Romans 9:25-26 (As He says also in Hosea)
25 "I will call them My people, who were not My people,
And her beloved, who was not beloved."
26 "And it shall come to pass in the place where it was said to them,
'You are not My people,'
There they shall be called sons of the living God."
NKJV
God is love. You are loved.
Paul is pulling verses from the book of Hosea, a "minor prophet", with a major league message. Hosea was guided by God to marry a prostitute named Gomer. She left the lifestyle; they grew in love and established a family. Soon, though, she returned to her former practice. Time and again, she would come back to Hosea only to abandon him for another. One day she chose not to return. Hosea searched high and low and when he found her, she was for sale in a slave market. In an outpouring of his undying love, Hosea paid the price and purchased her back. It is an incredible story of unfaltering love and loyalty and is an eloquent rendering of God's never-ending love even when His people turn to idols.
1 John 4:16 "And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God and God in him." NKJV
God sees our faults and loves us. He finds us slaves of sin and frees us. When we go back to the chains, Jesus doesn't turn His back, but holds out His pierced hands. "I love you, and I miss you." Friend, have you wandered off? God's heart for you is restoration and love. What will you do?
Dear Father:
Thank You for Your love. Lord, at times I will admit, I feel like a slave to my sins. Thank You for looking past my faults and freeing me of my sins. Remind me when I see the faults of others, to examine them with Your unfaltering love and loyalty toward them. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Living to tell what He died to say,
Pastor David McGee
Senior Pastor
Calvary Chapel of the Triad
reachthetriad.com
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