Tues.’s Devo - Return to the Lord

Read: Hosea 6:1-9:17; 3 John 1:1-15; Psalm 126:1-6; Proverbs 29:12-14 Hosea called the people to return to the Lord and let him heal their wounds. The people refused to heed the call and continued in their licentious idolatry. God had sent prophets to rebuke and turn them from their ways but they killed them. In 9:15 it says that all their sin began at Gilgal. Gilgal was the town they came to right after they had stood on Mount Ebal and called out the curses and on Mount Gerazim and called out the blessings. Gilgal had became a high place for idolatry. They had chosen the curses and now they were all coming on them. They had chosen the god of Baal-poor which was the same as Molech and Baal. These gods required much child sacrificing. These are the gods of the elite of America and this is why we are experiencing the curses. But God has heard the prayer of his repentant people and is coming to judge the wicked and bless his people once again. He is coming to rescue us and heal our land. God was not coming to do that in Hosea’s time. He was coming to judge his people. They were through bearing fruit that would be wicked. God was going to stop them from producing and drive them from his land. John wrote to Gaius, his friend in the Lord. He was so glad to have heard such good reports of their faithfulness and that they lived in the truth. He rebuked one of the leaders, Diotrephes who refused to receive the traveling teachers. He was not interested in feeding the flock but controlling it. John told Gaius not to be like Diotrephes but to be good like Demetrius. Demetrius had a reputation for speaking the truth and living it. Lord, may we speak and live the truth.