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Devotions based on Week 1 of The Prophets: Hosea (WATCH HERE)

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Hosea 1:6 6 Gomer conceived again and gave birth to a daughter. Then the Lord said to Hosea, “Call her Lo-Ruhamah (which means “not loved”), for I will no longer show love to Israel, that I should at all forgive them.

A son named Jezreel?  Perhaps one could live with that.

But then to have a daughter and each time you spoke her name you would declare, “Not loved!”  Hosea’s second child with Gomer was to be named Lo-Ruhama, which means “not loved” or “no mercy.”

Can you imagine some of the conversations with Lo-Ruhamah as she grew up and began to understand or maybe be teased about her name?  “Dad, why did you name me ‘Lo-Ruhamah’?”

Hosea would then have to explain to his daughter that God was using her to be a constant witness to the people of Israel.  While Hosea could affirm his love for his daughter, the people of Israel had stepped away from the love of God.

How?

They started loving other things.  They spent their worship time in front of false idols.  The Lord wasn’t responsible for not loving them, the people had stepped outside of God’s love and therefore would not receive God’s love and mercy.

Hosea confronts them:

Hosea 8:11-13 “Though Ephraim built many altars for sin offerings, these have become altars for sinning. 12 I wrote for them the many things of my law, but they regarded them as something alien. 13 They offer sacrifices given to me and they eat the meat, but the LORD is not pleased with them. 

On the surface it might have looked like at times the people of Israel were worshipping, sacrificing and followed some of God’s law, but it was not an engagement of the heart.  They chased after idols and pleasures of their own heart and found the worship and word of God foreign.

As a result…”not loved.”

While the daughter of Hosea pictured the state of God’s people, the relationship Lo-Ruhamah had with Hosea was one where Hosea still accepted and loved his daughter as his own.  The Lord was no different. God’s people had pushed Him away repeatedly.

But even this harsh word is not final. 

God’s heart in pointing out the drift of his people was so that they would return to the one who truly loved them.  In Hosea 2:23, God promises, “I will show my love to the one I called ‘Not my loved one.’” His mercy returns, overflowing.  God’s faithfulness amidst our unfaithfulness prevails.  This truth wasn’t just for Israel at the time of Hosea, but for us today.  The Apostle Paul puts it this way: “But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved” (Ephesians 2:4-5).

Ultimately, the love of the Lord would be manifested in his Son Jesus.  All who had no mercy for their sins would receive mercy.  All who are searching for love, would receive the enduring grace of God.  This includes you. 

 

Apply: Have you ever felt beyond God’s mercy? Remember, God’s mercy is not earned—it’s extended. You may feel unloved, but God’s Word declares something better.

Prayer: God of mercy, thank You that even when I feel unworthy, You extend grace. Let me live not by my feelings, but by the truth that I am deeply loved in Christ. Amen.

Devotions based on Week 1 of The Prophets: Hosea (WATCH HERE)

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Jezreel – The Place of Scattered Judgment

Hosea 1:4 “Then the Lord said to Hosea, ‘Call him Jezreel, because I will soon punish the house of Jehu for the massacre at Jezreel, and I will put an end to the kingdom of Israel.’” 

When Hosea and Gomer had their first child, God told Hosea to name him Jezreel, a name loaded with history, meaning, and judgment. In Hebrew, Jezreel means “God sows” or “God scatters.” The name referred to the Valley of Jezreel, a place that had become infamous in Israel’s history for bloodshed, idolatry, and rebellion.

God’s reference to the “massacre at Jezreel” pointed back to Jehu, who had violently overthrown the house of Ahab (2 Kings 9–10). Though Jehu was initially acting on God’s command, he went beyond God’s purpose and used excessive violence, eventually leading Israel into the very same sins he had supposedly eradicated. Jezreel became symbolic of corrupted leadership and national rebellion.

So why name a child after that?

God was using Hosea’s family as a living sermon. Jezreel represented the judgment coming upon Israel. The people had sown seeds of idolatry, injustice, and violence and now they would reap the consequences. God was about to “scatter” them in exile. The northern kingdom of Israel, which had rejected God over and over, would soon fall to the Assyrians (722 B.C.).

But here’s where God’s faithfulness will overcome the scattering of unfaithful Israel. 

In Hosea 2:22-23, God reverses the meaning of Jezreel: “…and they will respond to Jezreel. I will plant her for myself in the land.”

Suddenly, Jezreel no longer means scattered in judgment but rather planted in hope. The same name that once signified exile now points to restoration. This is the heart of our faithful God: judgment is never His final word. He disciplines to redeem. He scatters in order to plant again.

God’s faithfulness is not voided by our failures. Even when He allows painful consequences for sin, it is never to destroy us, but to draw us back to Himself. Alluding to the reign of the Messiah and his Kingdom, he gives hope to his people of gathering them again, but this time stronger, deeper, and more faithful to him.

We can be like Israel.  Sometimes, we experience the consequences of our own sin or the brokenness of a fallen world, and it feels like God is scattering everything. This is not the time to move away from the Lord, but rather realize that what feels like destruction may actually be preparation for new growth.

God’s faithfulness always works to call us back.  At times he allows a “scattering” to bring us to a realization of what we are missing when we walk away from the Lord.  In repentance, he gathers us back to plant us in his Kingdom to be a people gathered together to produce a harvest of righteousness.

Remember, God is not just the God of Jezreel the battlefield, but he is also the God of Jezreel the planting ground.

Apply: Are you in a season of “scattering,” a time where it feels like things are falling apart? Could it be that God is using this season to plant something new in you? Are you willing to let Him work, even when it feels like judgment or discipline?
Prayer: Lord, I confess that sometimes I fear Your judgment more than I trust Your heart. When I see things unraveling in my life, I assume You are angry or distant. But Your Word reminds me that even when You scatter, You intend to replant. Even Your discipline comes from a heart of mercy. Help me trust that You are always working for my blessing and your desire to bring me close to you.  Lord. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Devotions based on Week 1 of The Prophets: Hosea (WATCH HERE)

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Hosea 1:2-3 “Go, marry a promiscuous woman and have children with her, for like an adulterous wife this land is guilty of unfaithfulness to the Lord.”

How would you have responded to this call from the Lord?  How would your family have responded when you told them you were going to marry an adulterous woman (with no guarantees that she had left her life of promiscuity!).

Yet this is what the Lord called Hosea to do.

Gomer was a living picture of Israel’s spiritual adultery, Israel’s unfaithfulness.  It wasn’t about sexual promiscuity, but it was about spiritual adultery.  The people of Israel had “divorced” the Lord for idols.  They had become comfortable with the worship of Baal and Ashtoreth.  Yet they still claimed a loose allegiance to the Lord.  

The Lord would not settle for Israel’s unfaithfulness. So he sent Hosea with the living illustration of God’s faithfulness in spite of his people’s unfaithfulness.

It would be easy to assume we’re better than Gomer, but spiritual idolatry can be subtle.  We may not have a statue of Buddha, Baal, or another foreign God, but our hearts could be tempted to trust in wealth, success, or our own intellect over God. These idols in our hearts are just as vile as setting up golden calves and calling them “God” in the land of Israel.

The Lord would not let his people continue in their spiritual adultery.  

He doesn’t discard us. He doesn’t walk away. Instead, He pursues us—again and again. Just as Hosea continues to pursue Gomer, God refuses to let go of His people. “But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8)

God didn’t wait for us to clean up our act. He came to us in our mess. Jesus is the greater Hosea—the One who doesn’t just speak God’s love but embodies it. He came to redeem a faithless world, not with silver, but with His own blood.

This is the good news: You are not loved because you are faithful. You are loved because the Lord’s heart is faithful. His love is steadfast, undeserved, and unrelenting. 

He preserved the message of Hosea to bring to us today a vivid picture of our unfaithfulness and to show us great contrast with his faithfulness.  God’s faithfulness never wavers. “If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself.” – 2 Timothy 2:13

Apply: Where in your life are you placing trust outside of God? Identify those areas, confess them, and receive God’s forgiveness. His grace reaches even the Gomers of this world.

Prayer: Father, thank You for loving me even when I’ve been unfaithful. Help me see the idols I’ve clung to and turn back to You with a whole heart. Thank You for never giving up on me. Amen.

Devotions based on week 13 of Joy in the Journey: Mindset (WATCH HERE)

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Philippians 4:21-23 “Greet all God’s people in Christ Jesus. The brothers and sisters who are with me send greetings. All God’s people here send you greetings, especially those who belong to Caesar’s household. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen.”

God’s Grace: The First Word and the Last Word

Paul ends his letter to the Philippians with a short but powerful benediction: “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.” At first glance, this feels like a customary closing. But if we pause, we see that Paul’s words are deliberate. Grace was the first word of his letter (“Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ” – 1:2), and it is the last word as well.

This is no accident. Grace is the foundation and the finishing touch of the Christian life. From beginning to end, our joy, our strength, and our hope are anchored not in ourselves but in the grace of God through Jesus Christ.

Before Paul speaks of joy, unity, humility, or contentment in Philippians, he speaks of grace. Why? Because without grace there is no Christian life. Grace is God’s undeserved love and favor given to sinners through Christ. It is what takes us from enemies of the cross (3:18) to citizens of heaven (3:20). It is what rescues us from the futility of chasing earthly glory (3:19) and gives us eternal hope in Christ’s resurrection (3:21).

Grace is the reason Paul can rejoice in prison (1:18). Grace is the reason believers can work out their salvation “for it is God who works in you” (2:13). Grace is the reason the Philippians can give generously (4:14–18). Everything begins with God’s gracious action toward us.

Think of a seed planted in the soil. Without the life and nutrients provided by the soil, water, and sun, the seed will never sprout. In the same way, without God’s grace poured into our lives, we cannot grow in joy, faith, or obedience. Grace is the soil of the Christian life.

But grace is not just the start—it is also the end. Notice how Paul doesn’t say, “I hope you’ll be strong enough” or “Keep trying harder.” He says, “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.” He points us back to the source. Our journey ends where it began: with grace.

At the end of a day filled with successes or failures, God’s grace covers us. At the end of a life of faith, it is grace that ushers us into glory. And at the end of this letter filled with encouragement, challenges, and practical wisdom, Paul leaves the Philippians resting not on themselves but on Christ’s never-ending grace.

This reminds us that joy does not come from our performance but from God’s promise. As Paul said earlier: “He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” (1:6). What God starts in grace, He finishes in grace.

Every day focus on grace!

1. Start each day with grace. Before the tasks, emails, and worries crowd in, remember: you are loved, forgiven, and strengthened by Christ’s grace. Try beginning your prayers with thanksgiving for God’s undeserved favor.

2. End each day with grace. When you lay down at night, give your failures and successes to God. Rest knowing His grace is sufficient (2 Cor. 12:9).

3. Extend grace to others. If grace is the bookends of your life, it should also mark your relationships. Be patient, forgiving, and generous with others, because Christ has been infinitely patient and generous with you.

Prayer: Gracious Father, thank You for bringing joy to my journey.  Remind me each day that my life begins and ends with Your grace. Forgive me for the times I try to rely on myself instead of resting in Your love. Teach me to start each day in Your grace, to live each moment by Your grace, and to end each day with Your grace. May Your grace fill me with joy every day! In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Devotions based on week 13 of Joy in the Journey: Mindset (WATCH HERE)

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“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.” (Philippians 4:8–9)

At the close of his list, Paul lifts our minds to a higher standard of excellence and praise. He isn’t merely telling us to have “positive thinking.” Instead, he calls us to set our thoughts on what is truly excellent and praiseworthy, the highest good that reflects the character of God.

Excellence refers to moral virtue and living in a way that aligns with God’s best. It means not settling for mediocrity in our spiritual lives but striving toward maturity and holiness. Colossians 3:23–24 echoes this: “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters… It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” Excellence, then, is not perfectionism; it’s wholehearted devotion to God.

Praiseworthy directs our minds toward worship. When we think about things that inspire us to thank, honor, and glorify God, we shift from self-centered living to God-centered living. Psalm 103:2 says, “Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits.” Remembering God’s works and rehearsing His faithfulness cultivates gratitude and strengthens our joy.

In a noisy world filled with distractions and mediocrity, the Spirit of God calls us to focus on the higher things of God. The things we allow to dominate our thoughts either elevate us closer to God or drag us down into discouragement and sin. Neuroscience confirms this: when we focus on gratitude and excellence, our brain produces dopamine and serotonin—chemicals that enhance motivation and contentment. In short, excellence and praise renew both our souls and our minds.

Practical Ways to Think on What Is Excellent and Praiseworthy:

1. Examine your standards – Are you living to please people or to honor God? What would excellence for Christ look like in your work, studies, or relationships?

2. Shift from complaining to gratitude – Replace grumbling with praise by keeping a daily list of reasons to thank God. (Shine don’t whine!)

3. Surround yourself with excellence – Read Scripture, listen to worship music, or learn from faithful Christians who reflect well the mind of Christ.

4. Praise God out loud – Speaking or singing praise not only honors God but rewires your own thinking toward joy. (Go ahead! Sing out loud while you are driving or showering!)

The blessing is clear: when we set our minds on excellence and praise, “the God of peace will be with you” (v. 9). Peace comes when our minds are lifted above the chaos of the world and anchored in the glory of God. Thinking excellent and praiseworthy thoughts leads us to live excellent and praiseworthy lives—lives that testify to Christ’s redeeming grace and transforming power.

Apply: Where in your life are you tempted to settle for mediocrity rather than pursuing God’s excellence? What daily habit could help you focus more on gratitude and praise? Who do you know that models an excellent, Christ-centered life—and how can you learn from them?
Prayer: Lord, teach me to set my thoughts on what is excellent and praiseworthy. Free me from mediocrity and distraction, and help me pursue Your best in every part of my life. May my mind be filled with gratitude and my lips overflow with praise, so that my life honors You in all things. In Jesus’ name, Amen.