A song got stuck in my head this past week and the words just kept repeating themselves over and over again. It was the chorus to a Caedmon's Call song entitled "You Created." Of all the gifts God bestows on me, none compare to the gift of His Son, Jesus. I am to enjoy nothing more than I enjoy Him. So, the questions is: "Am I doing that? Do I enjoy Jesus more than anything? All the time?"
But You created nothing
That gives me more pleasure than You
And You won't give me something
That gives me more pleasure than You.
In a few weeks, I will begin a study with a friend on Hosea. We are both pre-reading it so that we will be familiar with our topic. And what is the theme of Hosea? Prostitution of the worst kind: Finding loves anywhere and everywhere else, but in God.
Hosea 1:2 When the LORD first spoke through Hosea, the LORD said to Hosea, "Go, take to yourself a wife of whoredom and have children of whoredom, for the land commits great whoredom by forsaking the LORD."
And God ordered Hosea to name his children Jezreel, No Mercy, and Not My People. (I think God was trying to tell him something. No hidden message there.) 'So, Hosea, marry a prostitute and have children that will dishonor me' (I paraphrased). And Hosea said, "Yes, Lord."
All of the gifts God gives me were never designed to bring me more pleasure than Christ. There is nothing created that will give me more joy.
No newest fashion.
No delicious meal.
No goal achieved.
No task fulfilled.
No amount of money.
No security reached.
No newborn child...or grandchild.
No human love.
No acceptance of others.
No right to my own privacy, time, schedule, life.
No acceptance of others.
No right to my own privacy, time, schedule, life.
NOTHING.
My unfaithfulness to God is nothing less than prostitution.
Hosea 2:7-10 She shall pursue her lovers but not overtake them, and she shall seek them but shall not find them. Then she shall say, 'I will go and return to my first husband, for it was better for me then than now.'
8 And she did not know that it was I who gave her the grain, the wine, and the oil, and who lavished on her silver and gold, which they used for Baal.
9 Therefore I will take back my grain in its time, and my wine in its season, and I will take away my wool and my flax, which were to cover her nakedness.
10 Now I will uncover her lewdness in the sight of her lovers, and no one shall rescue her out of my hand.
If anything does bring me greater pleasure, then I just don't know Jesus well enough...because He is to be the source of a greater joy. My desire is to experience complete satisfaction in Him alone...all the time - no matter what. 'He won't give me anything that will give me more pleasure than Himself.'
My unfaithfulness to God is nothing less than prostitution.
Hosea 2:7-10 She shall pursue her lovers but not overtake them, and she shall seek them but shall not find them. Then she shall say, 'I will go and return to my first husband, for it was better for me then than now.'
8 And she did not know that it was I who gave her the grain, the wine, and the oil, and who lavished on her silver and gold, which they used for Baal.
9 Therefore I will take back my grain in its time, and my wine in its season, and I will take away my wool and my flax, which were to cover her nakedness.
10 Now I will uncover her lewdness in the sight of her lovers, and no one shall rescue her out of my hand.
If anything does bring me greater pleasure, then I just don't know Jesus well enough...because He is to be the source of a greater joy. My desire is to experience complete satisfaction in Him alone...all the time - no matter what. 'He won't give me anything that will give me more pleasure than Himself.'
When all of the things of this world fade...and they will, the Lord Jesus will remain.
Hosea 2:13-16 And I will punish her for the feast days of the Baals when she burned offerings to them and adorned herself with her ring and jewelry, and went after her lovers and forgot me, declares the LORD.
14 "Therefore, behold, I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak tenderly to her.
15 And there I will give her her vineyards and make the Valley of Achor a door of hope. And there she shall answer as in the days of her youth, as at the time when she came out of the land of Egypt.
16 "And in that day, declares the LORD, you will call me 'My Husband,' and no longer will you call me 'My Baal.'
May my heart be true to the One Who loves me most and may He always be my greatest pleasure. In honesty, I will need to be reminded of that...so I guess it's good to have songs rolling around in my brain...sometimes. And I believe Hosea has much in store for me.
When I stray Lord, lure me by back with Your great love and faithfulness. I want to love you more and more.
Hosea 2:19 And I will betroth you to me forever. I will betroth you to me in righteousness and in justice, in steadfast love and in mercy.
20 I will betroth you to me in faithfulness. And you shall know the LORD.
21 "And in that day I will answer, declares the LORD, I will answer the heavens, and they shall answer the earth,
22 and the earth shall answer the grain, the wine, and the oil, and they shall answer Jezreel,
23 and I will sow her for myself in the land. And I will have mercy on No Mercy, and I will say to Not My People, 'You are my people'; and he shall say, 'You are my God.'"
The verses below are reminders of God's purpose in having things in proper order. Let's start over with His plan...and let go of ours.
Hosea 2:13-16 And I will punish her for the feast days of the Baals when she burned offerings to them and adorned herself with her ring and jewelry, and went after her lovers and forgot me, declares the LORD.
14 "Therefore, behold, I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak tenderly to her.
15 And there I will give her her vineyards and make the Valley of Achor a door of hope. And there she shall answer as in the days of her youth, as at the time when she came out of the land of Egypt.
16 "And in that day, declares the LORD, you will call me 'My Husband,' and no longer will you call me 'My Baal.'
May my heart be true to the One Who loves me most and may He always be my greatest pleasure. In honesty, I will need to be reminded of that...so I guess it's good to have songs rolling around in my brain...sometimes. And I believe Hosea has much in store for me.
When I stray Lord, lure me by back with Your great love and faithfulness. I want to love you more and more.
Hosea 2:19 And I will betroth you to me forever. I will betroth you to me in righteousness and in justice, in steadfast love and in mercy.
20 I will betroth you to me in faithfulness. And you shall know the LORD.
21 "And in that day I will answer, declares the LORD, I will answer the heavens, and they shall answer the earth,
22 and the earth shall answer the grain, the wine, and the oil, and they shall answer Jezreel,
23 and I will sow her for myself in the land. And I will have mercy on No Mercy, and I will say to Not My People, 'You are my people'; and he shall say, 'You are my God.'"
The verses below are reminders of God's purpose in having things in proper order. Let's start over with His plan...and let go of ours.
Luke 12:31-32 Instead, seek his kingdom, and these things will be added to you. "Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom."
Colossians 1:16-20 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities - all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.
Revelation 4:11 "Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created."
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