devotional – Page 87 – Me From the Inside Out

Faithful Love: Week 3 — Monday Seek His Face

Posted on May 10, 2021May 9, 2021 by

READ: HOSEA 5:1-15; PHILIPPIANS 3:18-4:1; SOAP: HOSEA 5:15

Hosea 5:1-15 — The Failure of Israel’s Leaders

5 “Hear this, you priests. Pay attention, you leaders of Israel. Listen, you members of the royal family. Judgment has been handed down against you. For you have led the people into a snare by worshiping the idols at Mizpah and Tabor. ²You have dug a deep pit to trap them at Acacia Grove. But I will settle with you for what you have done. ³I know what you are like, O Ephraim. You cannot hide yourself from me, O Israel. You have left me as a prostitute leaves her husband; you are utterly defiled. ⁴Your deeds won’t let you return to your God. You are a prostitute through and through, and you do not know the Lord.

⁵“The arrogance of Israel testifies against her; Israel and Ephraim will stumble under their load of guilt. Judah, too, will fall with them. ⁶When they come with their flocks and herds to offer sacrifices to the Lord, they will not find him, because he has withdrawn from them. ⁷They have betrayed the honor of the Lord, bearing children that are not his. Now their false religion will devour them along with their wealth.

⁸“Sound the alarm in Gibeah! Blow the trumpet in Ramah! Raise the battle cry in Beth-aven! Lead on into battle, O warriors of Benjamin! ⁹One thing is certain, Israel: On your day of punishment, you will become a heap of rubble. ¹⁰“The leaders of Judah have become like thieves. So I will pour my anger on them like a waterfall. ¹¹The people of Israel will be crushed and broken by my judgment because they are determined to worship idols. ¹²I will destroy Israel as a moth consumes wool. I will make Judah as weak as rotten wood.

¹³“When Israel and Judah saw how sick they were, Israel turned to Assyria—to the great king there— but he could neither help nor cure them. ¹⁴I will be like a lion to Israel, like a strong young lion to Judah. I will tear them to pieces! I will carry them off, and no one will be left to rescue them.

¹⁵Then I will return to my place until they admit their guilt and turn to me. For as soon as trouble comes, they will earnestly search for me.”
SOAP THIS VERSE

¹⁸For I have told you often before, and I say it again with tears in my eyes, that there are many whose conduct shows they are really enemies of the cross of Christ. ¹⁹They are headed for destruction. Their god is their appetite, they brag about shameful things, and they think only about this life here on earth. ²⁰But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior. ²¹He will take our weak mortal bodies and change them into glorious bodies like his own, using the same power with which he will bring everything under his control.
4 Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stay true to the Lord. I love you and long to see you, dear friends, for you are my joy and the crown I receive for my work.
Philippians 3:18-4:1

Reflection Question: According to the SOAP passage, God wanted Israel (His people) to do 2, really 3 things. What were they?Ladies, remember – the answer to the reflection question and sharing your SOAP or takeaway from the day’s journey can be encouraging to the rest of us.

Be sure and check out today’s LGG very helpful Blog –
https://lovegodgreatly.com/seek-his-face/

Faithful Love: Week 2, Wednesday Go Again and Love

Posted on May 5, 2021May 2, 2021 by

READ: HOSEA 3:1-5; JEREMIAH 3:6-10; SOAP: HOSEA 3:1-5

Then the Lord said to me, “Go and love your wife again, even though she commits adultery with another lover. This will illustrate that the Lord still loves Israel, even though the people have turned to other gods and love to worship them.” ²So I bought her back for fifteen pieces of silver and five bushels of barley and a measure of wine ³Then I said to her, “You must live in my house for many days and stop your prostitution. During this time, you will not have sexual relations with anyone, not even with me.” ⁴This shows that Israel will go a long time without a king or prince, and without sacrifices, sacred pillars, priests, or even idols! ⁵But afterward the people will return and devote themselves to the Lord their God and to David’s descendant, their king. In the last days, they will tremble in awe of the Lord and of his goodness.
Hosea’s Wife Is Redeemed – Hosea 3:1-5; NLT

Judah Follows Israel’s Example
⁶During the reign of King Josiah, the Lord said to me, “Have you seen what fickle Israel has done? Like a wife who commits adultery, Israel has worshiped other gods on every hill and under every green tree. ⁷I thought, ‘After she has done all this, she will return to me.’ But she did not return, and her faithless sister Judah saw this. ⁸She saw^[a] that I divorced faithless Israel because of her adultery. But that treacherous sister Judah had no fear, and now she, too, has left me and given herself to prostitution. ⁹Israel treated it all so lightly—she thought nothing of committing adultery by worshiping idols made of wood and stone. So now the land has been polluted. ¹⁰But despite all this, her faithless sister Judah has never sincerely returned to me. She has only pretended to be sorry. I, the Lord, have spoken!”
Jeremiah 3:6-10 New Living Translation

Poor Hosea received another command from the Lord: “Go again and love a woman who is an adulteress.”
For more insight on what God was thinking read today’s devotional

REFLECTION QUESTION: WHAT LESSON COULD HOSEA AND GOMER POSSIBLY LEARN FROM GOD’S COMMAND TO HOSEA, “GO AGAIN AND LOVE?” – leave your thoughts in the comment bar

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Faithful Love: Week 2, Tuesday With God There is Always Hope

Posted on May 4, 2021May 2, 2021 by

READ: HOSEA 2:14-23; SOAP: PSALM 71:20-21

Hosea 2:14-23 The Lord’s Love for Unfaithful Israel
¹⁴“But then I will win her back once again. I will lead her into the desert and speak tenderly to her there. ¹⁵I will return her vineyards to her and transform the Valley of Trouble into a gateway of hope. She will give herself to me there,
as she did long ago when she was young, when I freed her from her captivity in Egypt. ¹⁶When that day comes,” says the Lord, “you will call me ‘my husband’
instead of ‘my master.’ ¹⁷O Israel, I will wipe the many names of Baal from your lips, and you will never mention them again. ¹⁸On that day I will make a covenant with all the wild animals and the birds of the sky and the animals that scurry along the ground so they will not harm you. I will remove all weapons of war from the land, all swords, and bows, so you can live unafraid in peace and safety. 19 I will make you my wife forever, showing you righteousness and justice, unfailing love and compassion. ²⁰I will be faithful to you and make you mine, and you will finally know me as the Lord. ²¹“In that day, I will answer,”
says the Lord. “I will answer the sky as it pleads for clouds. And the sky will answer the earth with rain. ²²Then the earth will answer the thirsty cries of the grain, the grapevines, and the olive trees. And they in turn will answer, ‘Jezreel’—‘God plants!’ ²³At that time I will plant a crop of Israelites and raise them for myself. I will show love to those I called ‘Not loved.’ And to those I called ‘Not my people,’ I will say, ‘Now you are my people.’ And they will reply, ‘You are our God!’”
New Living Translation

²⁰You have allowed me to suffer much hardship,
    but you will restore me to life again
    and lift me up from the depths of the earth.
²¹You will restore me to even greater honor
    and comfort me once again.
SOAP Psalm 71:20-21 New Living Translation

Hope. I read today´s Scripture, and my heart fills with hope. God is telling Israel that, once it has felt the discomfort of its deprivation, then it will listen to the voice of God again, and He will allure it back to Himself.
Read the full LGG Devotional

Reflection Question: Do you believe there is always hope with God? Why or why not? (Share your answer in the reply box)

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Faithful Love: Week 2, Monday Whom Will We Love Most?

Posted on May 3, 2021May 2, 2021 by

Welcome to Week 2 of Faithful Love! This week we will pick up where we left off in Hosea and ‘journey through’ chapter 4. We will also make some stops in Deuteronomy, Jeremiah, Psalms, and Micah. So grab your Bible, your journal, and a favorite pen, and let’s see what God has for us. I pray He will open our minds and enlighten our hearts to how deep and faithful His love is, and how He longs for His children to be faithful to Him.

READ: HOSEA 2:2-13; SOAP: DEUTERONOMY 30:19-20

Hosea 2:2-13, Charges against an Unfaithful Wife
“But now bring charges against Israel—your mother—for she is no longer my wife, and I am no longer her husband. Tell her to remove the prostitute’s makeup from her face and the clothing that exposes her breasts. ³Otherwise, I will strip her as naked as she was on the day she was born. I will leave her to die of thirst, as in a dry and barren wilderness. ⁴And I will not love her children, for they were conceived in prostitution. ⁵Their mother is a shameless prostitute and became pregnant in a shameful way. She said, ‘I’ll run after other lovers and sell myself to them for food and water, for clothing of wool and linen, and for olive oil and drinks.’ ⁶“For this reason I will fence her in with thornbushes. I will block her path with a wall to make her lose her way. ⁷When she runs after her lovers, she won’t be able to catch them. She will search for them but not find them. Then she will think, ‘I might as well return to my husband, for I was better off with him than I am now.’ ⁸She doesn’t realize it was I who gave her everything she has—the grain, the new wine, the olive oil; I even gave her silver and gold. But she gave all my gifts to Baal. ⁹“But now I will take back the ripened grain and new wine I generously provided each harvest season. I will take away the wool and linen clothing I gave her to cover her nakedness. ¹⁰I will strip her naked in public, while all her lovers look on. No one will be able to rescue her from my hands. ¹¹I will put an end to her annual festivals, her new moon celebrations, and her Sabbath days—all her appointed festivals. ¹²I will destroy her grapevines and fig trees, things she claims her lovers gave her. I will let them grow into tangled thickets, where only wild animals will eat the fruit. ¹³I will punish her for all those times when she burned incense to her images of Baal, when she put on her earrings and jewels and went out to look for her lovers but forgot all about me,” says the Lord.
New Living Translation

God paints Israel as an adulterous wife who is no longer worthy to be compared to a wife. –
Read the rest of the LGG devotional –

SOAP: Deuteronomy 30:19-20
New Living Translation

¹⁹“Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live! ²⁰You can make this choice by loving the Lord your God, obeying him, and committing yourself firmly to him. This is the key to your life. And if you love and obey the Lord, you will live long in the land the Lord swore to give your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”

REFLECTION QUESTION: IS GOD JUSTIFIED IN THE WAY HE REBUKES ISRAEL’S ADULTERY? WHY OR WHY NOT? (Use the comment bar to share your answers)

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Faithful Love: Week 1, Thursday God Extends Mercy

Posted on April 29, 2021April 29, 2021 by

READ: HOSEA 1:6-7; 2 CHRONICLES 29:1-2 AND 32:20-23; SOAP: HOSEA 1:7

Soon Gomer became pregnant again and gave birth to a daughter. And the Lord said to Hosea, “Name your daughter Lo-ruhamah—‘Not loved’—for I will no longer show love to the people of Israel or forgive them. ⁷But I will show love to the people of Judah. I will free them from their enemies—not with weapons and armies or horses and charioteers, but by my power as the Lord their God.”

Hezekiah Rules in Judah

Hezekiah was twenty-five years old when he became the king of Judah, and he reigned in Jerusalem twenty-nine years. His mother was Abijah, the daughter of Zechariah. ²He did what was pleasing in the Lord’s sight, just as his ancestor David had done.

Then King Hezekiah and the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz cried out in prayer to God in heaven. ²¹And the Lord sent an angel who destroyed the Assyrian army with all its commanders and officers. So Sennacherib was forced to return home in disgrace to his own land. And when he entered the temple of his god, some of his own sons killed him there with a sword.

That is how the Lord rescued Hezekiah and the people of Jerusalem from King Sennacherib of Assyria and from all the others who threatened them. So there was peace throughout the land. ²³From then on King Hezekiah became highly respected among all the surrounding nations, and many gifts for the Lord arrived at Jerusalem, with valuable presents for King Hezekiah, too.

“The expression of God’s love is certainly unconditional, but our enjoyment of that love is conditional and depends on our faith and obedience.
Read the full devotional

Reflection Question: How did God say He would show love to the people of Judah? We invite you to share your response in the comment bar.

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Faithful Love: Week 1, Wednesday And on That Day

Posted on April 28, 2021April 27, 2021 by

READ: HOSEA 1:3-5; 2 KINGS 17:21-23; SOAP: HOSEA 1:5

So Hosea married Gomer, the daughter of Diblaim, and she became pregnant and gave Hosea a son. ⁴And the Lord said, “Name the child Jezreel, for I am about to punish King Jehu’s dynasty to avenge the murders he committed at Jezreel. In fact, I will bring an end to Israel’s independence. ⁵ (And on that day) I will break its military power in the Jezreel Valley.” Hosea 1:3-5

For when the Lord tore Israel away from the kingdom of David, they chose Jeroboam son of Nebat as their king. But Jeroboam drew Israel away from following the Lord and made them commit a great sin. ²²And the people of Israel persisted in all the evil ways of Jeroboam. They did not turn from these sins ²³until the Lord finally swept them away from his presence, just as all his prophets had warned. So Israel was exiled from their land to Assyria, where they remain to this day. 2 Kings 17:21-23

And on that day I will break the bow of Israel in the Valley of Jezreel. – Hosea 1:5
Read why in today’s LGG Devotional

Reflection Question: How did God respond to Israel’s sin? Did God give Israel opportunities to repent? (see vs 5-20 to answer the second question)

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Faithful Love: Week 1, Tuesday Provoking the LORD

Posted on April 27, 2021April 27, 2021 by

READ: HOSEA 1:2 AND 1 KINGS 15:33-16:7, 1 Kings 16:23-34; SOAP: 1 KINGS 16:26

When the Lord first began speaking to Israel through Hosea, he said to him, “Go and marry a prostitute, so that some of her children will be conceived in prostitution. This will illustrate how Israel has acted like a prostitute by turning against the Lord and worshiping other gods.”

Baasha son of Ahijah began to rule over all Israel in the third year of King Asa’s reign in Judah. Baasha reigned in Tirzah twenty-four years. ³⁴But he did what was evil in the Lord’s sight and followed the example of Jeroboam, continuing the sins that Jeroboam had led Israel to commit.

This message from the Lord was delivered to King Baasha by the prophet Jehu son of Hanani: ²“I lifted you out of the dust to make you ruler of my people Israel, but you have followed the evil example of Jeroboam. You have provoked my anger by causing my people Israel to sin. ³So now I will destroy you and your family, just as I destroyed the descendants of Jeroboam son of Nebat. ⁴The members of Baasha’s family who die in the city will be eaten by dogs, and those who die in the field will be eaten by vultures.”

⁵The rest of the events in Baasha’s reign and the extent of his power are recorded in The Book of the History of the Kings of Israel. ⁶When Baasha died, he was buried in Tirzah. Then his son Elah became the next king.

⁷The message from the Lord against Baasha and his family came through the prophet Jehu son of Hanani. It was delivered because Baasha had done what was evil in the Lord’s sight (just as the family of Jeroboam had done), and also because Baasha had destroyed the family of Jeroboam. The Lord’s anger was provoked by Baasha’s sins.

16:²³Omri began to rule over Israel in the thirty-first year of King Asa’s reign in Judah. He reigned twelve years in all, six of them in Tirzah. ²⁴Then Omri bought the hill now known as Samaria from its owner, Shemer, for 150 pounds of silver. He built a city on it and called the city Samaria in honor of Shemer.

²⁵But Omri did what was evil in the Lord’s sight, even more than any of the kings before him. ²⁶He followed the example of Jeroboam son of Nebat in all the sins he had committed and led Israel to commit. The people provoked the anger of the Lord, the God of Israel, with their worthless idols.
Hosea 16:25-26 – Read the rest of the story

Can you believe what God told Hosea to do? He had to marry a what? A prostitute? That´s a strange command.
Read the devotional

Reflection Question: What did Omri do to provoke the anger of God? – Also, feel free to share your thoughts on Hosea’s situation. Responses can be made in the comment bar.

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The Gospel of Mark: Week 6, Monday – Jesus the Messiah

Posted on April 19, 2021April 18, 2021 by

Read: Mark 14:22-52; SOAP: Mark 14:36-38

Jesus Prays in Gethsemane

They went to the olive grove called Gethsemane, and Jesus said, “Sit here while I go and pray.” ³³He took Peter, James, and John with him, and he became deeply troubled and distressed. ³⁴He told them, “My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.”

³⁵He went on a little farther and fell to the ground. He prayed that, if it were possible, the awful hour awaiting him might pass him by. ³⁶“Abba, Father,” he cried out, “everything is possible for you. Please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.”

³⁷Then he returned and found the disciples asleep. He said to Peter, “Simon, are you asleep? Couldn’t you watch with me even one hour? ³⁸Keep watch and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak.”

³⁹Then Jesus left them again and prayed the same prayer as before. ⁴⁰When he returned to them again, he found them sleeping, for they couldn’t keep their eyes open. And they didn’t know what to say.

⁴¹When he returned to them the third time, he said, “Go ahead and sleep. Have your rest. But no—the time has come. The Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. ⁴²Up, let’s be going. Look, my betrayer is here!”

To understand the real reason for Jesus’ agony over what was to come
read today’s devotional

Today’s reading includes other details you won’t want to miss

Peter’s denial predicted (27-31)
Judas’ betrayal (43-45)
Jesus’ arrest (46-52)

Jesus’ greatest act of love and sacrifice was about to change the world.
Read today’s LGG Blog

REFLECTION QUESTION: WHAT DO WE LEARN ABOUT JESUS FROM HIS PRAYER IN THE GARDEN OF GETHSEMANE? (share your answer in the comment bar)

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The Gospel of Mark: Wk5, Tuesday – Where is Your Faith?

Posted on April 13, 2021April 12, 2021 by

Read: Mark 12:28-44; SOAP: Mark 12:43-44

The Most Important Commandment

One of the teachers of religious law was standing there listening to the debate. He realized that Jesus had answered well, so he asked, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”

²⁹Jesus replied, “The most important commandment is this: ‘Listen, O Israel! The Lord our God is the one and only Lord. ³⁰And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’ ³¹The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.”

³²The teacher of religious law replied, “Well said, Teacher. You have spoken the truth by saying that there is only one God and no other. ³³And I know it is important to love him with all my heart and all my understanding and all my strength, and to love my neighbor as myself. This is more important than to offer all of the burnt offerings and sacrifices required in the law.”

³⁴Realizing how much the man understood, Jesus said to him, “You are not far from the Kingdom of God.” And after that, no one dared to ask him any more questions.

Whose Son Is the Messiah?

Later, as Jesus was teaching the people in the Temple, he asked, “Why do the teachers of religious law claim that the Messiah is the son of David? ³⁶For David himself, speaking under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, said,

‘The Lord said to my Lord,
Sit in the place of honor at my right hand
until I humble your enemies beneath your feet.

³⁷Since David himself called the Messiah ‘my Lord,’ how can the Messiah be his son?” The large crowd listened to him with great delight.

³⁸Jesus also taught: “Beware of these teachers of religious law! For they like to parade around in flowing robes and receive respectful greetings as they walk in the marketplaces. ³⁹And how they love the seats of honor in the synagogues and the head table at banquets. ⁴⁰Yet they shamelessly cheat widows out of their property and then pretend to be pious by making long prayers in public. Because of this, they will be more severely punished.”

The Widow’s Offering

⁴¹Jesus sat down near the collection box in the Temple and watched as the crowds dropped in their money. Many rich people put in large amounts. ⁴²Then a poor widow came and dropped in two small coins.

Jesus called his disciples to him and said, “I tell you the truth, this poor widow has given more than all the others who are making contributions. ⁴⁴For they gave a tiny part of their surplus, but she, poor as she is, has given everything she had to live on.”

This woman offered everything she had to the Lord.
Read why

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The Gospel of Mark: Wk5, Monday -The Cornerstone

Posted on April 12, 2021April 11, 2021 by

Read: Mark 12;1-27; SOAP: Mark 12:10-11

Parable of the Evil Farmers

Then Jesus began teaching them with stories: “A man planted a vineyard. He built a wall around it, dug a pit for pressing out the grape juice, and built a lookout tower. Then he leased the vineyard to tenant farmers and moved to another country. ²At the time of the grape harvest, he sent one of his servants to collect his share of the crop. ³But the farmers grabbed the servant, beat him up, and sent him back empty-handed. ⁴The owner then sent another servant, but they insulted him and beat him over the head. ⁵The next servant he sent was killed. Others he sent were either beaten or killed, ⁶until there was only one left—his son whom he loved dearly. The owner finally sent him, thinking, ‘Surely they will respect my son.’

⁷“But the tenant farmers said to one another, ‘Here comes the heir to this estate. Let’s kill him and get the estate for ourselves!’ ⁸So they grabbed him and murdered him and threw his body out of the vineyard.

⁹“What do you suppose the owner of the vineyard will do?” Jesus asked. “I’ll tell you—he will come and kill those farmers and lease the vineyard to others. ¹⁰Didn’t you ever read this in the Scriptures?

‘The stone that the builders rejected
has now become the cornerstone.
¹¹This is the Lord’s doing,
and it is wonderful to see.’”

¹²The religious leaders wanted to arrest Jesus because they realized he was telling the story against them—they were the wicked farmers. But they were afraid of the crowd, so they left him and went away. Read the rest of the passage

Mark again posed the question, “Who is Jesus?” to his readers. This time, Jesus answered the question Himself.
Read His answer in today’s LGG devotional

Thoughts on The Cornerstone –
Read today’s LGG Blog Post