Mon, Jan 26th - 12:09PM

Psalm 15 (NIV)

 ¹ LORD, who may dwell in your sanctuary?
       Who may live on your holy hill?

 ² He whose walk is blameless
       and who does what is righteous,
       who speaks the truth from his heart

 ³ and has no slander on his tongue,
       who does his neighbor no wrong
       and casts no slur on his fellowman,

 ⁴ who despises a vile man
       but honors those who fear the LORD,
       who keeps his oath
       even when it hurts,

 ⁵ who lends his money without usury
       and does not accept a bribe against the innocent.
       He who does these things
       will never be shaken.

Sat, Jan 3rd - 2:31PM

A small bit from Hosea...

 ² When the LORD began to speak through Hosea, the LORD said to him, "Go, take to yourself an adulterous wife and children of unfaithfulness, because the land is guilty of the vilest adultery in departing from the LORD."

Hosea 1:2 (NIV)

Now I don't know about you, but this request struck me as strange, even though it was explained.  If you were told to do something like this, how would you respond?  I am not sure how I would...

 ¹⁶ "In that day," declares the LORD,
       "you will call me 'my husband';
       you will no longer call me baal, 'my master.'   (clarification added by me from notes)

Hosea 2:16 (NIV)

Even in the Old Testament times, it was not Our God's intent to 'Lord it over us' and rule us with an iron hand.

 ¹ The LORD said to me, "Go, show your love to your wife again, though she is loved by another and is an adulteress. Love her as the LORD loves the Israelites, though they turn to other gods and love the sacred raisin cakes."
 ² So I bought her for fifteen shekels (about 170 grams) of silver and about a homer and a lethek (about 10 bushels) of barley.  (conversions added by me from notes, not that the actual cost matters extremely much...)

Hosea 3:1-2 (NIV)

Look here and understand: She does not deserve Love, even by many worldly standards. Yet, Hosea is to "Love her as the LORD loves the Israelites, though they ..." and you can insert your particular pet peeve here.  Understand:  Love is not about deserving it.  Certainly, she was given instructions.  But that was after being taken back.  Understand.  She was paid for with a price, and so she was his again.

I think we burden each other too much with what I would call "Christian Quid Pro Quo" where we make our faith a matter of value of something exchanged for something we could never earn in fair exchange.  Stop making oaths and stop trying to live up to terms of a contract that does not exist.  Love as we were first loved.  Period.  And understand where this came from and who the author of it all is...

In Truth,

Mel