7:16a – This quick phrase wraps up the message of this chapter, if not also so much of the Old Testament. God’s people are crying out, seeking help, running to help, but they aren’t running to God. They are crying out and running to the very things that got them in this dark place to begin with. That’s why this verse is so powerful, they returned, but not to God but to a deeper passion of following sin. For us, listen to God’s heart here. He wants us returning to Him, not to the things that hurt us. Be careful not be be deceived by the tangibility and immediate nature of sin. While it can seem to offer help so quickly and God’s ways can seem so far off, return to the one who loves you and not the one just trying to destroy. God is better to return to. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 557
- All of them are hot as an oven, and they devour their rulers. All their kings have fallen, and none of them calls upon me. Hosea 7:7 – Here’s what this passage means. They were hot after their sin and were letting heated anger lead them to either stopping or taking out any leader who tried to keep them from their sin. None were reaching out to God, just reaching after their sin. In our story often the best way to handle our lust after sin is to have the help of another follower in Christ. They can hold us accountable and even be a shoulder to lean on when the temptations are strong. In your story though, have you been nurturing your relationships with those who help you with your struggle with sin or have we been allowing those relationships to crumble like we see in our passage? While we may not even be aware that we’re allowing those connections to fizzle out, know your enemy is very aware and celebrating watching us disconnect from our support system. Today let’s seek to reinforce those supporting relationships. Maybe it’s with setting up a coffee date to talk, maybe it’s just praying for them to keep them on your mind more. We need these relationships so let’s nurture them however we can today. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac- Daily DEVO 1675
Daily DEVO 