Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

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The accepting Christ

Shibu Mathew
Epiphany MTC, NY

23. and I will sow him for myself in the land. And I will have pity on
Lo-ruhamah, and I will say to Lo-ammi, “You are my people”;     and he shall say, “You are my God.”
 


The story of Hosea and Gomer is a unique husband and wife story.  A story of a loving husband and a promiscuous wife was intended by God to compare God’s intense love for Israel, and Israel’s love for all the other gods from the surrounding regions.  Throughout the Old Testament Israel is described as an adulterous wife and God as the loving bridegroom bonded in a covenant relationship.  Hosea Chapter 2 begins with the punishment which results from adulterous behavior. Chapter 2:4 infers that Lo-Ruhamah and Lo-Ammi were children of adultery.  The two daughters Lo-Ruhamah which means  “not Loved” and Lo-Ammi means “not my people”, were names given by God.

The significance of a name is an identity, and one in which an individual can identify themselves with and others would identify the individual.  The names God gave to the two children are what we know happens when we fall into sin.  The first thing we tell ourselves is that  we have fallen out of favor with God, and thus we are “not loved” and we believe we are definitely not HIS.   Sin goes beyond an act of stealing, lying, gossip etc, it causes us to believe a lie in our heart that God doesn’t love us anymore and we can’t ever be His because of our actions.  Sin causes us to move farther and farther away from the presence of God.  

The truth is in Jesus Christ, God has shown that those names we give ourselves are just lies.  On the cross God showed us how much He loved us, and how much He would do to make us His.  He accepts us in our sinful nature and wants something far better for us.  Unfortunately we look to be satisfied by everything in the world, but God wants us to be only satisfied by Him and Him alone.

PRAYER

Father God, We thank You for having paid the price to reconcile with us.  Forgive us when we chase after things of this world and believe the lies.  We pray for strength to remain steadfast and remember the awesome, redeeming love You have for us. Amen

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
"This Bible will keep you away from sin, or sin will keep you away from the Bible." Rev Jim Smith 

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