Today's readings: Ps 89:1-18; Hos 2:14-23; Acts 20:17-38; Luke 5:1-11
In difficult times, we often ask ourselves whether we can really trust God. How often do we ask the complementary question: can God trust us?
The opening chapters of Hosea compare the relationship between God and Israel to the relationship between a husband and unfaithful wife. We can’t help but relate to this image of intimate betrayal, and the emotions it raises are useful tools for Hosea. He hopes to shock Israel into repenting over the trust it has violated, much like unfaithful spouses might confess to relieve their own guilt. God trusted Israel in a partnership, but Israel found other partners to satisfy immediate political and material needs. In chapter 2 of Hosea, God’s sense of betrayal eventually yields to a desire for reconciliation – a desire to trust Israel again. To trust us again.
Modern believers can struggle with the idea of a personal God. Does God really feel things like betrayal and trust? Maybe not in ways we understand, but the story of Christianity teaches us God relies on us to usher in God’s Kingdom. If we embrace the idea that we are created in the image of God – in all God’s faithfulness – maybe we can be a people who deserve that trust.
Jesus trusted extravagantly. When it was time to recruit disciples, he didn’t pick from the people he knew back in Nazareth, or from the residents of Capernaum who adored him for the signs he displayed. Instead he selected strangers who – upon realizing how special he was – declared themselves unworthy of such trust (Luke 5:8). They let him down along the way, but Jesus trusted these people to become his church.
In our daily lives, are we mindful that God is trusting us at any given moment? Do we live in a way that honors that trust? As in a marriage, two-way trust should not be a burden, but a relief. God trusts us enough to let us fail, as well as to succeed. God’s trust – and love – never falter, even when we do. How well do we value and honor that trust? God creates each of us worthy to help usher in the Kingdom. Let us be trustworthy as well.
Comfort: God’s trust in us is not a burden, but a joyful responsibility.
Challenge: Try to trust as extravagantly as God.
Prayer: Glorious Creator, I will do my best to be worthy of your trust.
Evening readings: Ps 89:19-52
Tomorrow's readings: Ps 97, 99, 100; Hos 4:1-10; Acts 21:1-14; Luke 5:12-26
Showing posts with label Hosea. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hosea. Show all posts
Monday, September 27, 2010
Saturday, September 25, 2010
We're on a mission from Gahd
Today's readings: Ps 87, 90; Hos 1:1-2:1; Acts 20:1-16; Luke 4:38-44
When someone claims to be on a mission from God, we probably think they are making a Blues Brothers reference. If we realize they are serious, we may question their grip on reality. When someone’s calling makes us uncomfortable, we tend throw around words like obsession. We say things like, “I know she’s really into recycling… but used staples?” We know Christ told the rich young man to sell everything and give the proceeds to the poor (Luke 18:22), but how would we react if someone we knew actually went and did it? People immersed in mission can look unbalanced to us… and raise uncomfortable questions within us.
What would we make of Hosea? On God’s order, he married a cult prostitute and named two of their children the Hebrew equivalents of “not my people” and “no mercy” so he could proclaim his family a living symbol of God’s dissatisfaction with Israel. In the field of missions, he makes staple-recyclers look like unranked amateurs. But what can he teach us?
Though Hosea is undoubtedly a more extreme example of dedication to mission than any of us will need to be, he is a model of structuring one’s life around a relationship with God, rather than cramming that relationship into a life already full of other things. Ideally, we would judge all our activities by how well they foster our relationship with God, and change or discard those that don’t. Easier said than done, right? We can’t perfect ourselves, but we can prioritize according to how God calls us, and stop worrying about how people might negatively perceive our dedication.
If Hosea is a bit too extreme for us to relate to, we can also look to Jesus. When he was ready to leave Capernaum, the people wanted to prevent him, but he was clear about the need to spread the Gospel elsewhere (Luke 4:42-43). Not everyone will receive our mission-based decisions gladly, but we do not need to feel guilty about sticking to the mission. At the same time, God’s love must always be our guiding principle, or the mission will become merely a new law to enslave us. Let us prayerfully consider what God calls us to do, and how we are called to do it.
Comfort: What other people think is never more important than God.
Challenge: Make a list of your weekly activities. Which are serving God, and which are wasting time? Remember that rest serves God also.
Prayer: God of strength, make me fit for the mission you would give me.
Evening readings: Ps 136
Tomorrow's readings: Ps 66, 67; Hos 2:2-14; Acts 20:1-16; Luke 4:38-44
When someone claims to be on a mission from God, we probably think they are making a Blues Brothers reference. If we realize they are serious, we may question their grip on reality. When someone’s calling makes us uncomfortable, we tend throw around words like obsession. We say things like, “I know she’s really into recycling… but used staples?” We know Christ told the rich young man to sell everything and give the proceeds to the poor (Luke 18:22), but how would we react if someone we knew actually went and did it? People immersed in mission can look unbalanced to us… and raise uncomfortable questions within us.
What would we make of Hosea? On God’s order, he married a cult prostitute and named two of their children the Hebrew equivalents of “not my people” and “no mercy” so he could proclaim his family a living symbol of God’s dissatisfaction with Israel. In the field of missions, he makes staple-recyclers look like unranked amateurs. But what can he teach us?
Though Hosea is undoubtedly a more extreme example of dedication to mission than any of us will need to be, he is a model of structuring one’s life around a relationship with God, rather than cramming that relationship into a life already full of other things. Ideally, we would judge all our activities by how well they foster our relationship with God, and change or discard those that don’t. Easier said than done, right? We can’t perfect ourselves, but we can prioritize according to how God calls us, and stop worrying about how people might negatively perceive our dedication.
If Hosea is a bit too extreme for us to relate to, we can also look to Jesus. When he was ready to leave Capernaum, the people wanted to prevent him, but he was clear about the need to spread the Gospel elsewhere (Luke 4:42-43). Not everyone will receive our mission-based decisions gladly, but we do not need to feel guilty about sticking to the mission. At the same time, God’s love must always be our guiding principle, or the mission will become merely a new law to enslave us. Let us prayerfully consider what God calls us to do, and how we are called to do it.
Comfort: What other people think is never more important than God.
Challenge: Make a list of your weekly activities. Which are serving God, and which are wasting time? Remember that rest serves God also.
Prayer: God of strength, make me fit for the mission you would give me.
Evening readings: Ps 136
Tomorrow's readings: Ps 66, 67; Hos 2:2-14; Acts 20:1-16; Luke 4:38-44
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