The Extremes of God's Love in Promise

Happy 4th of July!!!

Scripture: Hosea 2:16

“It will come about in that day,” declares the Lord,
“That you will call Me Ishi
And will no longer call Me Baali.

Insights:   The final aspect of God’s extravagant love toward us is His promise.  In today’s verse we see Hosea telling Gomer that she will no longer call him Ishi, which means master, but Baali, which means husband.  Remember I mentioned earlier this week that Hosea purchased her at least three times from the slave blocks.  In that purchase what did Gomer become to Hosea?  The answer is she was his slave.  Now did Hosea want a slave?  The answer is a resounding no.  He wanted a wife to love and be loved in return.  In many ways this is the exact same relationship we have with the Lord.  He wants a love relationship with us.  He purchased our lives on the cross of Calvary and as such He is our Master.  God, however, also wants to be our future husband in glory.  So, we see in today’s verse a promise of “in that day.”  “In that day” God will bring us home and He will be our husband and we will be His bride.  We will participate in that wedding feast of eternity and be filled with joy at the prospect of such a union with the One who saved us.  This line of thinking got me to wondering about earthly weddings.  What I mean by that sentence is when a young couple is getting ready to be married what are some of the things they do before the final “I do”?  The prepare for the wedding.  Often times this might mean a physical fitness program to make themselves look the best before the wedding.  It could mean packing up ones belongings in order to merge the two families together.  It means getting all the appropriate paperwork taken care of before the wedding.  It means going to the premarital counseling.  This kind of thinking got me wondering about our preparation for our wedding in glory.  In what ways do we prepare for our final “I do” with the Lord God?  It is my prayer we are striving for holiness and purity.  I pray we are seeking to be vulnerable and pliable in His hands.  I pray we are humble enough to be honest about our weaknesses and short comings.  I pray we are seeking help from our fellow brothers and sisters in Jesus in order to become a more prepared bride before our Lord.  May we look forward to our wedding day with great anticipation.

Questions:

1.  With how much anticipation are you looking towards your wedding feast with the Lord?

2.  In what ways are you preparing for this glorious day?

Prayer: Father, thank You for the promise of taking me home with You to our wedding feast.  Your promise gives me great hope in the midst of a difficult world.  Thank You for the encouragement it brings to me.  Amen.