God's Mercy

"I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked man, says the Lord, but rather in his conversion, that he may live." - Ezekiel 33:11

Today's Old Testament reading was about a beautiful woman who was falsely accused of adultery by two elders and almost put to death if God had not helped her. Paralleling this story in the New Testament, we hear the account of the adulterous woman brought before Jesus to be stoned. Here is where Jesus says those famous words - let he who is without sin cast the first stone. Susanna, the woman in the first story, was innocent and God spared her life because of His faithfulness. The adulterous woman brought before Jesus was indeed guilt, and God spared her life because of His faithfulness. This should teach each of us a very valuable lesson: God does not want to see any of us die or be humiliated; He wants us to convert and live prosperously. Jesus said to the adulterous woman, go and sin no more… therefore, before the eyes of God, we are as valuable as Susanna if we resolve to turn from our sin and follow God.

Another lesson in these stories is that we need to be as merciful to others as God is with us. How many of us would rush to convict the adulterous woman because she committed a sin? Forgetting anything we ourselves have done, we bring judgement upon others as if we were completely blameless. God, who is all good and wise, does not treat His people with vengeance, although we might very well deserve it, so we should learn to treat others, in all respects, as children of the Lord.

Today's Prayer:
Lord Jesus, I am so evil at times and judge harshly those around me. Forgive me Lord and give me a generous, compassionate heart so that I can treat all others with the love you have for me. In Your Name we pray, amen.

Love Hurts

"O, Ephraim, what shall I do with you? O, Judah, how shall I deal with you? This love of yours is like morning mist, like morning dew that quickly disappears. This is why I smote you through the prophets, and have slain you by the words of my mouth. For it is love that I desire, not sacrifice; it is knowledge of God, not burnt offerings." - Hosea 6:4-6

I have a couple of friends that are going through trouble in their relationships. Why is it that when we really love someone, sometimes they just don't correspond to our feelings? There is this one person who fell in love with someone who really seemed to care, but whenever he really needed her, she was gone and not there for him. To retaliate because he was hurt, he would say mean things to her, but only because he wanted her to feel the pain he was feeling. Sometimes she'd come back around when she was lonely, or needed something. He knew this, but he loved her so much, he'd take her back, although he knew her love wasn't sincere.

I've mentioned before that God not only loves us as a Father, but also in the way in which a husband loves his wife. This story I just mentioned is God's love for us as told through the prophet Hosea. God saw His people as His spouse and became so angry when He'd see His people not pay attention to Him and putting things such as wine, money, and sex before Him. He considered them all cheaters. Although He called them all adulterers, He was so hurt that He'd curse them but He wanted them all back. That's why in this passage, the Lord sighs in pain as we do when our relationship isn't going right. "O, Ephraim, what shall I do with you?" Think of the despair you go through when that person you love doesn't call you or answer your calls. They say they love you, but they don't show it. As God says, their love is "like morning dew that quickly disappears." And deep down, even when the one you love does answer you, you want them to be sincere and really love you back, not just because they need something as we do with God.

I picked this passage because sometimes we don't realize how strong God's love for us is and how easily we brush Him aside to focus on other things. The bible is full of verses comparing His love to the love of boyfriend/ girlfriend, husband/ wife. He knows fully well the anguish and despair we feel when we're hurt by love, and by using this comparison through the prophet Hosea, He shows us that His pain is that real.

Today's Prayer:
Lord God, I'm sorry for not loving You or giving You the time You deserve. I could never repay You for Your love but I seek to please You from now on. In Your Name we pray, amen.