Verse of the Day 8/28

Verse of the Day 8/28

Hosea 12:6    "So you, by the help of your God, return,

    hold fast to love and justice,
    and wait continually for your God."    English Standard Version (ESV)

For today's verse we return to the book of Hosea and to chapter 12.  We are all probably familiar with Jesus' story of the prodigal son in Luke chapter 15.  The theme there of the son's rebellion and return after "he came to himself" and realized that his only hope for the future was to return to the father, is one that has it's roots in the Old Testament.  We see it in the patriarchs, the prophets and in David.  There were times in their lives when they strayed from Gods path.  But they all came to themselves, and turned back to God.

Here the prophet reminds the people that if they find themselves in that place, by the help of your God, by His grace return.  He will come to you like the father in Luke 15.  And when you return, return to His ways, which is to hold fast to God's love and love others and seek justice, show compassion and mercy and wait on God, seek His face, seek His grace.

An easily overlooked key here is, "by the help of your God, return".    A.W. Tozer writes, "Unlike the prodigal son, many people have tried to get back and have failed.  They have tried and tried and tried but to no avail."  It is because they try turning their lives around on their on, in their own power, when it was their own power that led them astray in the first place.  In turning, we turn our lives over to Him and follow.

We are prone to wander, but by the help of God, we may return.  Read the words from the old hymn, "Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing", raise your Ebenezer, your "stone of remembrance" and realize it is by His grace that you've come to this place.

Come, Thou Fount of every blessing
Tune my heart to sing Thy grace
Streams of mercy, never ceasing
Call for songs of loudest praise
Teach me some melodious sonnet
Sung by flaming tongues above
Praise the mount, I'm fixed upon it
Mount of Thy redeeming love

Here I raise my Ebenezer
Here there by Thy great help I've come
And I hope, by Thy good pleasure
Safely to arrive at home
Jesus sought me when a stranger
Wandering from the fold of God
He, to rescue me from danger
Interposed His precious blood

Oh, that day when freed from sinning
I shall see Thy lovely face
Clothed then in the blood washed linen
How I'll sing Thy wondrous grace
Come, my Lord, no longer tarry
Take my ransomed soul away
Send Thine angels now to carry
Me to realms of endless day

Oh, to grace how great a debtor
Daily I'm constrained to be
Let that goodness like a fetter
Bind my wandering heart to Thee
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it
Prone to leave the God I love
Here's my heart, oh, take and seal it
Seal it for Thy courts above

Here's my heart, oh, take and seal it
Seal it for Thy courts above

--   In Christ,  Mike    Folllow the Verse of the Day blog at http://mikesvotd.blogspot.com  Ephesians 1:7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins,  in accordance with the riches of God's grace.  NIV    

Hosea 12:1-6 New Living Translation (NLT)

12 ^[a]The people of Israel^[b] feed on the wind;
    they chase after the east wind all day long.
They pile up lies and violence;
    they are making an alliance with Assyria
    while sending olive oil to buy support from Egypt.

² Now the Lord is bringing charges against Judah.
    He is about to punish Jacob^[c] for all his deceitful ways,
    and pay him back for all he has done.
³ Even in the womb,
    Jacob struggled with his brother;
when he became a man,
    he even fought with God.
⁴ Yes, he wrestled with the angel and won.
    He wept and pleaded for a blessing from him.
There at Bethel he met God face to face,
    and God spoke to him^[d]—
⁵ the Lord God of Heaven's Armies,
    the Lord is his name!
⁶ So now, come back to your God.
    Act with love and justice,
    and always depend on him.