Author: kendraske

The Father Heart of God. Thoughts from Hosea.

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Read Through the Bible in 2 years: Hosea 11-12

Have you ever had those days when you want to say to your growing children, “But, honey, it was me who changed your diaper. It was me who got up with you in the middle of the night. It was me who bathed you and dressed you. It was me who sang to you and rocked you to sleep. It was me who washed your skinned knees when you fell down in the driveway. It was me who brushed the knots out of your hair. It was me who taught you to sing the ABCs and count to ten. You should listen to me.”

God has those days with us, too.

When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son. The more they were called, the more they went away; they kept sacrificing to the Baals and burning offerings to idols.

Yet it was I who taught Ephraim to walk; I took them up by their arms, but they did not know that I healed them. I led them with cords of kindness, with the bands of love, and I became to them as one who eases the yoke on their jaws, and I bent down to them and fed them.

Hosea 11:1-4

God hasn’t given up hope for His children, and we shouldn’t either.

Heavenly Father, please, draw our hearts back to You. Discipline us with Your rod of kindness and woo us with Your love. Lead us with the cords of kindness and hold us fast with Your bands of love. And Father, please, draw our children back to You. Discipline them, too, with Your rod of kindness and woo them with Your love. Lead them with the cords of kindness and hold them fast with Your bands of love. Teach us how to parent them with love and grace and humility and gentleness and courage and firmness and truth. Make us parents after You. Teach us how to be godly mommies because You are the perfect daddy. In the Name of Jesus Christ, Our Perfect Example of all things we pray. Amen.

As God Adds to Our Blessings, What Do We Do With Them? Thoughts from Hosea.

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Read Through the Bible in 2 Years: Hosea 9-10

Israel is a luxuriant vine that yields its fruit.

The more his fruit increased, the more altars he built;

as his country improved, he improved his pillars.

Hosea 10:1 ESV

God has given us every good gift to enjoy. He has blessed us with heat and sunshine and air to breathe. He has given us homes to live in and children to fill them. He has blessed us with abundant food and wealth. He has given us eyes to see, ears to hear, and minds to comprehend. Yet, what do we do with all of these gifts?

Do we enjoy them or neglect them? Do we praise Him or take credit for them?

When was the last time you thanked God for the children sitting around your table or clinging to your legs?

When was the last time you took a leisurely walk outside and thanked God for the blue sky and warm sun?

It seems that the more full our homes and lives become, the less interested we become in the Lord. Why is that?

Why would the Lord bless us with more if it will just turn our hearts away from Him? It is His mercy that keeps us begging for our daily bread. It is His mercy that makes us hunger for the gift of a child. It is His mercy that keeps us dependent on Him for a roof over our head and money in our bank account.

My word for 2024 is “Enough.” Is the Lord enough? YES! He is! Has He given me enough? YES! Yes, He has! My cup overflows with His love and grace and goodness.

Heavenly Father, Help me to be faithful in the little things that You might entrust to me more things. Help me to be thankful for every single little gift, the birds that sing before the sun rises, the wind that blows gently through the trees, the sound of trickling water. Thank You for giving me eyes that see and ears that hear. Thank You for giving me a mind and heart that know You. Thank You. You are enough. You are more than I need. In the Name of Jesus Christ who redeemed and delivered me. Amen.

All Things Wise and Wonderful

Like a Cake Unturned. Thoughts from the Book of Hosea.

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Read through the Bible in 2 Years: Hosea 7-8

Any of you like pancakes? 🥞 🙋🏼‍♀️🙋🏽‍♂️🙋🏻‍♀️🙋🏾‍♀️🙋🏻🙋‍♀️

I can’t think of anything I’d rather have for breakfast on Saturday mornings than pancakes baked with a few mini chocolate chips, topped with vanilla yogurt and sliced fresh strawberries, and a few slices of crispy bacon on the side. 😋

But, what if instead of mixing chocolate chips into the batter, I stirred in a spoonful of sawdust? Not so appealing anymore?

What if instead of flipping the pancakes over halfway through the baking time I decided to serve them to you after they were only cooked on one side? Any one like their pancakes a little raw? 🤢 😝

Well, that’s what was happening in Israel. They were mixing themselves with the surrounding nations. They were like an unturned cake, half burnt, half raw.

Ephraim mixes himself
with the peoples;
Ephraim is a cake not turned.

Hosea 7:8 ESV

Is that us? Is that our nation? Is that me?

Heavenly Father, show me where my heart is tainted. Show me where I have sprinkled the world’s sawdust into my heart and mind and life. Strain it out, Lord, that it will not pollute my life and my family. Father, I need the fire of Your Holy Spirit to burn up all that is unholy in me – on both sides. I need Your Sunlight to shine in every corner of my life that I might be made pure. Here I am, Lord. Have Your way with me. In the name of Jesus Christ, my Savior and Lord, I pray. Amen.

Destroyed for Lack of Knowledge While Drowning in a Sea of Information: Thoughts from the Book of Hosea.

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Read through the Bible in 2 Years: Hosea 5-6

For I desire steadfast love
and not sacrifice,
the knowledge of God
rather than burnt offerings.

Hosea 6:6 ESV

We live in an age where anything you ever wanted to know is available at the click of a button. I hold in my hand a 12-square-inch device with free access to dozens of Bible translations as well as concordances of Greek and Hebrew words and even Matthew Henry’s complete commentary on the Old Testament and the New. All this information is available to you, too, FREE on BlueLetterBible, and yet Biblical illiteracy is at an unprecedented level. My fellow Americans don’t know God’s Word, but even scarier: they don’t know God. Most people in the USA have heard of the God of the Bible and His Son, Jesus. Most Americans know that Christmas and Easter are somehow related to Jesus. Most Americans have heard about some of the amazing things that God has done, but they don’t know Him.

There is no faithfulness
or steadfast love,
and no knowledge of God in the land….
My people are destroyed
for lack of knowledge.

Hosea 4:1b,6a ESV

My nation is being destroyed not for lack of access but for lack of interest.

My nation is being destroyed not for lack of information but for lack of knowledge.

“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.” Proverbs 1:7 ESV

“How long, O simple ones, will you love being simple? How long will scoffers delight in their scoffing and fools hate knowledge?” Proverbs 1:22 ESV

“For the LORD gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding;” Proverbs 2:6 ESV

“Take my instruction instead of silver, and knowledge rather than choice gold,” Proverbs 8:10 ESV

“The heart of him who has understanding seeks knowledge, but the mouths of fools feed on folly.” Proverbs 15:14 ESV

Heavenly Father, It grieves my heart to think of all those people in my own nation who are being destroyed by their own ignorance, those who are choosing to run from You rather than toward You. Father, I’m asking You to please bring revival to our nation, to our cities and states, to our families and churches. Break us that You may heal us. We need to be broken so that we might be healed. We need to know You so that we can love You. We need to fear You so that we can love You. You are worthy! In the Name of Jesus Christ, our Savior and Redeemer, we pray. Amen.

To know Him is to love Him. Do you know Him?

That’s my King … Do you know Him?

Loving the Unlovely. Brussel Sprouts, Ice Cream, Jesus, and Me. Thoughts from the Book of Hosea.

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Read through the Bible in 2 Years: Hosea 3-4

If I asked a class of third grade students, “Raise your hand if you love ice cream.” I bet every hand would shoot up. 🙋🏿‍♀️🙋🏻🙋🏽‍♂️🙋🏼‍♀️🙋🙋🏾‍♂️

But if I then said, “Raise your hand if you love Brussel sprouts,” I’m quite sure I’d get a very different response. Even if I followed it up with words like, “They are really good for you! They’re high in fiber, vitamins, and antioxidants.” Still, it’s a no. 🙅🏽‍♂️🙅🏼‍♀️🙅🏻🙅🏿‍♂️🙅🏻‍♀️🙅

It is only logical to love ice cream. It’s sweet and creamy and delicious.🍦😋 But Brussel sprouts … They are more of an acquired taste, suited for a more refined palate. 🥬 😝

I’m afraid that I sometimes think I’m naturally easy to love. I’m afraid sometimes I forget about all my prickly, hard to love spots. I’m afraid I see myself as ice cream, rather than Brussel sprouts.

When God tells the prophet Hosea to go love Gomer, a woman who chases after other men, refusing to remain faithful to her husband, I’m afraid that we all think we’re Hosea, not realizing that we’re actually Gomer. We are that adulteress, that whore, that woman who abandons her true love to pursue idols, and God is Hosea, the faithful One who again and again chases after His bride, pulling her out of the pig slop. 🥴🐖

In this is love,
not that we have loved God
but that He loved us and sent His Son
to be the propitiation for our sins.

1 John 4:10 ESV

Love covers a multitude of sins.

Love is not irritable or resentful or rude.

Love keeps no record of wrongs.

Love forgives.

Love never ends.

Love is steadfast and patient and faithful.

God loved us while we were sinners, and He calls us to go and do likewise.

Heavenly Father, Thank You for Your steadfast, patient, faithful love toward me. Thank You for pursuing me, though I didn’t deserve it, though I don’t deserve it still. I’m not worthy, but You are. You deserve better. You deserve chocolate, chocolate chip ice cream with whipped cream and sprinkles and a cherry on top. And yet You have demonstrated Your love by sending Your own Son to be the propitiation, the atoning sacrifice, the substitutionary offering, for my sin. Praise Your Name forevermore. Amen.

O Love That Will Not Let Me Go

Marriage is Exclusive, and So Is Our Relationship with God: Hosea 1-2

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Read through the Bible in 2 Years: Hosea 1-2

  • How had the Israelites forsaken the Lord?
  • Had they stopped making sacrifices and offerings?
  • Had they stopped observing the feasts and Sabbaths?

They had forsaken Him by making Him one god on a buffet of gods. They had forsaken Him by worshipping both Him and Baal. They had forsaken Him by offering themselves to other lovers in addition to the Lord God.

Friends, we can have a dozen coworkers, a dozen children, and a dozen friends, but we can only have ONE husband and he can only have ONE bride.

A good husband refuses to share
his bride with other men,
and our good God refuses to share
His bride with other gods.

It is not enough for us to make God the biggest god in our life, or the most valuable idol that we have. He can’t be our “favorite” husband. He wants to be our ONLY husband. He wants ALL of our heart, soul, mind, and strength. He wants to be our everything. He is either Lord of all or He’s not Lord at all.

God despises adultery of all forms, especially adultery toward Him. God wants our whole heart. He is a jealous God. He will not share His glory with another.

  • Exodus 34:14 ESV — (for you shall worship no other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God),
  • Deuteronomy 4:24 ESV — For the LORD your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.
  • Isaiah 42:8 ESV — I am the LORD; that is my name; my glory I give to no other, nor my praise to carved idols.

Heavenly Father, You are a good husband who loves His bride and refuses to share her with another. I pray that we would be a loving bride, rejecting all other things who vie for our attention. I pray that You would be the apple of our eye, the center of our attention, the singular focus of our lives. In the Name of Jesus Christ, our redeemer, Amen.

Come to the Lord and Be Saved: Thoughts from the Book of Amos.

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Read through the Bible in 2 Years: Amos 9

Come to the Lord and be saved.

Turn from your sin.

Turn to Him and be saved.

Chase after wickedness and selfishness no more.

Cease from your evil pursuits and do good.

Who am I to say such things?

Who am I?

Me?

I’m just a nobody, trying to tell everybody, about somebody, who can save anybody.

Like Amos I’m just a simple person crying out, warning people of the impending danger. ⚠️

Watch out! Watch out!

Danger ahead!

You’re heading the wrong way!

The bridge is out!

Take this turn here and get on the narrow path, the path over the scarred back of Jesus, the path that runs through His blood,

He’s the only way, friends.

Come to Him and be saved.

Oh, Heavenly Father, You made a way back to You, by the blood of Your only Son, Jesus Christ, who laid down His life for us. Make us Your messengers, Your ambassadors, Your heralds of good news. Let us not grow weary and weak. Strengthen us to stand at the crossroads and cry out again and again, “THIS IS THE WAY! COME THIS WAY!” By the power of Christ in us and for the glory of His Name we pray, Amen.

I’m Just a Nobody – The Williams Brothers

Would You Rather? Amos Edition.

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Read through the Bible in 2 Years: Amos 8.

“Behold, the days are coming,”
declares the Lord GOD,
“when I will send a famine on the land,
not a famine of bread,
nor a thirst for water,
but of hearing the words of the LORD.”

Amos 8:11 ESV

Would I rather worship or wander through Wally World?

Would I rather scroll through the truth of the Word or the foolishness of Facebook?

Would I rather skip my daily dose of carbs or the daily bread of the Lord’s presence?

Would I rather sit in a pew or sit on a couch?

Would I rather be in the front row of a church or the front row of a concert?

Would I rather listen to the correction of a wise counselor or the consolation of a foolish friend?

Would I rather miss a dinner date with my BFF or a breakfast date with my Heavenly Father?

Would I rather miss my morning cup of java or my morning cup of living water?

Would I rather have an empty belly or an empty mind?

“Sabbath days and sabbath work are a burden to carnal hearts, that are always afraid of doing too much for God and eternity.

Can we spend our time better than in communication with God?

And how much time do we spend pleasantly with the world? Will not the sabbath be gone before we have done the work of it and reaped the gains of it? Why then should we be in such haste to part with it?

They were fond of market-days: they longed to be selling corn and setting forth wheat. When they were employed in religious services they were thinking of their marketings …

Those are strangers to God, and enemies to themselves, that love market days better than sabbath days, that would rather be selling corn than worshipping God.”

Matthew Henry, Commentary on Amos 8

Heavenly Father, Align our hearts with Yours. Make us love what You love. Break our hearts for what breaks Yours. Give us a holy hunger. Make us hunger for what is healthy and right, what is pure and true. Make us sick over what makes You sick. Give us discernment to recognize what is truly lovely and what is a joy stealer. Help us spot the counterfeits, the deceptions, those things that masquerade as beautiful and give us hearts that hunger and thirst for righteousness for Your Name’s sake. In the Name of Jesus Christ, the Righteous One, the One who meets our every need, the well that never runs dry, the unending source of living water and the eternal bread of Your living presence, we pray. Amen.

God has a Plan and You have a Purpose: Thoughts from Amos 6-7

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Read through the Bible in 2 Years: Amos 6-7

Then Amos answered and said to Amaziah, “I was no prophet, nor a prophet’s son, but I was a herdsman and a dresser of sycamore figs. But the LORD took me from following the flock, and the LORD said to me, ‘Go, prophesy to my people Israel.’

Amos 7:14-15 ESV

God chose fishermen like Peter, Andrew, James, and John. God chose shepherds like David, Moses, and Amos. God chose tax collectors like Matthew and Zacchaeus.

It’s not what you do from 8 to 5 Monday through Friday, or what family you were born into, that matters. It doesn’t matter how educated you are, or how much money is in your bank account. God calls and chooses whom He will according to His own plan and purpose.

For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth.

But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.

1 Corinthians 1:26-29 ESV

God chose Paul, a Hebrew of Hebrews, a prosecutor of Christians, to write these words,

“[God] saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness,
but according to his own mercy,
by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit”

Titus 3:5 ESV

And to the church at Ephesus,

“For we are his workmanship,
created in Christ Jesus for good works,
which God prepared beforehand,
that we should walk in them.”

Ephesians 2:10 ESV

Heavenly Father, You didn’t choose me because I was rich or powerful or good. I wasn’t. I was a simple college student, a blasphemer and opponent of the gospel. I was Your enemy, slandering You and hurling insults at Your children, yet You plucked me out of the miry clay and planted my feet on the rock. You called me in spite of myself. Thank You. Thank You. Father, please, help me to love and pursue others like You loved and pursued me. Help me to love my neighbor as myself, loving them even while they’re drowning in sin. For the glory of Your Name and the growth of Your kingdom, in the name of Jesus Christ my Savior and Lord, Amen.

Seek Me and Live: A Prayer for the House of Israel from Amos 5

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Read through the Bible in 2 Years: Amos 5

For thus says the LORD to the house of Israel: “Seek me and live;”

Amos 5:4 ESV

Heavenly Father, I lift up the house of Israel to You. I pray that You would remove the veil from their eyes that they would recognize Messiah Jesus who came once to save and who is coming again to judge. Oh, Father, open their ears that they would hear clearly the gospel of peace. Soften their hearts that the seeds of truth would fall deep and take root. Use Your rod to chasten and reprove that they would return quickly to Your open arms. Please, Father, send out laborers into the harvest in Jerusalem and all over Israel and the Middle East. We want to see the olive tree bear fruit again for Your kingdom. In the Name of Jesus Christ, the Only Way to You, the Only Savior of the world, we pray. Amen.