As I read the incredibly, rebellious story of God’s chosen turning their backs on Him, leaving His protection, shunning His perfect love for them through serious disobedience that reaches new lows in behaviors, this song comes to mind…Are we any different in our own rebellious ways?

And isn’t it amazing to know that our Father, a compassionate, loving God cares enough to confront us and our sin?  So much so, even though He is sickened by what we do to ourselves, He runs after us?  Who is like our God?  What kind of love is this?  The following song, Reckless Love, says it all and is playing in the background of my mind…

Before I spoke a word, You were singing over me
You have been so, so good to me
Before I took a breath, You breathed Your life in me
You have been so, so kind to me

Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God
Oh, it chases me down, fights ’til I’m found, leaves the ninety-nine
I couldn’t earn it, and I don’t deserve it, still, You give Yourself away
Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God, yeah

When I was Your foe, still Your love fought for me
You have been so, so good to me
When I felt no worth, You paid it all for me
But You have been so, so kind to me

And oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God
Oh, it chases me down, fights ’til I’m found, leaves the ninety-nine
And I couldn’t earn it, and I don’t deserve it, still, You give Yourself away
Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God, yeah

There’s no shadow You won’t light up
Mountain You won’t climb up
Coming after me
There’s no wall You won’t kick down
Lie You won’t tear down
Coming after me
There’s no shadow You won’t light up
Mountain You won’t climb up
Coming after me
There’s no wall You won’t kick down
Lie You won’t tear down
Coming after me…

Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God
Oh, it chases me down, fights ’til I’m found, leaves the ninety-nine
And I couldn’t earn it, I don’t deserve it, still, You give Yourself away
Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God, yeah

(Writer/s: Caleb Culver, Cory Asbury, Ran Jackson)

Yes, Lord, I hear you singing over me even now…

Hosea 8, The Message

Altars for Sinning

^1-3 “Blow the trumpet! Sound the alarm!
    Vultures are circling over God’s people
Who have broken my covenant
    and defied my revelation.
Predictably, Israel cries out, ‘My God! We know you!’
    But they don’t act like it.
Israel will have nothing to do with what’s good,
    and now the enemy is after them.

^4-10 “They crown kings, but without asking me.
    They set up princes but don’t let me in on it.
Instead, they make idols, using silver and gold,
    idols that will be their ruin.
Throw that gold calf-god on the trash heap, Samaria!
    I’m seething with anger against that rubbish!
How long before they shape up?
    And they’re Israelites!
A sculptor made that thing—
    it’s not God.

That Samaritan calf
    will be broken to bits.
Look at them! Planting wind-seeds,
    they’ll harvest tornadoes.
Wheat with no head
    produces no flour.
And even if it did,
    strangers would gulp it down.
Israel is swallowed up and spit out.
    Among the pagans they’re a piece of junk.
They trotted off to Assyria:
    Why, even wild donkeys stick to their own kind,
    but donkey-Ephraim goes out and pays to get lovers.
Now, because of their whoring life among the pagans,
    I’m going to gather them together and confront them.
They’re going to reap the consequences soon,
    feel what it’s like to be oppressed by the big king.

^11-14 “Ephraim has built a lot of altars,
    and then uses them for sinning.
    Can you believe it? Altars for sinning!
I write out my revelation for them in detail
    and they pretend they can’t read it.
They offer sacrifices to me
    and then they feast on the meat.
    God is not pleased!
I’m fed up—I’ll keep remembering their guilt.
    I’ll punish their sins
    and send them back to Egypt.
Israel has forgotten his Maker
    and gotten busy making palaces.
    Judah has gone in for a lot of fortress cities.
I’m sending fire on their cities
    to burn down their fortifications.”

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

Instead of trusting the Lord to protect her from Assyria, Israel fortified her towns and sought help from foreign nations. From a spiritual point of view, that was like prostitution.  God still cares about His people—enough to confront them with Truth.

God cares enough about us to confront our sins. 

He runs after us with a heart of compassion.

He disciplines us as a Father would a child he loves deeply and wants to bless.

There is nothing we have done that He will not forgive.

He pulls us out the fires of our own making.  He will even help us deal with the consequences left over from our sin.  But our sins?  They are forgiven, to be remembered no more!  Hebrews 10:17

Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God
Oh, it chases me down, fights ’til I’m found, leaves the ninety-nine
And I couldn’t earn it, and I don’t deserve it, still, You give Yourself away
Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God, yeah

Why?  Because “While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8) The final confrontation for our sins was Jesus Christ, Son of God, who paid the debt once and for all.

But seriously why, you ask?  This is too good to be true!  I know what you might be thinking.  But, this Truth is the only truth on earth you can trust: “Believe and be saved.” The complete version is this; “That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.” Romans 10:9   

Jesus is the Way to Truth who gives Life eternal.  (John 14:6)

Still wonder why?  “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

Sing with me…

Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God
Oh, it chases me down, fights ’til I’m found, leaves the ninety-nine
And I couldn’t earn it, and I don’t deserve it, still, You give Yourself away
Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God, yeah

Lord,

I praise you, thank you, and fall down before you for I am humbled by the way you love me more than anyone else on earth has the capacity to love.  You chased me down when I was trying to do life by myself.  You confronted my rebellion ways with your reckless love and you saved me from myself.  You redeemed me from hold that sin and the resulting guilt had on me.  You set me free to love you back and to love others like you love me—unconditionally.  Thank you, thank you, thank you!  I will be singing over what you have done for me for the rest of my life here and for eternity there!

In Jesus Name, For Your Glory, Amen