Category Archives: Bible

Agreement, Bible, Compassion, Encouragement, Forgiveness, God's Will, Perseverance, Redemption, Safety, Scripture, Separation

REUNITED

HOSEA 1:11

“And the sons of Judah and the sons of Israel will be gathered together, and they will appoint for themselves one leader, and they will go up from the land, for the day of Jezreel will be great.”

Don’t you just love reunions? I have been to a lot of family reunions, both on my side of the family and on my wife’s. There’s just something about going back home to your hometown or to a family home place and seeing relatives you haven’t seen in a while. Hugs and kisses are all around. And it’s not long until the stories start being told about “the good ole days.”

In today’s verse we see a prophetic statement about the two kingdoms, Israel and Judah. When they return from their exile, they will be one nation, not two. The people who return will not see themselves as separate people. They will be reunited as one nation. This is as it should be.

APPLICATION

How does this verse relate to us today? We must be united as one in Christ. It doesn’t matter if we have petty differences. We have to come together as one for the cause of Christ. The world is watching the church. They are wondering why the Baptists and Methodists can’t get along. If we all believe Jesus is God’s Son and died for our sins, why can’t we worship as one?

I know we have doctrinal issues among the denominations. Some of those are worth discussing. But many of them really are not crucial. We tend to major on the minors, don’t we? I wonder what could happen in the world if we all came together and worshipped our Lord. I believe revival would break out, don’t you?

How can you be part of this? Reach out to someone from another church. Find your common ground. We have to agree on the basics, of course. But I challenge you to come alongside your brothers and sisters in Christ. We need to reach the lost, and that can only be done if we fight together.

Reunite us, God. Bring us together as one to battle the enemy and proclaim the good news of Christ.

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Bible, Blessing, Comfort, Compassion, Encouragement, God's Will, Inspirational, Promises, Relationships, Scripture

A PROMISE IS A PROMISE

HOSEA 1:10

“Yet the number of the sons of Israel will be like the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured or counted; and in the place where it is said to them, ‘You are not My people,’ it will be said to them, ‘You are the sons of the living God.’”

Sometimes making a promise can come back to bite you. Have you ever made a flippant promise to your child or to a friend, never dreaming that you would have to produce what you promised? Too many of us have done that. We should learn a lesson from that. Once you make a promise, you should keep it.

Well, God is a promise keeper. He had promised Abraham generations earlier that his offspring would be like the sand of the sea. Although Israel now deserves punishment, that promise is still true. God would restore the remnant. Those who were penitent and remorseful would be made into a great nation. We actually can see that promise being fulfilled today.

APPLICATION

Look at the last phrase of this verse. It says God said to them, “You are the sons of the living God.” Notice it says “living God.” Do you understand this? Only a living God can keep promises. Our God is living and active. He wants to keep His promises. He wants to see us blessed.

What are the promises He has made you? He has promised you, as a believer, to live with Him in eternity. Do you get that? You will live with Him forever. He has promised to love and protect you. Just like the promises He made Abraham, His promises are true. His word is true. Believe Him.

The next time you make a promise think about His promises. Think about how true He is to His promises. Make the commitment to keep yours. Remember you are representing Him. Promises should be carefully made and then kept. I know the Lord is pleased when we represent Him well by keeping our promises – just like Him.

Thank You for being a promise keeper, O God. I will rest in Your words.

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Accountability, Affection, Bible, Choices, Condemnation, Faith, Following, God's Will, Hope, Obedience, Protection, Relationships, Scripture

YOU’RE NOT MINE

HOSEA 1:9

“And the LORD said, ‘Name him Lo-ammi, because you are not My people, and I am not your God.’”

I worked over thirty years in children’s homes ministries. Probably the saddest part of those years was when a biological mom or dad told their child they didn’t want them anymore. The hurt in the eyes of those children isn’t easy to forget. They felt thrown away and worthless. Our job at the children’s home was to love on them and bring them to Jesus. He would never leave them.

Through Hosea’s children, God was sending a message to Israel. This latest birth, a son, sent a harsh message to them. God said, “I am not your God.” Wow! After all the years of God directing them and protecting them, He had enough. He was done with their rebellion. He was no longer their Father. I wonder how the Israelites’ faces looked. Were they crushed like the children I dealt with? Or were they clueless of what they had done?

APPLICATION

As believers, we can never escape the presence of our God. He will never leave us. We have a covenant relationship with Him through Christ. We may choose to rebel and not walk as we should, but He will never leave us. Any separation between us and God is because we have moved, not Him.

Don’t you want to be closer to Him today? I do. I want to feel His embrace. I need to know He is there beside me each day. I do not want to face one second without Him. So, I spend time each day in His Word. I spend time each day talking to Him. I want to hear His voice. I want Him to hear mine. I can’t imagine hearing, “I am not your God.”

However, there are millions around us every day who don’t know our Savior. If they should die today, they would hear those words from God. How can we prevent that from happening? By taking the time to share with everyone around us. Tell others what He has done for you. Tell others of His love. Let them hear God say, “I love you. I am your God.”

Father in heaven, hear my cry today. I beg You for the lives of those around me. Send me to share with them the love You have for all.

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Advice, Advocate, Bible, Born, Calling, Commitment, Darkness, Doubts, Encouragement, Friends, Infidelity, Obedience, Prayer, Scripture

WHOSE CHILD IS THIS?

HOSEA 1:8

“When she had weaned Lo-ruhamah, she conceived and gave birth to a son.” 

My wife and I have three children. One of those, Cathleen, is in heaven, having only lived six hours due to a premature birth back in 1987. Our other two children are now 34 and 30. There is no doubt whose children they are. They were birthed by my wife, but they were conceived by us both. I know my children are my children.

I couldn’t help but wonder, though, about Hosea’s children. Here we have the birth of a third child, a son. Remember, Hosea was told to a marry Gomer even though God knew and told Hosea that she would be unfaithful. How did Hosea know if these children born by Gomer were his or someone else’s? He didn’t. He simply was staying with Gomer because the Lord told him to. He was being obedient in the face of doubt and mistrust. That took a powerful amount of faith.

APPLICATION

Have you ever had to trust the Lord during a dark time? Perhaps you were going through a period of testing and your faith was shaken. Maybe you were doubting whether God was there at all. I have talked to many a person who have had those feelings. How do you get through those times? It’s not easy. In fact, it’s impossible on your own.

So, what do you do? First, you turn to other believers for support and prayer. You need allies on your side who can love you and confront you, if needed. Secondly, you turn to the Word for guidance. You won’t find true deliverance from any other source. Those other sources may make you feel better, but they won’t provide lasting results. Finally, you come before your heavenly Father, begging Him for deliverance.

Now, you may say those are in the wrong order. Perhaps. But I know that most people won’t go to God first. They turn to those close to them first for help. Any true friend will immediately point them to God. So, these can actually be happening at the same time. Don’t get stuck on the order. Just follow them.

Are you going through a time of questioning God? I bet Hosea had a few of those moments while married to Gomer. Who wouldn’t have? But he remained faithful to God and to Gomer. He was obedient to God’s original calling. Will you do that? Go back to that original calling on your life. Let the Lord remind you of who you are in Him.

Lord, I don’t understand everything You ask me to do. I simply have to trust that You are faithful and will see me through.

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Accountability, Advice, Bible, Compassion, Direction, Encouragement, Faithfulness, Following, Mercy, Pity, Scripture

NO PITY

HOSEA 1:6

“Then she conceived again and gave birth to a daughter. And the LORD said to him, “Name her Lo-ruhamah, for I will no longer take pity on the house of Israel, that I would ever forgive them.” 

Have you ever had a pity party? The only trouble with those is you are the only one who shows up. Feeling sorry for yourself is one thing, but when others show no pity on you, that’s really sad. You have reached the breaking point of compassion from others due to your actions or your behavior. Receiving no pity is tough.

But when the Lord shows no pity, you’re in trouble. The Hebrew word for “take pity” can mean “show mercy” or “show compassion.” Now, think about that. What could drive the Lord to this point? Consistent rebellion and turning away by the nation of Israel. They knew the right way to live. Still, they turned away toward other gods. So, the Lord sent them a second message through the naming of Hosea’s daughter, Lo-ruhamah.

APPLICATION

Let me ask you something. Are you quick to show pity? Do you hurt for others when they are down? The Lord wants us to be merciful and show compassion. But there comes a time when doing that is actually harmful. We can enable others to continue in their bad behaviors and lifestyle. We really have to seek the Lord to know when to do that.

Perhaps you’re the one seeking pity. Can you dig deep and ask the Lord why you are asking for that from Him or others. Is your situation self-imposed or is from the Lord? Perhaps He has you in this season for a purpose. He is trying to teach you how to trust Him. You don’t need pity. You need insight from His Word. You need to hear from Him. Listen.

Thank You, Lord, for being merciful to me, a sinner. I never want to hear those words from You – Lo-ruhamah.

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Accountability, Bible, Brokenness, Following, God's Will, Judgment, Obedience, Punishment, Scripture

BROKEN BY GOD

HOSEA 1:5

“On that day I will break the bow of Israel in the Valley of Jezreel.”

Have you ever been broken? Do you know what I mean by that? I mean to be so low that you can’t see the way up. I have had a couple of times in my life when that happened. Let me tell you, that is not a good place to be. I did not enjoy those times. It was hard. I wasn’t sure I was going to make it.

Israel had sinned against a holy God. God had had enough. He was about to break them. When it says, “break the bow,” He is saying they will have no defenses against my judgment. And the Hebrew word for “break” literally means to break in pieces, to shatter. God meant business. He still does today. He will break us down to get us to repent and return to Him. He is a jealous God.

APPLICATION

Are you in need of a breaking? If you are a believer who is not walking with Him, beware. Now, here me clearly. God isn’t disciplining you for fun. He doesn’t sit on His throne looking for someone to zap. That’s not how He works. He disciplines us to make us more like Him. He is trying to shape us and mold us into the image of His Son. When we stray off the straight and narrow, He will do whatever is necessary to get us back on the path.

When you really think about it, brokenness is a good thing. Carl, you are a crazy man. No, listen. Brokenness brings us closer to God. We might not enjoy the journey to brokenness, but the end result is incredible. Who doesn’t want to be closer to our heavenly Father? That’s a great place to be. That’s the only place to be.

Will you pray today for brokenness? I’m serious. Ask the Lord to show you the areas of your life that need to be cast off to make you more like Him. Ask Him to break down everything that keeps you from being fully committed to Him. This is a dangerous prayer. It is also a God honoring prayer. He wants to see Jesus in you. Let Him chip away everything that doesn’t look like Him.

Father, make me like Jesus. Use the hammer and chisel to knock off all those chunks that need to go.  

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Accountability, Bible, Blessing, Faithfulness, Following, Judgment, Names, Obedience, Scripture

CHILDREN’S NAMES

HOSEA 1:4

“And the LORD said to him, “Name him Jezreel; for in just a little while I will punish the house of Jehu for the bloodshed of Jezreel, and I will put an end to the kingdom of the house of Israel.” 

What does your name mean? Do you know? My first name is Carl, which means “strong, manly.” I like that. My last name is Willis, which means “son of William.” Now, that doesn’t say a whole lot, does it? But what is interesting is my middle name is William. Carl was my maternal grandfather’s name and William was my paternal grandfather’s name. They both died before I was born, so I never knew them. I wished I had.

God gave Hosea explicit instructions on what to name his son. He was sending a message to the kingdom of Israel. He was going to judge them and judge them harshly. Why? Because of Jehu’s sins. Jezreel means God will scatter. Every time people saw Hosea’s son, Jezreel, they would be reminded of this prophecy by Hosea that God was going to scatter them.

APPLICATION

How in the world do you apply this verse? For me, it means that I need to believe what God says. If He says He is going to do something, I can take that to the bank. It’s as good as done. He will not go back on His promises. If He promises blessings, blessings will come. If He promises discipline, discipline will be administered. Do you believe what He says?

My father was a man of his word. He’s been in heaven a few years now. I bet I could walk into my home town grocery store right now and charge a buggy full of food, if he was still alive. They all knew my dad and knew he was good for the money. His word meant something. Does yours? Are you living a life worthy of that kind of respect and honor? You can if you trust the Lord to live through you.

I pray today you are trusting in God’s Word. It will never let you down. His Word is a choice reservoir of truth and wisdom. Won’t you go deep today? If He said it, He meant it. Listen to Him.

O Mighty God, I will listen. Your words are sweet nectar to me. I believe in everything You tell me.

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Accountability, Advice, Bible, Commands, Direction, Disciplemaking, Encouragement, Following, God's Will, Obedience, Scripture, Trust

OBEDIENCE

HOSEA 1:3

“So he went and took Gomer the daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived and bore him a son.” 

So he went. Just like that. God told Hosea to go take a wife whom God knew would not be faithful to him. Hosea believed what God said was true, so he knew she would be faithful. And he still did it. Now, I have to admit – that would be a hard pill to swallow. After all, what man wants to know that?

You see, sometimes God asks us to do things that make no sense. In the logic of the world, it may even seem crazy. Sell your house and all your possessions and move to a foreign country to serve as a missionary? Are you crazy, God? Give up my rights for someone else? No way, Lord. But listen, we have to trust that He knows exactly what is best for us. He sees the end result.

APPLICATION

Trusting the Lord with the big things may seem easy. When we get sick, we quickly pray for healing. When we are faced with a career change, we turn to Him. But how about the little things, the everyday things? Do we trust Him with those? Don’t you think the Lord cares about those things too? Of course, He does. He knows when one hair falls from our heads.

Can you ask the Lord to give you that kind of faith? He will. He wants to. But you have to mean it. He will build in you the kind of faith that Jesus said could move mountains. I want that kind of faith. I want to move pebbles. I know the Lord can do it through me if I will just die to myself and allow Him to live through me.

Start your day tomorrow asking God to teach you to live that way. He’s waiting on you to ask. He’s ready to perform miracles in and through you. But like Hosea, you have to willing to do exactly what He says. Are you?

Lord, give me that kind of faith. I want it. I desire it. I trust You, Lord.

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Accountability, Bible, Commands, Commitment, Confession, Encouragement, Faithfulness, Forgiveness, God's Will, Godliness, Infidelity, Obedience, Scripture

INFIDELITY

HOSEA 1:2

When the LORD first spoke through Hosea, the LORD said to Hosea, “Go, take for yourself a wife inclined to infidelity, and children of infidelity; for the land commits flagrant infidelity,  abandoning the LORD.” 

No one wants to talk about infidelity. It’s a dirty word. It’s a insulting word. But what exactly did the Lord mean by telling Hosea to take a wife that was “inclined to infidelity”? When God spoke through the prophets, He often asked them to do things to portray something that Israel had done. In this case, Israel had sought out other gods, thereby committing adultery with them. Israel, after all, was the bride of God.

What would you have done if the Lord had asked you to marry someone whom you knew was going to be unfaithful to you? You might have said, “Lord, are You sure about this? Are You sure You want me to marry her?” Remember, the Lord doesn’t make mistakes. He will never ask you to do something immoral or illegal.

APPLICATION

God wants us to be true to our spouses. He hates infidelity. There is never an excuse for it. I have actually heard people say the Lord told them to divorce their spouses because they had fallen out of love. Let me tell you something. That wasn’t God. That was their flesh talking. Infidelity is a sin – plain and simple.

Carl, you are being a little harsh, aren’t you? Well, the problem is we aren’t being harsh enough sometimes. So many of us are scared to call a sin a sin. We don’t want to hurt someone’s feelings. So, we sit back and watch them die and go to hell. Ouch! If you are being unfaithful to your spouse, stop it, confess it and return to godly living.

Perhaps you are someone who would never be unfaithful to your spouse, but you have been unfaithful to God. You have put other things before Him. Your work, your play or even your family have been placed in that number one spot in your life. That is infidelity towards God. Repent of that now, as well. Ask the Lord to forgive you and return Him to His proper place in your life today.

Father, I want to keep You in the number one spot in my life. I vow to love and honor You above all.

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Advice, Bible, Disciplemaking, Encouragement, Inspirational, Listening, Obedience, Scripture

THE WORD OF THE LORD

HOSEA 1:1

“The word of the LORD which came to Hosea the son of Beeri, during the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and during the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel.”

I could concentrate on the length of Hosea’s years or the kingdom in which he lived. But what hits me the most about this first verse of Hosea are the first five words – “The word of the LORD.” After all, isn’t that what matters? It’s not about the messenger. It’s all about the message.

Hosea was one of many messengers or prophets God used to pronounce judgment on Israel or Judah. Hosea’s message is still ringing true for us today. There are passages in this book which should convict us of our commitment to God and His Son, Jesus. But let me ask you, “Has the Lord spoken to you lately? What is He saying to you?”

APPLICATION

Men, what are you doing? Are you so busy you are missing His voice? When He speaks, are you listening? You may be complaining that you are hearing God anymore. You have to be silent to hear Him. He will not compete with all the clamor in your life. Silence your world.

How do you do that? Try shutting down your computer. Turn off your phone. For goodness sake, turn off the television. Pick up your Bible and have a Quiet Time. He speaks through His Word. If you’re waiting for a voice to come booming from heaven, you might be a while. He can do that, but He usually speaks in His still, small voice. You have to be listening to hear that.

Make a plan this week to have three to four Quiet Times. Find a spot where you won’t be distracted or disturbed. And then get ready. If you really want to hear from Him, He will speak. Listen closely and be prepared to respond. He has lots to say if we will just listen.

Father, I want to be a man after Your heart. Help me be disciplined enough to hear You today.

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