Amazing Love

He calls us beloved when there is nothing lovely about us... Hosea 2:23 Changes EVERYTHING. We know nothing of faithfulness, really. The tiny glimpse we get of God's unfailing love for us is the most we could ever understand of devotion.
That tiny glimpse has me speachless.... It is literally hard for me to find words to describe what is going through my head as I try to grasp the kind of love God has for His people.
The best we could do in understanding faithfulness is in comparison to what we do understand. Unfaithfulness. THAT comes easy to us - we cheat on diets, we skip out on plans, our priorities change in an instant - we are a people who waver. To be faithful to something -

strict or thorough in the performance of duty - true to one's word, promises, vows - steady in allegiance or affection; loyal; constant - reliable, trusted, or believed - adhering or true to fact, a standard, or an original; accurate.... these words don't really describe our generation. These words don't really describe our world. These do: false to duty, obligation, or promises; faithless; disloyal, not accurate or complete; inexact, unbelieving.

The exact opposite of faithful!! We are a people who are so UNcommited. It takes guts to say you are all about something... even one thing. One person, one team, one God. Instead we say we don't believe in marriage, we are fans when the team is winning, we believe no one is really wrong in their beliefs.

STAND UP.

Let's live our lives in response to the faithfulness God has shown us.

We are an unfaithful bride... we turn to other gods all day every day. We are Gomer. The prostitute, turning to any thing, any one who will give us affection or attention or affirmation in some way.

When it comes down to our own desires against what the Word tells us... what are we really choosing? The reality is, we do not live in a world where people easily turn away from the things they want. In SO many areas... food, clothing, people. That is why the statistics look like this: 1/3 of US adults are obese, the average credit card debt per household is $15,799, and approx 50% of women and 60% of men will have an extramarital affair at some point in their marriage.... These numbers are heart breaking.

Are we finally to the point where we will stand firm?? At what point do we realize that we are a people who care for nothing but ourselves?

The Word tell us to die to ourselves. Let's turn back to God in faithfulness.

"Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me." Luke 9:23