Tuesday 28 Sep 2021

September 28: Hosea 11:1-4
 
Key Verse: Hosea 11:2
But the more they were called, the more they went away from me. They sacrificed to the Baals and they burned incense to images.

Devotion:
When you don't feel like praying or you don't feel like going to church... do you feel guilty after you have missed out? There are many things we tend to put off just because we are feeling lazy or we just don't feel like doing them – this does not make us bad people! If we look back on the history of the people of Israel, they turned their backs on God on so many occasions, yet God still continued to call them His chosen people!
 
Yes, we may well upset others and God when we turn our backs on Him, but He continues to look inside our hearts and not on the actions we take just because we are feeling down or whatever! God knows we are going to have times when we do feel down and we don't do the things we said we would do. He accepts this because we are like any other human being and we get things wrong!
 
God continues to search our hearts and continues to reach out to us knowing what is on our hearts. He will not turn His back on us just because we have a bad day or a bad week! God will send us a reminder, be it through another person or even personally. What we do with those reminders will define us in His eyes – because that is what is in our hearts.
 
I know I do feel guilty when I miss out on something or when I don't do something I said I would. But when God reminds me I have missed something, I make an effort to change that and to try better next time. This does not mean I get it right every time after that – I still get things wrong. And I know God still loves me and still reaches out to me day after day!
 
Points to Ponder:
Do you forget things often?
 
Will you accept what is on your heart and try fulfil God's wishes?