{"id":13385,"date":"2013-07-22T01:00:13","date_gmt":"2013-07-22T05:00:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/?p=13385"},"modified":"2013-07-21T21:00:09","modified_gmt":"2013-07-22T01:00:09","slug":"chapter-3-the-great-i-am-in-the-books-of-the-minor-prophets-day-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/2013\/07\/22\/chapter-3-the-great-i-am-in-the-books-of-the-minor-prophets-day-1\/","title":{"rendered":"“I AM” Chapter 3 \u2013 Day 1: The Great I AM in the Books of the Minor Prophets"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Memory Verse<\/em><\/h2>\n

The Sovereign\u00a0Lord\u00a0is my strength;<\/strong><\/em><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0he makes my feet like the feet of a deer,<\/strong><\/em><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0he enables me to tread on the heights.<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/h3>\n

Habakkuk 3:19<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/h3>\n<\/blockquote>\n

____________________________<\/p>\n

As we begin our week examining the books of the Minor Prophets, we begin with Hosea and Amos.\u00a0 Do not be fooled by the size of their writings because their message is mighty<\/strong>.\u00a0 Through Hosea\u2019s life we see God revealing Himself (for the first<\/strong> time<\/em>) as a Faithful Bridegroom and the children of Israel as His bride.\u00a0 That imagery runs all through the New Testament.\u00a0 What a legacy!<\/p>\n

For thousands of years and many generations, God has been patient with His people.\u00a0 God demonstrated His love for His people using marriage as a metaphor.\u00a0 Ouch!\u00a0 If our life was a metaphor for our relationship with God (and it is) what would it say to the people around us?<\/p>\n

In looking at Hosea\u2019s story, I noticed seven<\/strong><\/span> ways God used Hosea\u2019s life as an example to the people around him.\u00a0 Let\u2019s see if they might pertain to our lives as well.<\/p>\n

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  1. \u00a0Our relationship with God is like a marriage.\u00a0 From \u201cWill you\u2026\u201d to \u201cI do\u201d\u2026 to \u201c?\u201d<\/li>\n
  2. God uses our struggles to display His POWER through us.\u00a0 Not what we can do on our own.<\/li>\n
  3. God uses our challenges in our relationships to reveal His LOVE to others.\u00a0 We have a choice.<\/li>\n
  4. God calls us to love the unlovely \u2013 even those who have hurt us deeply.<\/li>\n
  5. Our disobedience to God brings judgment and severe consequences.<\/li>\n
  6. God calls us into a covenant relationship with Him. He WANTS you!<\/li>\n
  7. God expects us to live in a manner that would connect others to Him.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    From the moment we say \u201cI Do\u201d to a relationship with the Great I AM we are in a committed, monogamous, covenant \u201cmarriage.\u201d\u00a0 Why does God use marriage as an example of His relationship with us?\u00a0 Marriage is that object or state of being we have sought after (in one form or another) most of our lives.\u00a0 When we were young, we would dream of our perfect wedding to the perfect person and we would live a perfect life.\u00a0 Happily Ever After, right?<\/p>\n

    Then maybe we found that perfect someone, promised a perfect \u201cforever\u201d and began to live that dream.\u00a0 Then\u2026that \u201cperfect\u201d life hit a few bumps along the way.\u00a0 Our perfect marriage gets rocky\u2026then what?\u00a0 Dreams are shattered, hearts are broken, eyes are opened.<\/p>\n

    Look at God\u2019s example.\u00a0 He used Hosea\u2019s life and Hosea\u2019s marriage and Hosea\u2019s service to speak to the Israelites about their \u201cmarriage\u201d relationship with God.\u00a0 Just as those \u201cperfect\u201d dreams were shattered, our relationship with God becomes broken.\u00a0 It is at this moment of broken dreams that we find we have a choice<\/strong><\/em>.<\/p>\n

    We can choose to honor our marriage vow or walk away.\u00a0 We can choose to love the unlovely one or cast them aside.\u00a0 We can stand firm when the going gets tough or we can faint\u00a0in the face of struggle.\u00a0 We can choose to OBEY or expect the consequences of our actions.<\/p>\n

    We can break our promise to God.\u00a0 We can leave those \u201cother people\u201d out there in the dark instead of leading them to the Light.\u00a0 We have a choice<\/strong>.\u00a0 Because we chose to say \u201cI Do,\u201d we get the blessings of a life in relationship with the Creator of the Universe.\u00a0 Because we said, \u201cI Do,\u201d we have a Helper, a Leader through our struggles.\u00a0 Because we are \u201cone flesh,\u201d we are loved when we are un-lovely.<\/p>\n

    So how can God use us\u00a0 –\u00a0 You and Me \u2013 to lead others to Him?\u00a0 How can God use a broken heart and a broken spirit to shine its LIGHT?\u00a0 He changes our heart.\u00a0 We were born with a heart problem, but God is our Healer<\/strong><\/em>.<\/p>\n

    The prophet Amos (who studied under Hosea) told the Israelites their words were empty without the right heart.\u00a0 They needed the heart of a worshipper and the heart of a servant.\u00a0 Oscar Wilde once said,<\/p>\n

    \u201cEvery Saint has a PAST.\u00a0 Every Sinner has a FUTURE.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

    God showed Hosea how to love his wife, Gomer, the way God loved Israel; the way He loves you and me.<\/em>\u00a0 Hosea forgave Gomer, rebuilt the marriage and taught others to follow God.\u00a0 Hosea\u2019s struggles did not disqualify him from service.\u00a0 Gomer\u2019s wicked ways did not prevent Hosea from being used by God. Their children, who were given very unfortunate names by God, were restored and dearly loved in the end.<\/p>\n

    We were born with a heart problem, but we have a choice.\u00a0 We can choose to live with a bad, broken heart, or we can give the pieces to God and let Him make something lovely.<\/p>\n