Corona Devo 3027

What do we do when God gives us a tough assignment? 

When God "says" (or whispers to our heart through His Word or other means) that following Him looks like (for example) sticking with your spouse who cheated on you... 

Would we obey the Lord in this?  (Are we?)

~~~

What do we do when "ministry" isn't just ladling soup into bowls at a soup kitchen or city mission...but beyond that, God invites us to befriend someone who is in line at that soup kitchen, and to invest our time into them.  Our resources.  Ourselves into them?

Would we obey the Lord in this?   (Are we?)

~~~

How about a difficult teammate or coworker?  Someone who always seems to have their hands raised and feet dancing around, seeming to shout, "Put your dukes up!" to us and the world.  

We want to disengage.  Ignore them.  Forget them.  

But Jesus never did that.  He pursued the difficult people because He knew that there was a reason that they wanted to fight the world.  A hurt.  A loss.  An abandonment. 

They "put their dukes up" because a strong exterior protects them from revealing their tender interior.  Jesus knows that.  Do we?

Jesus did not disengage with those people, He would see them.  Seek them.  And engage them.

Do we remember when Jesus saw us?  When He sought us?  When Jesus engaged with us?

Pay it forward today.  (He will show us with who...)

Will we obey the Lord in this?   (Are we?)

~~~

What do we do when God gives us a tough assignment?  Do we obey the Lord in it?

Hosea was a man in the Old Testament that God chose to be a prophet, to share God's word and works with His people (the people of Israel). 

Hosea had a very tough assignment: to marry a prostitute (Gomer) and to raise up the children that she would have illegitimately through other men: in order to exemplify Israel's sin and spiritual adultery against the Lord.

Consider--Would we obey the Lord if He asked us to enter into this tough assignment?  (Perhaps it puts our spiritual-tasks today into perspective.)

Hosea had a tough assignment.  

Do you think Hosea obeyed God in it? 
Will we obey God in what He asks of us today?

~~~

The Lord gave this message to Hosea son of Beeri during the years when Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah were kings of Judah, and Jeroboam son of Jehoash was king of Israel.

(2) 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.” 

(3) So Hosea married Gomer, the daughter of Diblaim, and she became pregnant and gave Hosea a son.  ~Hosea 1:1-3

Hosea obeyed God in the hard!

Hosea was faithful to God's call on his life, even in a very difficult (ongoing) assignment (Gomer had three children with other men while she was married to Hosea, each evidencing Israel's adultery to the Lord).

Hosea obeyed God in the hard because his faith was bigger than his pride.  Hosea's love for God surpassed earthly (emotional/physical) comforts and acceptances.

Are we doing it?  
Obeying in the hard?
Accepting God's tough assignment?
The culturally unpopular, but the faithful clear-choice?

I know some modern-day Hosea's.  People who have done-the-hard (or are doing it!) in obeying what they know God has told them to do, even though it seems almost impossible to walk-through.  And it is impossible...without God.

But with God, all things are possible.  

Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”  ~Matthew 19:26

The faith of Hosea (and modern-day-Hosea's) is inspirational to me, mostly because of their complete submission to God.  We all want (and say) that we are followers-of-Christ, but are we walking the walk, even when our assignment is impossibly difficult?  

Hosea did, because he understood that God is the boss, and however unorthodox/uncomfortable/uncool God's call is on our life---following God in it is the most fulfilling decision for us every time.

Our faith is going to have to be bigger than our pride, and our love for our Lord is going to have to surpass our earthly (emotional/physical) comforts and acceptances.

Has God given us a Hosea (tough) assignment today?   
Will we obey the Lord in this?  (Are we?)


Blessings,

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