December 8

Today's Reading

Hosea. At the end of all the descriptions of judgment that was falling upon God's people, He (the Bridegroom) makes this promise to the Bride: "4 The Lord says,
'Then I will heal you of your faithlessness;
my love will know no bounds,
for my anger will be gone forever.
5 I will be to Israel
like a refreshing dew from heaven.'" Have you ever felt so far from God that you considered your situation hopeless? It's not!

Jude calls himself "a slave of Jesus Christ and a brother of James" in this little one-chapter letter. He was actually the half-brother of Jesus, but in his humility over his denial of Jesus as Messiah (during Christ's earthly ministry), he didn't use that relationship as a way to claim any authority. Consider Jude's warning carefully and don't make the mistake of thinking we have no such problems today. A number of years ago, our church called a staff member who came from another church in another city. He told me about a deacon in that other church who, along with his wife, had each been married several times. The deacon couple taught a young couple's Bible class and it was discovered that they gave strange counsel to the couples in their class whose marriages were struggling. "Just get a divorce and try someone else," they said. "You will eventually end up with someone you want to stay with." To the best of my knowledge, no one corrected this wayward teaching and just let it stand. 

Psalms. This Psalm does not mean that it is wrong to work hard. It does mean that we are wrong when we try to guarantee success with our own work rather than trusting in God. It also means that we are wrong when we sacrifice our families on the altar of work.

Proverbs. Unconditional love accompanied by consistent discipline is the most proven way to raise up good kids. As a parent, we always struggle with the balance: "Am I being too harsh? Too lenient?" It's a struggle worth all our effort!

What is speaking to you today?