So last week was eye opening with the Lord flat out telling me I refuse to listen, I'm stubborn, I serve myself, and it makes me worthless... But this week there has been even more to meditate on. This was simple to handle compared to actually SEEING consequences to our sin played out!
This past week has been quite emotional for me.
My 2 year old nephew was in the hospital from Wednesday to Sunday for health reasons I child should NEVER have to go through! I have been angry, bitter, unforgiving. I have been pitiful and just not as focused as I could have been on the Lord and His plans through this storm!
God has been there trying to calm me and grab my attention, but I have refused to listen in most ways and have just chosen to focus on the circumstances instead of My God in charge of it all.
I was very thankful when He gave me a comparison that really changed my heart. He showed me that one person's disobedience is the same as the next - it is ALL ugly - and it ALL has consequences!
In Hosea chapter 2 we read the story of Hosea's wife of harlotry. This story is compared to Israel's unfaithfulness and if you read my posts you know recently God has called me to be more consistent / faithful. We know that Hosea's marriage was broken by unfaithfulness, but reconciliation was sought, and not divorce. This nasty picture of disobedience is no different than the nastiness in our own personal ways of disobeying the Lord. God would call us to "put away our harlotry and our adultery"(v.2). In Hosea it commands this and warns "OR"... "or I will strip her naked and expose her as on the day when she was born"... "I will slay her with thirst"(v.3) ... "also, I will have no compassion on her children"!!!!(v.4) Ouch! ALL disobedience comes with consequences! REAlly - think people! Is holding onto our sin worth the possibility of our children in the hospital!!!!???? ... or even worse!
Would we want it said of us and our children that they were harmed because we ignored the Lord's warning and instead continued to "play the harlot" - trying to cheat on our Lord and Saviour!? I don't want to hear anything along the lines of ... "she who conceived them has acted shamefully"!!!(v.5) "She said, I will go after my lovers" -what is the sin we love? What is it that we chose instead of choosing the path God has laid out right in front of us?!
Do we really want God to have to "hedge up our way with thorns and build a wall against us so we cannot find our path"?(v.6) Do we want Him to get to the point that He takes away all that He has given us?(v.8-9) This He WILL do - because He loves us! He wants to make it so when we pursue this sin in our disobedience we will not fall upon it... that when we seek it we will not find it.(v.7) So that then we will FINALLY SEE it was better for us to obey.
He wants to allure us and speak kindly to us :).
He wants to give us hope and joy. He wants to remove what stands in our path to Him and make a covenant with us. He wants to keep us safe in His arms and have compassion on us and call us His people!
"I will betroth you to Me forever; Yes, I will betroth you to Me in righteousness and in justice, in lovingkindness and in compassion, and I will betroth you to Me in faithfulness. Then you will know the Lord." Hosea 2 : 19 - 20
He wants me to stop focusing on the storm and the circumstances.
"Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me." John 14:1
"Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." Hebrews 12:2
"Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." Hebrews 12:2
And I want me to have an attitude more like Mary's...
"I am the Lord's servant, Mary answered. May it be to me as you have said." Luke 1:38
Lord please forgive me and help me. Have compassion on me and my children. Be with my nephews, be their comfort in this time of need. Bring their mommy and daddy to a place of repentance and desire to live in obedience to You. Help me to have an even MORE heart-wrenching desire to obey - change my heart that I might life more for You and less for me. I love You, please help me to show You by following Your commands.
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