Love is a Choice

Then the Lord said to me, “go again, love a woman who is loved by a lover and is committing adultery, just like the love of the Lord for the children of Israel, who look to their gods and love the raisin cakes of the pagans.” ~Hosea 3:1, NKJV

We do not know Gomer’s background, whether she was a prostitute to begin with or she was unfaithful to her husband. Nevertheless, she was a harlot. After Hosea redeemed her and brought her into his house, she chose to return to the street. Many times, Hosea redeemed her and many times, she returned, but Hosea chose to go back again and again under God’s instruction. Gomer had a choice to live a life of respect and peace, and yet, she chose to return to a life of destruction.

The Israelites were no different. They intermarried, they changed their beliefs. They followed other gods. They turned to other gods, made by man. They forgot their Lord who was their bountiful provider (Hosea 2:8). Gomer was an example of the Israelites' unfaithfulness to the Lord, and Hosea was exemplifying the Lord’s love for them.

Tomorrow is Valentine’s Day, celebrating love for one another. We choose to give gifts of love to those we care about most. Many times we receive and many times we give. It is all done with choice. We choose the ones we care. We choose love. Just as we choose to love others, so God chose to love us, even when we are unfaithful to Him. Prophet after prophets, He declared His love to us, and yet many choose to return to the pagan world.

Finally, He sent His Son to die on the cross for our sins. His love is so great, He became man so that we know He truly understand us completely and yet He has authority to change circumstances and protect us. God chose to love us. Christ chose to die out of love for us. What will we choose to do?

Father, thank you for Your love for us. May this day not only be a day of us loving one another, but a day of remembering Your love for us. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Forty

I recently celebrated my 40th birthday. God inspired me to write a thank you letter to people who have influenced my growth one way or another. After I wrote the letter, I asked my husband to read it, he did. He asked me what the purpose of my letter was. “Why is forty so significant to you?” he questioned.

After listening to him for a bit, I grabbed my Bible and looked up forty. I found several passages about forty. “This will be a very long letter,” I commented.

“Why are you looking up forty in the Bible?” He exclaimed. “I wanted to know why you’re writing this letter. How did these people specifically affect you in a way that would cause you to write them?”

“Ohhh…I’m sorry. I thought you wanted me to explain the significance of the numb forty in the Bible,” I answered.

I proceeded with the letter without the Bible. However, the number forty intrigued me. There were a lot of mentions in the Bible about forty: the Lord caused it to rain for forty days and forty nights; the Israelites’ rebellious nature caused them to wander in the desert for forty years; After Jesus’ baptism, He fasted for forty days and forty nights in the desert (Matt. 4:2); After His resurrection, Jesus appeared to His disciples for a period of forty days (Acts 1:3). Thus, the number forty is important in biblical history.

Turning forty is also important to me. It inspired me to think of all the people who has influenced me and steered me in this direction. The saying, “It takes a village to raise a child” rings true in my life. There were so many people who helped my mother raise me. Without them I wouldn’t be alive. In my adult life, there are a lot of people who taught me the lessons of life-how to love my children; how to respect my husband, how to stay close to God, etc.

Turning forty caused me to reflect on the necessity of relationships: how we affect one another-positive or negative. It gives me a new perspective on life. I am most grateful for God’s grace. Daily, I ponder on His love and mercy. I am in awe of His goodness. Like the Israelites, I have a better understanding of what being obedient means.

Lord, I thank You so much for this reflection. I know that I need others' help in my walk with Jesus. I pray that I will not turn to left nor the right. Please, help me to never take others for granted. Help me to show my gratitudes daily. In Jesus’ precious Name I pray, Amen.

His Handiwork

This past weekend’s weather taught me a lesson on the power of God. All we received was cold and a few drops of rain. No snow and no ice. However, to the North and East of us was a different story. Our family was supposed to go to Hickory, North Carolina for the Sunday Service – my husband was to preach. However, on Saturday evening, the elder from that church notified my husband that the church was closed due to snowy weather. They had a blizzard. We, on the other hand, had dark cloud on Saturday and sunshine and cold wind on Sunday. As we head for church, I couldn’t get over the fact that on my side of the neighborhood, there is absolutely nothing wrong with the weather other than the coldness. And, yet, the blizzard hit the North and the East. It was Sunday, January 31, 2010 for all of us, everywhere.

I couldn’t get over it. I kept on pondering how it could be that on one side of town, churches were cancelled while on the other side, people were enjoying the sunshine and dry weather. “Oh, God, only You can fashion such vastness and beauty.” I felt utterly limited by this incomprehensible act of God. As far as my eyes could see, everything was perfect. And, yet, just beyond the horizon, there were blizzards all around. No matter how hard I tried to feel the pain these neighbors felt, I couldn’t. All I could feel was the sunshine and cold chills.

God, indeed, is the great “I AM”. His Word says, “The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork” (Psalm 19:1). This past weekend’s experience said it all. Only God could’ve divided the experiences of the weather so uniquely. Even, the earth sings a different song to the Lord at the same time.

Lord, thank You for teaching us about Your mighty power. Remind us daily that You are in control. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.