God Raises His Family

Photo by Sabine Bresser

Scripture: Hosea 11:1-4

When Israel was a youth I loved him, And out of Egypt I called My son.  The more ^-they called them, The more they went from them; They kept sacrificing to the Baals And burning incense to idols.  Yet it is I who taught Ephraim to walk, I took them in My arms; But they did not know that I healed them.  I led them with cords of a man, with bonds of love, And I became to them as one who lifts the yoke from their jaws; And I bent down and fed them.

Insights: This week we conclude our study on family and unity from the book of Hosea.  Considering it has been a few weeks, let me remind you the purpose of Hosea’s life and his marriage to Gomer was to be a visual picture of the way Israel had treated the Lord.  The first half of the book is Hosea’s actual life and the last half of the book is God’s parallel of His interaction with Israel.  In today’s verses we see the way the Lord raises up His children with amazing tenderness, compassion and love.  We are far from being perfect children.  Our lives are full of disobedient decisions.  Notice the more the prophets warned Israel to stop sacrificing to the Baals, the more they did.  The Lord, however, remained consistent with His children and continued to love them.  He continued to bend down and feed them.  He continued to lift the yoke from their jaws.  He continued to teach them how to walk and He embraced them in His mighty arms.  God is still raising us up in this same consistent manner.  We too rebel against the Lord, and yet, He is there waiting to forgive us and restore us whenever we turn back to Him.  God is gracious and we ought to thank Him regularly for His consistent love and guidance as He raises us to be His children.

Questions:

1. In what ways has the Lord taken you through the process of growth as He raises you into the child you ought to be for His glory?

2. Have you thanked the Lord for His consistency in the way He raises you?

Prayer: Father, thank You for consistently raising me into the child You have created me to be.  Let me learn Your lessons of love quickly and let me apply them to my life in such a fashion that it brings You glory and honor.  Amen.

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