As my friends and I took a couple of weeks off for vacations, this past Tuesday meant a hurried conclusion to Hosea. There is no way to plumb the depths of this book in only three to four weeks. Yet, the summer is flying away and here are the last few thoughts I had regarding this wonderful book of God's redeeming love.
In Hosea 12, we are told that Ephraim (the Northern Kingdom remnant of Israel) "feeds on wind, and pursues the east wind continually..." (verse 1) I've been refreshing my memory work of the book of James and the cross references in my Bible for this passage brought to mind a few correlations that I needed to see.
In Genesis 41:6 Pharaoh tells his dream to Joseph of an "east wind" that scorches the corn. James 1:9-11 plainly speaks of how the poor man "should glory in his high position and the rich man should glory in his humiliation". Why? Because just like the withering grass that the sun shrivels up with a scorching wind, "the rich man in the midst of his pursuits will fade away". (see Flowering Grass, January 2013)
What am I chasing that when the chaff is all burned away, simply won't exist anymore? What treasure am I hoarding and where is it being stored? (see Matthew 6:20)
Hosea, for me, has been all about exposing the subtle idols that come between me and the radical, boundless, passionate pursuit of the Holy Creator who loves me. I am sad to say, there have been a lot that have risen to the surface. Just a few examples include pride, self-image, perception others have of me, media, use of time and the list goes on.
There has been a theme running through my life for the last eight or nine months and I chose to tune it out for most of those. Mark Batterson's All In deeply challenged me to dig in and find out why I've been in a season of hesitation. I've been getting some answers and the more days that pass, the message is getting clearer and much more difficult to ignore. Most of it comes back to my idols of comfort, self-image and fear of the unknown (aka lack of control). I can't keep pushing this aside though and today brought some very vivid clarification of what God's Spirit is calling me to. I'm not certain how much time I'll have to post over the next few days, so just know that I'm not trying to delay any sort of "big reveal".
No...He's showing me repeatedly, through multiple books, songs, sermons, and conversations that it's the little things that He's calling me to. I just need to take myself off the throne of my kingdom and let the King bring His Kingdom into my home, my neighborhood, my relationships and my heart...one moment...one action...one expression of obedient love at a time.
I guess you could say God is preparing me to be a "fool for Jesus". Radically following Him always looks foolish. I won't do it if I'm consumed with the opinions of others. Stop worrying what people think of me is a huge hurdle to overcome. I know it's only the beginning. And in the End, I have a man who married a prostitute and pursued her obediently, faithfully and passionately and didn't worry about what others thought of his reputation or how it "looked" to thank when I meet him someday.
No comments:
Post a Comment