Love and Knowlege

I recently finished a four week sermon series on the book of Hosea at NHCC. I found that not too many people know much about the book of Hosea, probably because it is the first of the Minor Prophets and no one really likes reading those books all that much (honestly, how many of us can say we love reading books like Nahum or Obadiah?). As I spent time reading over and over the message of Hosea, it dawned on me once again that the message God spoke through His prophet is still SO relevant to us in today's culture.

In the book of Hosea, God speaks of coming judgment upon the nation of Israel because they continually turned away from Him. Israel had time and time again turned to false deities and idols in order to find protection and provision, instead of looking to the one true God who had led them out of Egypt! So throughout the prophecy, God warns of impending judgment on the nation of Israel because of their unfaithfulness and unrighteousness. Israel found themselves in a terrible spot.

Throughout the entire book of Hosea, there is one verse that constantly stands out to me. Chapter 6, verse 6 says, "For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowlege of God rather than burnt offerings."

Here's the scary thing: The two things that God desires from us are two of the things that we often hate to do!

1. Love God. Not only are we called to love God, but to do it in a steadfast manner. Two verses earlier, God said that Israel's love was like the morning mist, that it simply vanishes. When God calls us to a steadfast love, this means that it is something that will remain, even through the difficult times. It's easy to say that we love all the time, but love implies obedience. If I say I love someone, then it means that I will show obedience and willingly do what they need. Though God doesn't need anything from us, we show our love to Him through obedience. This is where we often stray. Ever find it difficult to live a life of obedience to God? I know I do.

2. If love through obedience is difficult, the second half of the command might be even harder! God requires us to "know" Him. This is a difficult task because it requires a few steps. First of all this means that we need to know about God, which comes from some pretty serious study of Scripture. However, this also means that we must communicate with Him through prayer. Some people love to study Scripture yet hate prayer, while others might be the exact opposite. Rarely do you find someone who thoroughly enjoys both steps of getting to know God

May we as a youth group strive to both LOVE God and KNOW Him as well! This is Rory and my aim, that we can equip you so that you can develop a personal relationship with Him that involves both your knowlege as well as your steadfast love!