Enjoy Life, Enjoy God
LOVE-HATE
August 9, 2011
We've all heard of "love-hate" relationships. In other words, it’s a relationship marked by a great love but also the frustration, disappointment, and conflict that is called "hate."
In the place where it was said to them, "You are not my people," they will be called "children of the living God."
- Hosea 1:11 TNIV
- Hosea 1:11 TNIV
Hosea's unfaithful wife, Gomer, begins bearing children, and the children's names bear witness to God's love-hate relationship with the people of God:
Jezreel = I will punish
Lo-Ruhamah = not loved
Lo-Ammi = not my people.
Yet, God is bound in a love-hate relationship with his people.
I believe this is true of God's relationship with us in Jesus Christ as well. God loves us and is bound to us, but grieves and hates our unfaithfulness and our casual "marriage" with our Lord. Yet, don't miss those words of good news: "they will be called 'children of God.' That's you and me! Rejoice!
Joyfully,
Dale Patterson