Hosea 11:1-12

Unconditional love is a concept that is very hard for us to grasp because it goes against our human and fallen nature.  However, it is at the very essence of God’s nature.  He loves, not because we are lovable or because we have something to offer Him.  He loves us without cause and without selfish motives.  In fact He loves us when we have given Him every reason not to love us.  This is the love He expresses to us and He demonstrated to the nation of Israel.  God has revealed His anger over Israel’s rebellion but that is not the end of the story.  Even though He disciplined Israel in His anger and wrath He continues to love her and promises to deliver her from captivity.  Discipline is a demonstration of true love.  We may not always understand it or even feel it but that does not mean it is not true.

GOD DEMONSTRATED HIS LOVE THROUGH LIBERATION: When the nation of Israel was first formed she was enslaved in Egypt.  God was motivated by His immeasurable love to set her free with His strong hand.  He protected Israel and vanquished Egypt and she was liberated from her slavery.  As this new nations was traveling to the land He had promised to them He cared for them like a proud parent.  He fed them, clothed them, protected them, taught them how to walk and gave them direction.  He took them by the hand and led them with loving and tender care.  Despite this vivid demonstration of unconditional love the turned from God and worshiped idols.  They rejected His Word, refused His instruction and rebelled against Him like a hateful and hurtful teenager.  Even still God’s love predominated and though He had to discipline them, He refused to allow them to serve Egypt again.  Instead He used the Assyrians to discipline His children.  His heart breaks when He must discipline us but He will do so because His love is true and will always do what is best for us in light of eternity and not just what will make us feel good in the moment.


GOD WILL DEMONSTRATE HIS LOVE THROUGH RESTORATION: Even though Israel was unfaithful and did not reciprocate His love; God’s love remained firm.  While the nation was in captivity He continued to be overwhelmed with love for Israel.  This undeserved passion for His people stirs in His heart and causes Him to once again call for His people to come back to Him and He restores them to the land He had given them and He promises to transform them so that they will enjoy the delight of loving Him too.  This kind of love is inexplicable.  It goes beyond our ability to comprehend and is simply a truth we must learn to enjoy.  Our appreciation for God’s love should be great and stir us to a life of love and obedience.  No matter how far we may have strayed from the will of God; we are blessed by the amazing truth that God still loves us and longs to restore us to Himself.  He sent Jesus to make that restoration complete and possible.  This is the ultimate demonstration of unconditional love! 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Isaiah 54:1-17

Hope is a wonderful blessing from God, without which we would be vulnerable to all kinds of destructive tendencies in our lives.  Today’s society is marked by depression, anger, fear, anxiety and self-righteousness, in large part, because of the sense of hopelessness that prevails in our culture.  Isaiah writes to a people who are about to be taken into captivity because of their sin.  God knows that they will feel rejected, threatened and hopeless so He reveals His future plans for the nation in order to give them hope in the midst of the coming trial.  Hope is the expectation of good based upon the promises of God.  Many times when our lives are marked by the sins mentioned above it is because we have forgotten or failed to focus upon the promises of God’s Word. THE PROMISE OF GOD: From the very first day that God revealed His plan for the nation of Israel, He promised numerous descendants.  God chose Abraham, not because he was more righteous than any of the other people of his
Read more

1 Timothy 1:3-7

As I urged you when I was going to Macedonia, remain at Ephesus so that you may charge certain persons not   to teach any different doctrine,   nor   to devote themselves to myths and endless   genealogies, which promote   speculations rather than the stewardship from God that is by faith.    The aim of our charge is love   that issues from a pure heart and   a good conscience and   a sincere faith.    Certain persons, by   swerving from these, have wandered away into   vain discussion, desiring to be teachers of the law,   without understanding either what they are saying or the things about which they make confident assertions.   There will always be false teachers that come into the church attempting to distract people from the truth and destroy people’s faith.  When this happens, it is the job of spiritually mature leaders to confront these false teachers and correct their teachings.  However, it is important that this correction be accomplished with the right motives and methods. 
Read more

1 Timothy 2:11-15

Let a woman learn quietly   with all submissiveness.    I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet.    For Adam was formed first,   then Eve;   and Adam was not deceived, but   the woman was deceived and became a transgressor.    Yet she will be saved through   childbearing—if they continue in   faith and love and holiness, with self-control. There is certainly controversy and confusion about this passage in many churches today.  The idea of a distinction between men and women and their roles in the family and church certainly goes against the flow of many cultures around the world.  Some would argue that the literal and plain teaching of this passage is no longer applicable to today’s culture.  However, it is always dangerous to discard biblical teaching or try to interpret Scripture based on the cultures in which we live.  Certainly, the Spirit who inspired this text was aware of the many changes that would occur in future cul
Read more