– God Warns; He Answers
BRD REFLECTIONS:
(Chia Swee Hoon, Leader, Small Group)
READ:
Focus: Hosea 9:1,7,17 & Psalm 120:1 (NIV)
OBSERVE:
In Hosea 9, God sent the prophet Hosea to warn the Israelites that they will be punished for their unfaithfulness and sinfulness. However, they did not heed his warning but instead ignored him and continued with their disobedience. As forewarned, the Israelites were made to wander among the nations before they finally entered the Promised Land.
Psalm 120:1 shows that despite the waywardness of the Israelites, God loves His people so much that when they repent and call on the Lord in distress, He answers.
APPLY:
History seems to repeat itself. Like the Israelites, I have a tendency to sin and stray from God, being impatient with family members and being distracted instead of spending quality time with Him. God sends me warning messages via the Word, the inner voice of His Spirit, through sermons and friends, reminding me that I need to grow in His presence so that I can be more like Christ in my thoughts, speech and behaviour.
Like the Father in the story of the prodigal son, God is always ready to receive us when we run back to Him. I am so grateful that we have such a loving Father whom I can go to at all times.
DO:
I will be more intentional in growing in God’s presence. As a start, I have set aside a weekend in September to attend the upcoming Strangely Warmed Retreat and hope to practise what I will learn and experience at the retreat in my daily Quiet Time.
PRAY:
Dear Father in Heaven, thank you for blessing me with the opportunity to share my reflections and in so doing, showing me that there is so much to learn from your Word if only I focus and spend time in your presence.
May You bless the readers of today’s Bible Reading with your special message for each and everyone of your children.
In Jesus Name I pray, Amen.
