Repentance to Bring Blessing

Hosea’s prophecy ends with a future-looking promise. God would bring blessing to those who turn from sin and repent of their rebellion against Him. How true this is! God would bring Israel back into the promised land, and they would even rebuild the temple. And even more importantly, God would give His very Son as a blessing to all those who repent and turn to Him in faith.

 Study the Scripture

Read in  Hosea 14:1-9

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REFLECTION

Healing our Waywardness

by Mary McGinnis

Do you know the story of Hosea? God calls him to be a prophet to His people in a most unusual way. 

When the Lord first spoke through Hosea, the Lord said to him, “Go, take to yourself a wife of whoredom and have children of whoredom, for the land commits great whoredom by forsaking the Lord.” Hosea 1:2

God uses the rest of Hosea’s life to not only speak God’s message, but to BE the message, and to live out in a tangible way, the story of our waywardness and God’s relentless, passionate love for us.  

Hosea’s bride, Gomer, turned away from him and continually turned her heart to pursuing other lovers, even though Hosea was nothing but kind, generous and loving toward her. Hosea kept calling his wayward bride back. He wanted nothing more than her devoted love to him and for her to give up her destructive life outside of their marriage.

In this last chapter of the book of Hosea, he bids the people to return to the Lord.  

“Return, Israel, to the Lord your God. Your sins have been your downfall! Take words with you and return to the Lord.”  Hosea 14:1

God promises to HEAL their waywardness, their TURNING AWAY of their hearts to other lovers. He says: “I will heal their waywardness and love them freely, for my anger has turned away from them.” 

How does God heal our waywardness, our continual turning of our hearts devotion to things other than Him? In Scripture there is a scarlet thread, the underlying theme that reveals the mysterious ways that God’s relentless love pursues you and me to bring us back to Him. 

Instead of His anger being turned on us for the wrongs we have committed, Jesus took it upon Himself on the cross in our place.    

In His anger, God turned His face away from Jesus when this is what WE deserved!!

And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice . . .  “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Matthew 27:46

“He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By His wounds you have been healed.” 1 Peter 2:24

When we realize (discern) the great love of Our God, that His character is good, and all He does is right, it changes us. It is not just what He does, it is who He is!! Who could compare with Him?

God did not want heaven without us, so He brought heaven down!! 

UALC’S CAMPAIGN OF PRAYER - SATURDAY

Prayer Practice:  Praise God! Take time today to praise God for His work to bring salvation to you through Jesus, and for His work to bring an end, once-and-for-all, to sin and evil in the world. Remember the truth we’ve read this week – God will be victorious over evil! Rest in that truth and celebrate the goodness of God!