SOAP 07/06/2011; Hosea 6:6

Today's reading: Hosea 6, 7, 8, 9; Hebrews 3

S) "⁶ For I delight in loyalty rather than sacrifice,
And in the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings" - Hosea 6:6 (NASB)

O) God is a relational being. Even in the beginning of time, He existed in 3, as the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (the Trinity). From the start, He had relationship with Adam, walking and talking with him. He had a divine, yet personal, interest in Adam, and his needs and desires. He created Eve, because He saw Adam needed help. Adam needed human relationship, as well as divine relationship. Then God told Adam and Eve they could have anything they wanted, except the forbidden fruit. God asked for their loyalty before ever asking for their sacrifice. From there, all the way through to the appearance of Jesus, and beyond, we see that God wants people to acknowledge Him. If people will humble themselves to acknowledge Him, then the sacrifices and burnt offerings take a less prominent role in the relationship people have with God. Certainly this is true once Jesus came, since He was the final sacrifice to pay for all sins.

A) Now, since sacrifice and burnt offerings were done away with Jesus' they've never been a part of my life in the sense that God would require them from me. Having said that, as Christians, and humans, often times our response to God is one of appeasement. We try to satisfy Him by attending church on Sundays, or giving to a mission or some cause. All of that is fruitless, though. What God really wants is our loyalty and for us to acknowledge Him as God, but also as the Lord of our life. The term "lord" isn't used much in our culture. Some people have landlords. I have an apartment manager. Maybe that's a more contemporarily accurate term. God wants to be the Manager of our lives. He wants us to be loyal to Him and allow Him to make all of our decisions. He wants us to acknowledge that we don't have it all together and we need help.

P) Father, I confess that I need help. I don't have it together. I don't know how to be a good husband and father. I don't know how to be successful at work. I don't know how to minister to others. In all ways, I need You to guide me. I commit to being loyal to you in all things and seeking to know Your will, and placing it above mine. Holy Spirit, lead me in this submission to put my life in Your hands. God, continue to shape me into the man you're calling and preparing me to be. In Jesus' name I pray, amen.