Hosea

July 8

Hosea 14:4-9

The promise of new life

Once again, the Lord spoke to His people through Hosea, telling them what He was going to do for them one day. “I will bring My people back to Myself. I will love them with all My heart, and I will no longer be angry with them. I will come to them like rain on the dry land and they will blossom like flowers. They will be alive again with new growth and have the sweet smell of cedar trees.

Once again I will protect them and they will flourish like a garden and be fruitful like a vineyard.

They will have nothing more to do with idols and I will answer their prayers and take care of them. It is from Me that all their blessings will come.”

What is grace?

Have you done something really bad that made you feel ashamed and guilty? You were probably afraid that someone would find out what you had done, and that you would be punished. Perhaps you tried to be extra helpful or do something good to cover up your guilt.

What if someone came to you and said, “I will take the blame for what you did; in fact, I will take your punishment as well. I will even take away your guilt so that you no longer have that awful guilty feeling. It will be as if you hadn’t sinned at all!”

What a relief to know that there is someone who has taken the blame for all the wrong things we have done—Jesus. He has taken the sin and guilt of the whole world on Him.

But Jesus does not only forgive us; He accepts us as His sons and daughters. And on top of that He blesses us with every good thing. That is grace!

• Forgiveness – Isaiah 53:6

• Acceptance – Luke 15:11-24

• Blessing – Ephesians 1:3

Verse for today

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God. Ephesians 2:8