She Reads Truth

(I cannot add links in my blog because I write primarily from my iPad, but I strongly suggest anyone who reads this checks out the website shereadstruth.com, download the app, or get onto their emailing list)

To say the last 17 days have been intense would be an understatement, woulnd't it! I mean, WHOA! Hosea packs a punch. 

I have been participating with the She Reads Truth group for about 2 years off and on, but intentionally for about 6 months. I am trying to be intentional about God in general, and that means READING HIS WORDS. His true, and faithful words! 

I had no idea what Hosea was about, I admit, when I first opened the book up. I have never read through the entire Bible, however I am trying to do so this year. So, imagine my surprise when Hosea pretty much summed up MY LIFE. My rotten, sinful, walking away from God life. 

Yea, there were days when I felt like I was being punched in the gut by God. But, right after that initial punch, came CLARITY, LOVE, HOPE. 

Hosea literally means salvation. Oh, SALVATION. Is there a better and more beautiful words, SALVATION. 

Hosea is commanded by God to take this woman as his wife, knowing she was from a land that was riddled with sin. He obeys, takes her, and his life is forever changed. His wife, becomes and adulterer He is cheated on. His children are left. He is left holding a life that he was not prepared for; and then God commands that he go, seek out his wife, AND LOVE HER AGAIN. 

Wow! Not just take her back, but love her again. Just as God does us. His unrelenting love for us, and Israel, is undeniable in this book. 

We can run away, as Gomer tried, we can fall into sin as Gomer did, as Israel OFTEN DID, but His love NEVER STOPS. 

NEVER.

There are times when consequences are seen, children are left to the devastating ramifications of what their parents did, but He never completely turns His back on us. He lets us walk away, be entagled by sin, but when we turn back to Him, He PROMISES to ALWAYS accept us back. 

I was Gomer many times in my life. I have been Israel many times in my life. 

I have been pulled out of Whoredom as Gomer was. I have been unfaithful as Israel OFTEN was, but God never gave up on me. He always drew my heart back to Him in mighty ways. No matter how many times I chose man over God, God always chose me. 

God is truly the one that does all of the work in salvation. He draws our hearts back to Him. He softens them, shows us truth. It's always Him that does the work and never us. When I would take my life, and try and do it on my own, I always failed miserably. But, the moment I put my life into God's hands, HIS FAITHFUL hands, my life changed. And it changes every day. There are hard days, there are days that seem unbearable, but I always know I have this GOD, perfectly loving God, that has everything handled for me. I know, I can return to His loving hands and there will never be a question from Him. There will never be a reminder of my unfatithfulness--not from Him anyways. The enemy tries to get us to remember our unfaithfulness, but God never does. He simply never does. We can rest in that. We are His one true love, His betrothed, and He wants nothing more than to walk through this life hand in hand with us. 

I learned so much through this Hosea study, what did you learn, friends?