You Forgot
“For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings.”
Hosea 6:6
This is a call to repent and return to the Lord. While we have been wounded by our own sins that have caused us to be shredded, the same God that brought us the consequences will be the same God that will bring us complete healing for our wounds. This is a call to acknowledge the Lord and to be intentional in our acknowledgement. He likens our waiting on the Lord like a farmer waiting on the rain. The faithfulness of God’s people existed, it wasn’t that it never existed in the first place. However it was a short-lived faithfulness like morning dew and it disappeared quickly. God desires mercy and love rather than sacrifices. God desires acknowledgement rather than burnt offerings. He wants our love and faithfulness rather than our actions.
I have a very good friend who everyone likes to be around. He is reasonable, kind, and overall a friendly guy. It was his birthday a few months back and we didn’t really do anything for him. Some of us in the friend group forgot to even say happy birthday. I remember he was upset by that. He even said I didn’t think I would be upset by this but I did end up disappointed. I felt bad as a friend that I forgot it was his birthday. I can’t let my busy schedule be an excuse because the reality is, we’re all busy! My friend didn’t want a birthday celebration, dinner, gift, etc. All he wanted was acknowledgement that it was his birthday. Honestly, I have no idea how we all forgot it was his birthday. He’s not a difficult guy, we all love to be around him and his family! We eventually took him out to eat for his birthday and he got over it real quick but we learned our lesson. It isn’t the action that he cared about, it’s the acknowledgement especially if we consider ourselves to be his friend.
We ought to give sacrifices and offerings unto the Lord but if we’re doing it without loving and faithfully obeying the Lord, He is not pleased with it. We can’t say that we love God and continually be in rejection of Him and in sin. We’re all guilty of this in our day-to-day lives sometimes. We go to church, we read our Bible, we pray, etc. Yet at the same time we are in sin and are committing adultery with the world as our idol. The same time we are in sin and committing adultery with the flesh as our idol. We live to pleasure ourselves and at the same time try to offer sacrifices unto the Lord. What is the point of that? God is not looking for our physical actions, He is looking for where our heart is. Do we love God from the bottom of our hearts, mind, and soul? If the answer is yes, then we would not be committing adultery with the world. It is not true acknowledgement. We say that we are a friend to God but we forget God.
Let us not only commit to the actions and responsibilities of a Christian but let us commit to them alongside love and faithfulness unto the Lord.
“I love those who love me, and those who seek me find me. 18 With me are riches and honor, enduring wealth and prosperity. 19 My fruit is better than fine gold; what I yield surpasses choice silver.”
Proverbs 8:17-19
Wisdom is more precious than silver or gold. Seek to improve upon wisdom and knowledge than gaining monetary gains. There is nothing that compares to gaining wisdom. Wisdom comes with prudence where one is cautious. Fearing God is to hate evil, it is to hate pride and arrogance, evil behavior, and perverse speech. God loves those who seek after Him, continue to love God. The fruit we receive from loving God is far greater than any fine gold or silver. It is the Lord after all that has created us and given us birth. He is the One that made this world and each of us by the dust of this world.
