Oh friends.
That was a good one. Boy did God have a lot to teach us in the book of Hosea. And man, was He faithful to walk our community through good and hard and unchanging truths. Thanks be to God!
(one of our own: @Brookeechambers sitting in Hosea 14 yesterday)
Tomorrow and Sunday we’ll have the treat of enjoying two community testimonies, and on Monday we will dive back into the Old Testament, this time in the book of Nehemiah! This new study is 17 days long and, though it’s hard to believe, will drop us off just one day before the SheReadsTruth 1-year-anniversary!
Seriously, how can this be?
We serve an amazing God, whose vision will always be greater than ours and whose faithfulness will always surpass our own. We look forward to reflecting together on what He has done among our vast and diverse community on June 1st.
Following Nehemiah, the anniversary and a few more community testimonies thrown in for good measure (because really, how great is it to get to share how God is changing us as we seek Him together!?), we’ll switch gears for June and part of July to begin a study in 1 & 2 Peter.
Good stuff ahead, loves.
Good stuff behind us.
And a good God all around us!
I encourage you to take this day to share here with your sisters in Christ:
How has the Holy Spirit used this study of the book of Hosea in your life?
What truth has grabbed you and won’t let you go?
Can I also encourage you to share what God is doing with someone in your physical life? He is at work and His name is to be praised!
Have a blessed Friday, loves!
Leave a Reply
70 thoughts on "Behind us, Before us, All around us."
I am sitting here catching up on SRT from yesterday. I graduated college over the weekend. Last weekend I was baptized. One girl wants to talk more about my testimony and the gospel because of how God has been working through going to the baptisms last Sunday. Pray for our conversation that’s about to happen in a little bit. The study of Hosea played a huge part for me in the way that I chose to tell my story last weekend. You can read it at rayraymart.blogpost.com where I posted it a few days ago. Thank you for your insights from this community of women. It has helped my walk with the Lord so much.
The Lord blessed our conversation tremendously. She was open to hearing the gospel. I continue to pray that she would see more of Him as He is pursuing her. Thank you for all your prayers.
Thank you Peggy, for your prayers, all your wonderful comments, and most of all-your encouragement!! I am such a "literal" person that the bible can be challenging. I have a hard time with parables and the language of yesterday that is so beautiful, but harder to grasp sometimes…and i want to make sure I'm "translating" it correctly as I don't want to take anything out of context. I worry that sometimes people will sometimes try to "make" things work or fit the situation, when maybe it's not intended that way…or I'm just a worry-wart!! Lol… Maybe that could be it!! But seriously, Hosea really was intense for me-but way worth it! And that is the important thing, how much I took away from it.
Wishing you a happy Sonday too! (I just love that!!) :)
Have a blessed weekend! I guess I gave my feedback on HOSEA in my reply to EllenMR above!
May the beauty of your first love for Jesus be rekindled by all you have learned and shared as you RETURN daily to His relentless love and pursuit each day, knowing how much He loves us and has done! The journey is not over yet … God continues to speak His Truth to us, listen.love.learn and have a wonderful SONday with Him and yours.
Love and peace (virtual hugs) and many prayers,
Peggy
oh and I forgot LAUGH. Lighten your load and get ready for Nehemiah! Monday? right? (will it be in YouVersion too?)
Hey gals! Am I confused? I thought we were having testimonies today? Just wondering…
funny how lost I feel without a SRT post!! I want to hear from my sisters EVERYday! ;)
Guess I’ll check back, and hope we’ll have something tomorrow too. Hope everyone’s having a good Saturday- Blessings to all!
me,too, Ellen… yet reading through all of the comments is like a testimony from each one. But as for me, I have yet to ponder long enough or hard enough to write my own feedback on Hosea (cuz it would be longer than my Day 16).
I too came on, looking for them and felt compelled to read SRT like normal. Instead they were many beautiful words and prayers that I stand in agreement. In fact, I prayed for each of you as I read your comments or replies and gave ya' a thumbs up … as I lift your spoken or unspoken needs to the Throne of God, as He listens and hears each one.
Have a blessed weekend SRT community and thanks so much!
(if I can find a way to briefly sum up how God and you all spoke to me through the prophet Hosea, I'll be back – yes, the RETURN for the REDEEMED by His Relentless Redeeming Love, I am being restored, refined, renewed, as I learn to focus on my own repentance and love others as Jesus has poured His love and amazing grace on me! [maybe this is my statement of how Hosea has changed me and is changing me, as we remember that at first it was God asking Homer to be yoked in relationship with Gomer, forgive and restore her to right relationship with him, then it was God with Israel (their relationship or lack therein), showing us that we each need to come to Him, lay down our idols, our "redeemable" sins, (I love how Krysta said "spirit of prostitution") WOW-that sure turned on the lights for me, our selfish ways, our looking at other's rather than ourselves ("for we have all sinned and fall short"-boy, does that come through clearly in this like never before), whether we will give others the benefit of grace, love, mercy, justice, forgiveness as God has given us. I say Amen and thank You Lord! for each of your reflections and the inspiration of SRT. Thanks Ellen for your honest comment above also!!! I loved that part on "after all we're talking about our souls" and God speaking to us and banging us and Israel over the head to 'get it' finally. Oh that we might understand more fully the pursuit of God for us as prodigals and realize the price paid so that we would fully rejoice and receive God's eternal plan and purpose for each of us. Praise God! SRT … I think I summed it up after all! (thanks Holy Spirit)
Blessings and soak in the Son this SONday (after all we are His Beloved, and He is ours)!!!
Peggy
Are y'all laughing at how I messed up the names? I am…oh well!
Hey ladies! I think the server must be down today. That's what I am guessing anyway. I am no genius, lol! Peggy, meant to mention you should write a book!! Not because of the length but because of all the good things you had to say!!
Hopefully it will be back up and running tomorrow….just in time for Mother's Day.
And speaking of that…I wish a blessed one to both of you! Ellen, I hope you are feeling well enough tomorrow to make it to church with your children! God bless you friend! I hope you received my card!
Much love and prayers ladies! ♥
Diana, thank you for your beautiful prayer. I'm feeling the love and I know Suzanne is feeling the peace that only our Father in Heaven can give.
Have a great weekend!
Thank you ladies for your prayers they are definately appreciated.sending a bunch of internet Hugs:-):-):-) God Bless you!!
I am praying for you too! God is able! :)
Ellen MR, Carolymimi & Lauren,
AMEN &'Thank you for your beautiful prayers, encouragement, and for sharing your own experiences you've dealt with with your loved ones. Suzanne & Mark were flying out today to the Mayo Clinic to get a 2nd opinion. I am thankful they are and will be anxious to visit with them tomorrow. I will keep you updated. God bless you sisters
Goodnight sisters..a quick prayer request for strength.when I cry out to the Lord He fills me with his holy presents. When people reject me He accepts me. But I’m asking that you all pray for my strength and that I could always hold on to His promises even when my flesh wants to act out. Going through something but I’m believing in God:) thank you all.a lot can change in a couple of hours…
Precious Lord, I ask that you be with Monique now. Lord, fill her with your peace. Give her the comfort & strength only you can give.
When I am afraid, I will trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can mortal man do to me?
—Psalm 56:3–4
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. –Philippians 4:13
Hang in there sister, He knows your heart. HUGS
Praying for you Monique, that God will grace you with the strength sufficient to meet your needs. Our God is all-powerful and all-knowing. All we need to do is reach out, like the woman who touched the hem of his garment in faith, believing, and Jesus will restore us. I am believing he will restore you. Lord, I am asking you to surround her in the fullness of your strength. Amen
You know, there is a definite reason that I was lead to click onto SRT tonight, sooo late. He hears your cries and he answers. He is our peace.
I thank SRT for your commitment and dedication to the Kingdom of God and the people of God.
I have enjoyed this series of devotionals on Hosea. Although I have not been commenting much, I have read the Word and many of your posts. I have also prayed for those requesting prayer for themselves and others.
It is so good to see the community growing in number, unity, and love. Looking forward to Nehemiah! God is truly faithful and His mercy AND love endures forever.
I'm just getting on here late today, but I had to jump in after reading all of these heart-warming comments today. I'm glad to read that I have not been alone in feeling like Hosea was a lot of chew on sometimes. Some mornings the reminder of how heavy my sin is felt like too much to bear. The law has a way of revealing how much we need to be rescued from ourselves. Even our good intentioned plans can lead us down paths of destruction. My pride doesn't like to admit that, but the proof is in the pudding.
And here I stand, rescued indeed. I'm captured by how God's love relentlessly calls His people back to Him. Then He laments over the rejection, the betrayal, the sin that separates. The Father's deep, deep love, we cannot run from. The story of His love and plan for redemption is weaved throughout the entire bible and continues to weave itself inside the hearts of His people who love Him. Oh, to be completely clothed in His love like one of our dear SRT sisters (I can't recall who) described this week as a warm blanket.
Thank you to all the SRT writers for taking us on a wild journey through the scriptures. What a great way to study the Word and walk through it all with some amazing ladies. What an unexpected (for me) event to feel so close and unified with a group of ladies with such diverse backgrounds and experiences. I've grown fond of many of you and look forward to reading what God is doing in our community. Love and blessings to all of you!
As we all have stated, this has been an amazing journey thru Hosea! All I can say is it was really intense for me and I'm thankful to take away a deeper knowledge of God and His word. Ive always been one of those people who has to have everything spelled out for me time and again (sorry for the monotony of needing repetition and confirmation continually..) and want to know I'm getting it right, because, well, we're talking about our SOULS here! Can't be making mistakes, right? So i just have to have it banged into my head. Like Israel apparently did too. Guess we're more alike than I would've thought, considering there's hundreds of years between us! That's why the Old Testament is daunting, but it's teaching the same principles and knowledge of God regardless. Thank you Father for speaking to me and making the big picture clearer! How I've needed that…
Blessings to all of you Ladies! Thank you SRT for the beautiful, challenging studies you all work so hard to provide. How wonderful your 1 year Anniversary is approaching! I've been around since Dec. and can't imagine NOT participating in daily studies without you now- I'd be lost without you all!! As always looking forward to our next book, and i love the testimonies! It's a joy to read about each other's journey with the Lord, how He's working in our lives. It's reaffirming to see Him thru all of you- a work He has prepared to shine His light thru to all who may be in the dark or lost… awww, how awesome!!! :)
Beautiful Sister's in Christ,
I discovered SRT on the Bible App You Version, in January of this year. My thoughtful hubby of almost 32 years (in July) bought me an IPad for Christmas. I couldn't wait to get familiar how to navigate around. My 1st study was from SRT "Fresh Start"…and boy it has been!
I have done every study SRT has blessed us with since January. I have thoroughly enjoyed and grown so much and realized especially in this study of Hosea how much HE loves me. I understand it at a much deeper level than ever before. Raechel, thank you for that.
And thank you to all of you lovely women that have been so transparent about your lives and struggles. It has been a pleasure to pray for you, and I appreciate all of your responses in comment and prayers as well. Along the note of prayer, can I ask that you hold my sister-in-law in prayer?
Her name is Suzanne. She is married to my very special TWIN brother, Mark. She found out about 10 days ago that she has breast cancer; Invasive Ductal Carcinoma -with triple negative. She is scheduled for a mastectomy on May 15th, along with chemo & radiation. She and my brother have a long road ahead of them…
I have watched my own Mom and Mother-in-law, both go thru breast cancer and I'm so thankful they both have been cancer free for +20 years! I am praying the same for Suzanne. I know The Lord is control of all things and there will be blessings along this difficult path. I pray for peace in her soul as she awaits surgery. Be with her Lord and guide the surgeons. Be with my brother as I know he is still dealing with the shock of this news.
Thank you sisters. I look forward to growing with you ladies in the book of Nehemiah.
Margie, I'm praying for you, your brother, and your dear sister-in-law as she begins this daunting journey. Please know I'll be thinking of you, praying for peace of mind, strength and hope. My Mom also had cancer, and hers had spread to her lymph nodes. Two surgeries later we chose not to pursue chemo/radiation as she had other major health issues. Her cancer was considered terminal but with the Lord blessed us with 10 more years, and when she passed away it was NOT from cancer- although it had invaded her lymphatic system, it never formed into a mass or went anywhere else! PTL!! God gave us our miracle! We also got second and third opinions, which made a huge difference. Please get as much info as possible! If we'd listened to the first Dr, I honestly think we would have had a different outcome and wouldn't have had the 10 wonderful years we enjoyed!
Praying for blessings for you and your dear family, today and everyday! :)
Lord, you are the great physician, and we ask you to cast out the cancer from Suzanne's body. Use this experience to widen her influence and bring those who can minister to her family into her life. Give her grace for every twist and turn cancer treatment can take a person on…give her peace in the storm and once the storm has passed fill her with Praise and Joy! Amen
Margie, I too will be praying for Suzanne, and all of you. My family is all too familiar with this terrible disease. My mother had breast cancer twice on the same side, she opted for a double mastectomy after the cancer had returned. Although she did not go through chemo, she did do radiation during the first cancer phase. Thankfully, the cancer never spread and is completely gone. I agree with Ellen to get as much information and opinions as possible. Will keep Suzanne lifted up in prayer often.
God is so much bigger than this, there is a plan (although difficult to see). I pray you all rest in His mighty arms and comfort. Sending you all lots of hugs and love.
Dear Margie, my heart goes out to you and your family. You have seen first hand of the miraculous healing power of our awesome God.
Father, I bring Suzanne before you. You are the Great Physician and know exactly what she needs in order to be well. You are the same yesterday, today and forever. Just as you healed all the people who came to you and believed in your healing power when when you walked the earth, I pray that you would stretch forth your hand and heal Suzanne of the cancer. That you would give the doctors wisdom and that you would give this precious family your peace, the peace that passes all understanding. Thank you Lord that we can come boldly to your throne of grace and find help in our time of need. I ask you to bless Margie and her family in Jesus name, Amen.
I was so blown away by God's forgiveness in Hosea. Coincidentally, I was reading Francine River's Redeeming Love during this study. Reading that story while I was reading the book of Hosea helped me imagine Hosea's situation in a more modern light that really hit home. This study made me realize that if God forgives sins and transgressions against him, then who am I to withhold forgiveness from people who have hurt me? It just makes things that I get upset at others over seem petty.
Hi lovely ladies,
I loved everyone's comments on here and feel like I could reiterate what everyone has said :). The study has been AMAZING!
Firstly I would like to say a huge THANK YOU to all the SRT for your faithfulness to God, his direction and allowing HIM to speak through you guys to us. It has been amazing and these testimonies on this page prove that! :) ***give them a clap and virtual hug***
GOD IS SO GOOD. ALL OF THE TIME!
What I really got from the study was a deeper understanding of where I stand in my relationship with God but importantly to me, what he thinks about me. Especially at the beginning….I was literally being sung over by my GROOM as he showed me clearly, I have been pursuing you, I will pursue you. I will not stop! :) we broke through a barrier Daddy God and I :D
The rest, though challenging, I had to face some difficult things. My emotions have been topsy-turvy as he shows me, speaks to me, and waits…..for me? WOW! At times I thought, yikes scary God but I was reminded that no, he LOVES me. He is my GROOM forever faithful. It is I who keeps messing this relationship up. Yet he welcomes me back…he revives me!!!
Looking forward to next study. I know nothing about the book of Nehemiah. Yipee!!!
Ps. Huge thank you for those who prayed for me the other night when I was low and the subject was "waiting"!!! You prayers did wonders. My soul calmed and Father spoke. He truly cares for me. I have direction from him. It's a Trust thing. But I'm learning ;)
Woman of God!!!! I’ve been blessed by this devotion ..I praise God for leading me to you..I was diagnosised with bone cancer in 2011 and GOD has healed me!!! Let’s continue to worship God together …much love
Hallelujah ! What a marvelous testimony that God Heals even today.
As I have thought back over this Hosea journey we have taken, I went back to the first few chapters and thought about God's pursuit of us. It has no limits. We can not get beyond it and He never, never gives up. We give up, but God never does. As we worked through the chapters revealing the more uncomfortable side of God's character, His righteous justice, it made me so thankful for God's forgiveness that is always available. We can always return and not have to live through all of the suffering. When we were reading chapter 3 I wrote a post on my blog and put up a video I had made to David Crowder's How He Loves. I think the take away for me on Hosea is "How He Loves" us. Here is a link if you want to see the video.
http://scripturesquegraphics.com/how-he-loves-hos…
Much Grace Ladies
Throughout this whole study I have been STRUCK (something I needed and need daily) by God's grace in comparison to my sin. His grace has little/no meaning without the sobering reality of the state of my heart. I am a sinner, and while I know that…Hosea really showed me how deplorable our sin is against our God. For some reason saying "I am a sinner saved by grace" doesn't make me realize how horrible my sin is in the same way that the phrase "spirit of prostitution" (Hosea 5:4) does. My identity no longer rests in my sin, but in my Savior. For that I am so thankful…but I am also thankful for the reminder throughout this study that my sin really is that bad. Bad enough that nothing on this earth can save me from it, apart from the love of Christ!
Thank you ladies for being faithful to share the Truth of God's Word here on your site. I am really thankful for the studies I've participated and have been spending time more frequently in the Word thanks to your studies, than I have in a long time.
Thank you Jesus for loving us…for dying and rising that we can walk with you through this life and into eternity. YOU JESUS are to be praised and honored!!!
This Hosea plan has been ROCKING my heart. Thank you for being willing to dive deep into passages/books that aren't the easiest to understand. I'd never read Hosea in it's entirety until now, and I feel like I have such a different, better perspective of who God is through this book. Not to mention what he's done in my life.
The book of Hosea just reminds me over and over how much God loves us and wants us to be close to Him. Even at my worst, He is still calling me into relationship with Him. His love is faithful and He is just awesome.
This study of Hosea came at the perfect time for me. And honestly, it wasn’t the lesson I expected to learn…you know the one, like so many of you have posted about God always loving us.
It really challenged me to love others like God loves us, especially those who have sinned against us. God loves those who sin agaiant us just as much as he loves us but we don’t always recognize that. We hold judgement, bitterness & anger in our hearts instead love.
We must learn to truly love the “sinners” in our lives.
That love can’t be shown sincerely if we ourselves have t returned to God. And as we wait on him, we can show true love & justice.
Thank you Kristi! That is exactly the same message I received from this devotional on Hosea also. To love the sinners with the same feelings as God displays towards his children. What a beautiful message.
This study in Hosea deepened my understanding on how much God loves us and will NEVER leave us as much as we forsake Him. It made me sad to read how much He was rebeled against and it almost seemed He was begging them to come back to Him and they would not. He does not deserve that. It also opened my eyes to what I am doing to Him in my times of weakness. I am so grateful for the loving Father that He is that regardless of how many times I wrong Him, He is a forgiving Father who loves me uncondtionally but also as my Father there are times I will be punished and a lesson must be taught. The key is am I still enough to learn from what He is trying to teach me at that time, good or bad. I pray I am. Loving the SRT community and am so THANKFUL I found this community. You won't believe how much it has opened my eyes to understanding the Bible and the wonderful Father I have in Christ Jesus. My walk with God would not be where it is today without you all. Thank you and a milllion times thank you.
Sophia, I really like what you posted! Good or bad, be still enough to learn His lessons- how true!
Wow, what wonderful testimonies this morning! My heart is overflowing reading them all! A a bible study in itself!! I am gleaning from every single one….
Shanna, God bless you, girl, you need to post more often! i love what you said here: "God has been showing me how much my flighty heart is like Israel's own seesawing devotion. But the truth of His relentless pursuit and desire for me – even in the midst of my I-don't-really-need-You-today-God days, in the midst of discipline and consequences, He LOVES me. And is calling me back."
I wish I could have bolded it and highlighted it and made the font bigger! My flighty heart is like Israel's own see sawing devotion….BUT….(I love the BUTS in the Bible!) even when He disciplines, even when I am punished and deserve that punishment, He LOVES me, and calls me back!
Thank you, I will feast on that all day!
And Jesusgirl, cracked me up once again with her honesty, "I had no trouble seeing myself in the Israelites"….. neither did the rest of us and we have all been changed by it. It hurt, but the truth does hurt but if it causes us to change then we thank God for it!
Thank you SRT, we appreciate your sacrifice! And all of you that do not normally comment, thank you, your words have been such a blessing today! Please don't be a stranger!
Haven't been commenting lately but still with you guys every morning and usually every nite before bed. So thankful for SRT and for you, my sisters in Christ! I've been encouraged so much throughout the past few months. I found the site before Christmas and have been here ever since! God is using this site and you my sisters in amazing ways. What an awesome gift and responsibility to be used as His vessel! Praying He will use me today as His instrument in the lives of my children, my husband and all those around me.
Wow! I just joined the she reads truth community probably back in October. I am so happy I found this wonderful
Community of sisters in Christ!!!! I have thoroughly enjoyed the studies and have devoted my mornings to reading his word which she reads truth has helped me with. Reading Hosea I was like ugggghh frustrated bc Israel didn’t get it time after time, but made us see that we don’t get it still time after time, which makes me sad. God is great and his grace and mercy are amazingly wonderful to be able to poured upon me! Thank you Jesus!
Looking fwd to Nehemiah! Haven't been online too much for Hosea but I've been studying Nehemiah on my own, so it will be good to study it here too!
I have been following your latest reading plans and also doing one of your old ones that I missed concurrently! I've been beyond blessed with your reading plans and have recommended them to ALL the girls around me. :)
I had this a-ha moment when reading Hosea with SRT. When I read Hosea 7:2 in NIV, I saw this sentence: "Their sins engulf them, they are always before me." and I had this epiphany… Like God talking to me:
God is angry with our sins yes, but He is EVEN MORE upset with the fact that when we sin, we let our sins ENGULF us and we are ALWAYS conscious of our sins before Him, and that prevents us from drawing closer to Him, which is what He wants the most. Just like how Adam and Eve hid from God after eating the apple because they were afraid, the more we sin, the more we are conscious of our sins, and the more afraid we are of God and the more we cannot draw close to Him and the vicious cycle continues.
If we just follow His way and listen to Him… We can prevent all of that.
I am SUPER ready for Nehemiah! Thank you girls! You're doing wonderful work.
Wow! What a great insight. our consciousness of our already forgiven sins prevents us from drawing close to him. Wow, again! Kara-Anne.
Absolutely agree with everything everyone has said, especially about seeing myself in the Israelites. Adultery, idolatry, thinking that I don't need God at one point or another, yep, guilty of it all. What comes to mind this morning is the fact that we know that God is all-knowing – so nothing Israel did was a surprise. He created His chosen people, knowing that they would treat Him this way, yet still created them, loved them, pursued them…. He knew everything I would do in my life, that He would set out the perfect path for me, and that eventually I would take a sharp sudden (to me) left instead of going straight. That I would have to continue that way for a long time before realizing and then acknowledging that I had ignored my God GPS. Yet still He loves and pursues me. I am so thankful for that. If I have nothing else in this world, I have everything because I have and am in Him. I haven't always been in a place to say that, and sometimes the enemies voice gets a little too loud, but it is a beautiful thing to realize.
I am SO blessed by this community. SO blessed.
“My God GPS”…LOVE IT!
God GPS….Love it.
I had no trouble seeing myself in the Israellites. I know i do all the same things. What struck me most was how god pursues us, but not only that, He doesn't get tired of our need to return. psalm 103, which I am in the process of memorizing, tells ut ath He remembers we are only dust. I often think that one day, I will push god too far, and He will say "enough! no more grace for you; no more mercy." That is a lie from the pit of hell, I know, and this study has helped me see the truth of God's unfailing love and patience. Be blessed, gals!
Good morning ladies! As most of y’all have already said, the biggest thing I took away from Hosea is God’s amazing, amazing love for us. It’s hard to fathom. When I really meditate on that fact, that truth, and let it sink in…it “wrecks me” as my pastor likes to say. I try to comment most days, so I can really feel a part of the community, but I don’t always have time in the morning. But I SO love to read all of your comments and appreciate ALL you ladies so very much! Looking forward to journeying through Nehemiah with y’all! Have a blessed day, sisters!
This study was amazing. The book of Hosea has been one of my favorite books of the Bible for some time, but SRT really illuminated some things for me. When Paul prays in Ephesians that we would grasp how wide, long, high, and deep is the love of Christ, I wonder if the book of Hosea came to his mind. Or in Romans, when he says that nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus. What a picture of the expanse of God's love! Even harder to fathom is that this love He has for us is not because of the things we do or the people we are, sometimes it's IN SPITE of those things! It's pure and it's unconditional.
And above all, it's relentless. Someone at my church shared their testimony recently about the verse in Rev. 3: "Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me." She said that we often think that Jesus knocks, we let him in, and it's done. But a more accurate picture is that Jesus knocks and knocks and knocks. Every once in a while, we might yell through the door "go away!" or if we're feeling a bit kinder, we might crack the door open to see who is outside only to close it seconds later. But He stands and knocks anyway. He keeps knocking. (In the Greek, the word for "knock" is in the present continuous tense, indicating that it is an ongoing action, so this is a pretty accurate description!) This certainly is the way I experienced God's love. And it gives me great comfort for the prodigals in my life who I'm praying will come back, because I know that no matter what Jesus is knocking on their door.
knocks and keeps on knocking…The same Greek word is used when Jesus admonishes us to pray that way…knock and keep on knocking. I suspect there is a present continuous tense in Greek for forgive..forgive and keep on forgiving…like God does for each of us.
Hosea instilled the fear of God in me. Fear of His power and fear of His unconditional love for me. I want nothing more than to praise and worship Him with every aspect of my life.
I love how this book shows God’s love and pursuit of us! He told Hosea to love the unloveable. Just like God loves us. Thank you Candacejo and Carolynmimi for so much encouragement and wisdom! Thank all the SRT women for all your prayers and comments!
I’ve been following along with #shereadstruth for about 6 months. This study on Hosea has gripped me more than any of the others. For the first time in a Long time, I couldn’t wait to dive into God’s Word and what He had for me every morning.
I have always struggled to have consistent quiet times and the guilt eats at me like nothing else. God has been showing me how much my flighty heart is like Israel’s own seesawing devotion. But the truth of His relentless pursuit and desire for me – even in the midst of my I-don’t-really-need-You-today-God days, in the midst of discipline and consequences, He LOVES me. And is calling me back. Patiently waiting.
Thank you for all the hard work and time that is poured into this site / devotionals! I am so thankful for Gods work In me through #shereadstruth.
I don5 think ive commented during this series, but ive beeen reading and following along. The thing that sticks out to me most is just the word "return". No matter what happens rturn to God, theres no sin or length of time that His love cant cover. I am just overwhelmed by how vast His love for us is, despite how broken we are. I also thought all the foreshadowing of Christ's coming was really cool.
being a newbie at even reading the bible, let alone, studying it, i found Hosea to be somewhat of a challenge too. but.. God works in mysterious + wonderful ways. i NEEDED to read Hosea with you girls. He used SRT + Hosea to show me myself. like Holly, the biggest lesson for me is to come to God with a 'reflective, humble and repentant heart'. also, that no matter how dark + ugly my sins, He loves me. His mercy + forgiveness astound me. i am reminded that God's grace is not a freebie.. that I must give Him the place He belongs in my life -front + centre. i am so grateful that He has not given up on me, and that in fact, He is pursuing me. amen to that. i'm not one to write much in the comments here, but i draw so much comfort in reading all of yours. i look forward to our next plan together. praying for all of you sisters!! big love :)
I just found set yesterday, so I don’t have any testamony about Hosea, but I wanted to say I am exited about starting with you all as we dive into Nehemiah. Thanks for being here!
Welcome, Chelsie! Glad you’re here!
Yes, welcome! You will love it here! :) So much strength and power in the Word! Blessings!
Welcome, Chelsie. So Happy you found this community. You will be blessed.
Welcome!!:) I hope and pray it will be an avenue for you to grow closer to Jesus!:)
This study on Hosea was awesome! It was at times hard to swallow, but so convicting! Thank you for being obedient and digging into the hard stuff! ~Blessings!
Hi Ladies! Right now, I pretty much feel like I want to say "Ditto" to all the comments above. Some parts of Hosea were really hard to get through. My natural reaction was always, ((eye roll)) "I don't do THAT." You know…I don't create my own idols and doubt God and question His authority the way the Israelites constantly did….
Oh, wait. Yes I do…
I am learning to approach God with a reflective, humble, repentant heart before I even get any other prayers out to start the day.
It is such a challenge.
It was interesting to me that we were encouraged to share how God has touched someone in our physical lives. The word "physical" really stood out to me!
Long story short, I am getting laid off from my teaching position after 9 years in the same district, and I am absolutely heart broken. It has been one of those things where I could see it coming for a long time, but didn't really want to believe it….about 18 months of uncertainty and stress.
The most interesting thing to me is that- while the actual stress has caused SOME "health issues" (i.e. muscle/tension aches, difficulty sleeping), overall, I have been really healthy.
For the first time in years, I haven't taken ANY actual sick days. I have missed work for various yearly check-ups that can't be avoided. (i.e. the dentist, etc.) but haven't ACTUALLY been sick all school year…this is amazing to me! Usually, I end up with one or two cases of strep throat or a sinus infection and miss a few days every year.
This has been a huge blessing, and I don't want to ignore it.
Thanks for being part of this wonderful community. Praying for you all this morning.
Mark Driscoll, Pastor of Mars Hill Church in Seattle preaches a sermon series on the book of Nehemiah. It's really good! I just listened to it so I'm SUPER excited to do this SRT study! The link is below.
http://marshill.com/media/nehemiah/building-a-cit…
Have a wonderful day!!!
I really enjoyed Hosea. It really does make you think about everything we do and yet, he still loves us. Right now I’m going through somewhat of a difficult time, but through pursue within days God got me to a whole new place. Its is so amazing because I week ago I was so angry and hurt and sad and today I’m confident and excited about the future and the fact that He has brought me to this this fast is absolutely incredible. I can’t even begin to tell you how much I am so grateful for all of my blessings.
She reads truth has been a lifesaver for me. I came across it in February during soul detox. Perfect timing because I was in fact going through my own personal soul detox and changing myself from the inside out. I am so excited for each and every new study. What a great way to start my mornings.
Beautiful!
Good Morning Ladies:) hi ibuken(love your blogs btw) and thanks for the encouraging words:) yes its me forgiven but I’m changing my name lol:) First I want to thank the SRT sisters for all the prayers and encouraging devos. I have come in contact with a lot of wonderful sisters here. I havnt commented much but I read evevryday. The book of Hosea has reminded me of the faithful Love of our God. How no matter what we do He is still there for us Loving us and Holding us up. When we sin or fall into our own yes there is consequenses but its never there to hurt us just to make us better with our Lord. I’m so appreciative of the Love that He has for us. I will never understand the Love and forgiveness that He has. But I am so moved by it.I’m Holding on to knowing that He has forgiven me and washed me clean in His blood. Even on days when condemnation try to pour in Him I Hold on to that Faithfulness that He had. Thank you Lord for loving a wretch like me.Thank you sisters for all your encouraging words and prayers
Candace Jo thanks for your time and the encouraging words love your blog,amykelly,carolynmimi,rocknita,Jesusgirl,laurenc,charmaine,claire(love your blogs:) leahvt(love your blogs) charmaine,diana,autumn,ellenmr and all of you thank you for being there when I was at a low point in my life and didn’t believe God has forgiven me.Thank you all.have a blessed day and let’s continue to encouraging each other.as the song goes,”I pray for you you pray for me where all apart of Gods body. Stand with me, agree with me,I love you,I need you to survive,I won’t harm you with words from my mouth I love you I need you to survive”:)
We have missed your comments! Hope all is going well! You know you can write ANY time you need anything or just need to talk. Yes, this is a wonderful community of faithful,praying friends! Bless you, friend!
Hey Monique! I saw your comment on my blog but I couldn't find it :( think you could mail me so we could talk? Here's mine [email protected] :)
Through studying the book of Hosea, I have come to understand that God will NEVER leave or forsake me. He will never change His mind about the intensity with which He loves me. And He’ll keep on loving and being faithful whether I’m loving and faithful or not. His love inspires me to love Him right back. I refuse to take any of it for granted.
I had hoped that we would do the Old testament study that we wanted to do but I guess plans changed and we’ll experience God in the book of Nehemiah too. Have I mentioned lately how much that book has been following me around and being everywhere I turn? *grin* I’ve missed leaving comments on here. Love to do life with all you women.
Shout out to the “new” faces here: Dot, forgiven (been a minute), Nordia, Catie, Megan and others. Praying that you are blessed by SRT like I have
I was very blessed by the study of Hosea. As has been said, parts were hard to take but, through it all, the overwhelming thing I’ve taken away is God’s pursuit of us. How much He loves us, how precious our relationship is to Him.
We always tend to focus more on our pursuit of Him.
Hosea reminds me of the hymn “Come Now Fount”. There’s a line in one of the verses which says, “Prone to wander; Lord, I feel it. Prone to leave the God I love. Here’s my heart, Lord. Take and seal it; seal it for Thy courts above.”
That is what I am inspired to pray as I study Hosea. And, I am overwhelmed by the love that heals my wanderings and ministers hope to me.
I love this community. I’m so glad God led me here. I find direction and encouragement daily, and it’s helping me so much in my daily battles with depression and weariness.
I look forward to the community testimonies and then diving in to Nehemiah. God has good things in store for us.
Dawn, I also have had this song in my head throughout this study and posted pics on IG because it was so on my heart :) funny how God speaks to us through music. I love it.
I’m thrilled we’ll be doing Nehemiah! I started doing Kelly Minter’s study then got side-tracked when I discovered She Reads Truth way back when you did Proverbs.