Digging in Deeper: Hosea 9:16

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“Ephraim is struck down; their roots are withered; they cannot bear fruit. Even if they bear children, I will kill the precious offspring of their wombs.” (CSB – Read the chapter)

On occasion, our kids misbehave. This is usually met first with a warning. If they keep at it, there will be a consequence of some kind. The longer they go down this path, the greater the consequence will be. Now, different situations call for different approaches from us. Sometimes, when they seem particularly stuck on a troublesome path, we will lay out for them what will be the results of staying on that path. Depending on the behavior, these results could be pretty uncomfortable. We don’t necessarily mean to scare them…well, actually we do. We want them more unnerved by the prospect of what the consequences facing them will be than they are motivated to continue pursuing the behavior that will lead to them. Ever been there as a parent? That’s where we find God here with the people of Israel.

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Digging in Deeper: Hosea 8:14

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“Israel has forgotten his Maker and built palaces; Judah has also multiplied fortified cities. I will send fire on their cities, and it will consume their citadels.”‬‬ (CSB – Read the chapter)

Jesus once observed that where our treasure is, our heart will be also. His point was that what we consider the most valuable will be where we invest our dearest devotion. His exhortation in saying that was for us to make sure that God is our chief treasure so that we are most devoted to Him. But what if we are most devoted to something else? What then? God gives us a hint here through the prophet Hosea.

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Digging in Deeper: Hosea 7:13

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“Woe to them, for they fled from me; destruction to them, for they rebelled against me! Though I want to redeem them, they speak lies against me.”‬‬ (CSB – Read the chapter)

This verse starts out the way most folks expect the prophets to go. There goes God judging the people again, promising doom and destruction on them. It ends the way we would expect something from the prophets to end. There goes God again, accusing the people of wrongdoing. It’s that thing in the middle that catches us off guard. God wants to redeem them? Wait, what? Let’s look into that one a bit more.

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Morning Musing: Hosea 7:9

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“Foreigners consume his strength, but he does not notice. Even his hair is streaked with gray, but he does not notice.” (CSB – Read the chapter)

Time flies when you’re having fun, doesn’t it? That’s an old cliché to express the fact that it is easy to get lost in something enjoyable. When we are having fun, we don’t worry about time. We don’t want to. We give our attention to simply enjoying the experience. And it always feels shorter than we’d like it to feel. There’s a fine line, though, between enjoying something fun, and being controlled by some habit. The former is harmless, the latter can be deadly. Israel had crossed that line.

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A Centered Life

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This past Sunday morning, we kicked off a brand new teaching series called Simplicity: Finding Contentment in a Busy Life. The fact is: We all have lives that are busier than we’d like them to be at times. We all have times when we are just discontent with the state of our situations. Trying to navigate out of and around those kinds of seasons can be tough. This series is all about how to avoid them in the first place. Don’t miss a single part of this journey as we talk about how to focus in, slow down, and live the kind of life we’ve always wanted to have.

A Centered Life

Do you ever want more?  That’s kind of a broad question.  More of what?  Well, anything.  If we’re going to stay that broad, then of course you do.  I do too.  Now, not of everything.  But sometimes we want more, right?  Maybe you want more to drink at dinner.  Perhaps you want more dinner.  Kids often want more attention.  If you’re reading or watching a great story, you may want more when it ends; you may want to find out what happens next.  There are all kinds of situations in which we want more. 

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