Wednesday, August 19, 2015

Name the baby

We’ve had quite a few babies born lately.
And baby has got to have a name – right?
Ah – the joy (and stress) – of choosing the right name.

What if someone came along and said – “I’ll tell you what to name your child”?
Not just once – but for all of your children.
The first child is to be named after a city where a despised and despicable act took place. (Jezreel)
The second child is to be named “No-Mercy”.  (Lo-Ruhamah)
And the third (and this is the kicker) is to be named “Nobody”. (Lo-Ammi)
(can you imagine going through grade school with a name like that?)

It happened to Hosea and his wife in Hosea 1.

Oh – and did I forget to mention his wife’s profession?
She was a prostitute.
For some reason I don’t recall hearing this in Sunday School…

Hosea was called by God to do what I would consider unthinkable.
God needed to get his people’s attention – and this was the length he had to go to do it.
Wow.

If God asked me to do something difficult like this – what would I do?
-          Would I say “Show me some ID, please” (like Gideon)?
-          Ask “Are you really, really sure, God? – because I think you’ve got the wrong guy” (like Moses and Moses again here)?
-          Turn tail and run. (like Jonah)?
-          Or any of a 100 other ways to avoid doing something difficult…

God,
What big difficult unthinkable things will you ask me to do?
What have you already asked me to do and I’m ignoring it (hoping it will “just go away”)?
Help me overcome my reluctance and to see, hear and do your will.
Especially the “do your will” part.
Amen.

I thank God for...
Link to daily bible reading calendar (chronological - one chapter per day)
TIP: click the Bible Reference and then "more details" to get hyperlinks that open Bible Gateway

What's the big deal about Jesus?

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