10 How prosperous Israel is—
a luxuriant vine loaded with fruit.
But the richer the people get,
the more pagan altars they build.
The more bountiful their harvests,
the more beautiful their sacred pillars.
2 The hearts of the people are fickle;
they are guilty and must be punished.
The Lord will break down their altars
and smash their sacred pillars.
3 Then they will say, “We have no king
because we didn’t fear the Lord.
But even if we had a king,
what could he do for us anyway?”
4 They spout empty words
and make covenants they don’t intend to keep.
So injustice springs up among them
like poisonous weeds in a farmer’s field.
5 The people of Samaria tremble in fear
for their calf idol at Beth-aven,
and they mourn for it.
Though its priests rejoice over it,
its glory will be stripped away.
6 This idol will be carted away to Assyria,
a gift to the great king there.
Ephraim will be ridiculed and Israel will be shamed,
because its people have trusted in this idol.
7 Samaria and its king will be cut off;
they will float away like driftwood on an ocean wave.
8 And the pagan shrines of Aven, the place of Israel’s sin, will crumble.
Thorns and thistles will grow up around their altars.
They will beg the mountains, “Bury us!”
and plead with the hills, “Fall on us!”
9 The Lord says, “O Israel, ever since Gibeah,
there has been only sin and more sin!
You have made no progress whatsoever.
Was it not right that the wicked men of Gibeah were attacked?
10 Now whenever it fits my plan,
I will attack you, too.
I will call out the armies of the nations
to punish you for your multiplied sins.
11 “Israel is like a trained heifer treading out the grain—
an easy job she loves.
But I will put a heavy yoke on her tender neck.
I will force Judah to pull the plow
and Israel to break up the hard ground.
12 I said, ‘Plant the good seeds of righteousness,
and you will harvest a crop of love.
Plow up the hard ground of your hearts,
for now is the time to seek the Lord,
that he may come
and shower righteousness upon you.’
Hosea 10:1-12
Dear God, it is easy to take this passage from Hosea and think of it on a national level. Whether it’s our own country. Whether it’s the modern Israel. How have we let our impressive possessions and accomplishments tear our hearts away from you? That’s the easy thing for me to consider. How have all the people I share this country with done this awful thing?
But here’s the harder question: How have I done it? At the place I work, we are expanding our facility. You were gracious and led us to donors who helped us raise all the money. We have donations to help us run our operations. You have even brought us providers, although the search continues for a couple of people we need to help us. On a personal level, my wife and I are not wealthy (by American standards), but we are solidly middle-class. I can get sloppy in my prayer to you, humility before you, worship of you, and gratitude towards you. My eyes see so little. What they see is success. The see affirmation for me by this world. What I’m doing is working. That’s what they see. But I think the Holy Spirit is telling me this morning that if I find myself with resources it’s so that I can offer them to you to do what you want done. At work, we have a responsibility to make sure we are doing everything we can do. Personally, my wife and I need to be offering you the same. You’ve given us a lot of resources. How can we keep the soil of our hearts plowed and weeded before you so that you can plant seeds that will find good soil and produce great fruit for your glory?
Father, I’m sorry I take so much for granted. I’m an ignorant fool. I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m grateful to you. I’m grateful to be called your child. I have such a small role to play in this world, but if just one thing I do, word I speak, or dollar I spend can be exactly what you need it to be then I will rejoice that you want me and that you made my life count.
I pray all of this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,
Amen
Emails to God 