“Oh Israel and Judah, what shall I do with you?” asks the Lord. “For your love vanishes like the morning mist and disappears like dew in the sunlight. I want you to show love, not offer sacrifices. I want you to know me, more than I want burnt offerings.” Hosea 6:4-6 NLT
I imagine God saying, “Oh Amy, what shall I do with you? Don’t you remember that it all comes back to knowing me?”
What am I trying to offer God, other than myself?
“Well then, since God’s grace has set us free from the law, does that mean that we can go on sinning? Of course not! Don’t you realize that you become the slave of whatever you choose to obey? You can be a slave to sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God, which leads to righteous living.” Romans 6:15-18 NLT
What am I a slave to? The reality is that I am a slave to whatever is consuming me. If it’s not Jesus, than what is it? I have fallen into this trap more times than I would like to admit. But God’s hand is waiting to pull me out.
“But now you are free from the power of sin and have become slaves of God. Now you do those things that lead to holiness and result in eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:22&23 NLT
I painted a picture of a girl holding broken ropes. The girl is me. It is a visual reminder of bondage that is breaking. Freedom. Letting go of things that I would rather hold on to. Habits, behaviors, ways of thinking that are causing death in areas where God wants me to have abundant life, He wants my heart.
“Come, let us return to the Lord. He has torn us to pieces; now he will heal us. He has injured us; now he will bandage our wounds. In just a short time he will restore us, so that we may live in his presence. Oh! That we might know the Lord! Let us press on to know him. He will respond to us as surely as the arrival of dawn or the coming of rains in early spring.” Hosea 6:1-3 NLT
Dear Father, thank you for your grace and forgiveness. Thank you for restoring what is lost and for healing my wounds. Give me the courage to release what is keeping me bound. And trust you with it. Trust you with my life. Amen.
Amy(amyctanner)
Sixty-six books in a year 