God's Desire For The Wayward
Jerry Watts
Hosea 2:14-23
In that last verse, you and I can discover the heart of God for every person, saved or lost. The very reason He SENT Jesus to this earth was to restore and recover us to Himself so that we, like Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, would say, ''You are my God.'' This is His desire for you and me.
In the story of mankind, after man fell into sin in the Garden, God revealed His plan to bring us back to Himself. When He sent Jesus, that plan took on human form. Today, through the work of the Holy Spirit, we are made aware of our sinfulness, our hopelessness, and our need for deliverance which comes only through the blood of Jesus. When we believe Jesus and trust Him for forgiveness, we are made clean, whole, and placed in the family of God. Our status changes from being God's creation to being God's child. Being God's child means being in God's family which means, like our family on earth, enjoying time together and spending time together and doing life together.
One of the harsh truths about family life is that 'sometimes' people leave the fold. Have you ever had one to do this? If not, count your blessings and knock on wood because this is one of THE MOST PAINFUL experiences of and for a family. It could be worse than death.
Now let's take these thoughts and superimpose them on our story of Hosea and Gomer. God told Hosea to take a wife given to prostitution. From all accounts Hosea REALLY loved his beautiful wife. Now, she has left the house. She has 'thought about' coming home, but somehow hasn't made it. Prophetically, this is the perfect picture of the nation of Israel. They are Gomer. Perhaps in some ways, we (the Church in America) are Gomer. She said, ''I do'' to Hosea - when she really meant, ''I will when I want to.'' Over the years of their marriage, she got wondering eyes and a longing heart to go back to her old life. Israel had done the same thing - after years with Jehovah.
They hav ...
Jerry Watts
Hosea 2:14-23
In that last verse, you and I can discover the heart of God for every person, saved or lost. The very reason He SENT Jesus to this earth was to restore and recover us to Himself so that we, like Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, would say, ''You are my God.'' This is His desire for you and me.
In the story of mankind, after man fell into sin in the Garden, God revealed His plan to bring us back to Himself. When He sent Jesus, that plan took on human form. Today, through the work of the Holy Spirit, we are made aware of our sinfulness, our hopelessness, and our need for deliverance which comes only through the blood of Jesus. When we believe Jesus and trust Him for forgiveness, we are made clean, whole, and placed in the family of God. Our status changes from being God's creation to being God's child. Being God's child means being in God's family which means, like our family on earth, enjoying time together and spending time together and doing life together.
One of the harsh truths about family life is that 'sometimes' people leave the fold. Have you ever had one to do this? If not, count your blessings and knock on wood because this is one of THE MOST PAINFUL experiences of and for a family. It could be worse than death.
Now let's take these thoughts and superimpose them on our story of Hosea and Gomer. God told Hosea to take a wife given to prostitution. From all accounts Hosea REALLY loved his beautiful wife. Now, she has left the house. She has 'thought about' coming home, but somehow hasn't made it. Prophetically, this is the perfect picture of the nation of Israel. They are Gomer. Perhaps in some ways, we (the Church in America) are Gomer. She said, ''I do'' to Hosea - when she really meant, ''I will when I want to.'' Over the years of their marriage, she got wondering eyes and a longing heart to go back to her old life. Israel had done the same thing - after years with Jehovah.
They hav ...
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