Woven together in Love
The Greatest Gift Is Love
Hosea 6:1-7 The Message
6 1-3 “Come on, let’s go back to God.
He hurt us, but he’ll heal us.
He hit us hard,
but he’ll put us right again.
In a couple of days we’ll feel better.
By the third day he’ll have made us brand-new,
Alive and on our feet,
fit to face him.
We’re ready to study God,
eager for God-knowledge.
As sure as dawn breaks,
so sure is his daily arrival.
He comes as rain comes,
as spring rain refreshing the ground.”
He hurt us, but he’ll heal us.
He hit us hard,
but he’ll put us right again.
In a couple of days we’ll feel better.
By the third day he’ll have made us brand-new,
Alive and on our feet,
fit to face him.
We’re ready to study God,
eager for God-knowledge.
As sure as dawn breaks,
so sure is his daily arrival.
He comes as rain comes,
as spring rain refreshing the ground.”
4-7 “What am I to do with you, Ephraim?
What do I make of you, Judah?
Your declarations of love last no longer
than morning mist and predawn dew.
That’s why I use prophets to shake you to attention,
why my words cut you to the quick:
To wake you up to my judgment
blazing like light.
I’m after love that lasts, not more religion.
I want you to know God, not go to more prayer meetings.
You broke the covenant—just like Adam!
You broke faith with me—ungrateful wretches!
What do I make of you, Judah?
Your declarations of love last no longer
than morning mist and predawn dew.
That’s why I use prophets to shake you to attention,
why my words cut you to the quick:
To wake you up to my judgment
blazing like light.
I’m after love that lasts, not more religion.
I want you to know God, not go to more prayer meetings.
You broke the covenant—just like Adam!
You broke faith with me—ungrateful wretches!
For Reflection
Just
like kids testing the limits of our parents, we test our limits with
God. We come back to God time an time again, taking for granted God's
grace. We think if we just go to church, or just sing hymns, or just
participate in the community of the faithful, or just do good deeds, or
just... Well you fill it in.
Preforming demonstrations just to please God is not what God wants. God is not a God that can be bought through sacrifice and kind acts. God wants invited into your life as an abiding presence. A Holy Spirit that is a trusted confidant and adviser. God wants your righteous acts to be a result of your love for him and for all human kind. God wants a love that is always flowing from God's fountain into the world through you.
Pray
Preforming demonstrations just to please God is not what God wants. God is not a God that can be bought through sacrifice and kind acts. God wants invited into your life as an abiding presence. A Holy Spirit that is a trusted confidant and adviser. God wants your righteous acts to be a result of your love for him and for all human kind. God wants a love that is always flowing from God's fountain into the world through you.
Pray
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