| Yesterday's Bible Study |
In this verse from Hosea, we see the Lord's mercy toward the Kingdom of Israel, which had rebelled against Him. The kingdom is going to fall, paying the price for their centuries of sin. But the Lord promises that if they turn back to Him, He will answer their pleas for salvation. Today, we'll think about how we are like Israel and how the Lord loves us as He did the Israelites.
We all know what it is like to sin, which is rejecting God through our words, thoughts, and actions. The Kingdom of Israel did also. They had disobeyed God and turned away from Him almost immediately after they were delivered from captivity in Egypt. For hundreds of years they continued to do so. They needed to repent, and their window for repentance, the prophet Hosea writes, was beginning to close. We, like the Israelites, need God's mercy in our lives, a place where our sins can be forgiven and forgotten once and for all.
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In this verse, we see that the Lord gladly forgave them--and the same is true for us today. The Lord is glad to forgive us and help us turn away from sin. Like the Israelites, however, we have a choice to make: Will we respond to this invitation? We have to decide to take God at His word and trust His promises. We have to be willing to repent of our sins and live as Jesus has instructed us.
When we make that decision, we open ourselves to experience the supernatural love of the Lord. We will realize that the depths of His love and care for us are unimaginable; and that while repentance can be painful, it is worth it. When we respond to His invitation, the Lord will forgive us and love us freely.
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