Today´s Scripture introduces us to Hosea and Jeroboam.
Hosea was a prophet. His name means “salvation” and comes from the same Hebrew root (hoshea) as the names Joshua and Jesus. Throughout the book, Hosea will show us that salvation is found in turning to the Lord and away from our sin.
Hosea’s ministry spanned the years 760 to 720 B.C. during the days of the divided monarchy, when the people of God divided in a civil war, creating two nations: Israel in the north and Judah in the south.
Under the reign of Jeroboam II, Israel prospered politically and materially, but it was a time of significant spiritual and moral decay. Hosea began his ministry at a time when things were so politically successful and economically prosperous that people didn’t look to the Lord the way that they should. The seeds of idolatry, spiritual failure, and moral corruption sown in days of Jeroboam II produced a tragic harvest in the following years.
That happens today, too. Sometimes, when our material needs are covered, we forget about God and how much we need Him. We may think we are living a successful life based on finances, relationships or careers. But, when the priority in our lives is not God, no matter what we do, the seeds of idolatry and spiritual failure will be sown in our hearts too.
Dear God, help me remember that You´re everything I need. I want You to be number one in my life. Don´t allow me to have any idols in my life. I want to live for You. Amen.
Week 1 Challenge: Take some time this week to write down everything that is happening in your current season of life. What are the good things, the hard things, the everyday ordinary things? Have you invited God into each of these areas, or just a few? Spend time with God in prayer about each one, with gratitude for the good, seeking hope for the hard, and a thankful heart for the ordinary.
Reading Plan
Memory Verse
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Week 1: Monday – Salvation is Found in the Lord
A wake-up call that false idols still exist, perhaps not in historical figurine form, but dangerously disguised as mundane and ordinary in the context of contemporary life. How is it that I find myself in this unmoored boat, tossed by waves, so far from shore, a mere pencil line of sand from this great distance? What idol has consumed my attention so much so that I have sacrificed the greatest gift I have ever received? I am awake now. I see what I have done and left undone. I ache with sorrow and repentence. Never again let my eyes fail to see that without You, my safe harbor and refuge, the sole all in all that I need, my life means nothing, I am an empty lost soul at sea without moral compass or destination. How great is Your grace to receive me in this condition. I cannot fathom the immeasurable breadth and depth of your salvation. Thank You, Lord.
I see idolatry today in the worship of self (self improvement, self promotion, self will, etc) Also, when I hear the God of scripture replaced with a god of our own making (“ The God I believe in would never send someone to hell” etc Heard a pastor recently compare the recent legislation to the God of Molech (child sacrifice) . Idolatry is alive and well in our country today, but we can pray for Gods people to repent, be revived, and our leaders to lead righteously
I am amazed at the things that can steal my attention away from God. The things that cross my mind in the morning when I first open my eyes. It is hard to imagine these things as idols, but they are. Because where your mind goes the heart will follow.
What does SOAP mean