SCRIPTURE: HOSEA 11:3-4

YHWH paints a vivid picture of unconditional love for His people in the book of Hosea. However, it follows a depiction of God’s broken heartedness & anger of our repetitive dishonorable actions toward His laws that were given to us for our prosperity & protection. Like a child learning how to walk, the Father gives us direction & assistance in addition to care & love should we fall. The Lord suffered for us because of our weakness, foolishness, & helplessness. When we are lost, God tenderly takes us by the arms & shows us where we should go. Through His Word, He intentionally draws us in so He can guide & hold us up so that we may not stumble, fall, or stray away.

When we act in rebellion & ungratefulness, in defiance of His goodness, He wraps us in gentle cords of love to restrain us out of concern for our wellbeing. We ruin ourselves by looking to our counsels instead of looking toward the counsel of God, who is the only One who can rescue & save. We backslide from Him because we have no foundation or steadfast devotion to our Creator. The world in which we live consumes us. Our hearts are set on doing evil, we are eager to sin, & determined to pursue every temptation (Genesis 6:5, Hosea 11:1-7).

How can a child who is given an abundance of blessings, love, mercy, grace, & forgiveness act in such a disrespectful way to their Father? We don’t have to look far to see how our lives are plagued with this reality of ungratefulness & self-centeredness (2 Timothy 3:2). We see it every day in households across America, a nation filled with so much freedom & opportunity. Of course, the world is not perfect & we are often put in difficult situations. Sometimes they are the results of our sins, sometimes they are ripple effects of the sins of those around us. Either way, it doesn’t give us the approval to dishonor the Father who has done nothing but bestow on us His love, blessings, & promise of a perfect eternal life in Christ (Romans 6:1-23). Honor the Father, long for the Son, & be filled with the Spirit that upholds His power within you.