“I will heal their apostacy
I will love them freely,
for my anger has turned from them.”
Hosea 14:4-5
Who can rid us of our faithlessness? Who can break the power of habitual sin? Who can completely turn the wayward around?
It is the Lord.
And he will do so, according to this passage, with His love.
He starts the task with discipline and destroying, but He knows that discipline alone is not enough to change the insides of a person’s heart. Behavioral correction does not alone yield disciples. He must complete the task with love.
With His rod he will awaken the heart, and with His love, He will use to melt it thoroughly. It is exactly what the human heart longs for in that moment- the sweet tender merciful love of their heavenly Father. When God’s love meets our brokenness, the heart changes. And so they change!
We who were made in God’s image respond to God’s love. It makes us lovers of God. It makes us do everything and anything for His kingdom. It makes us disciples.
Do you want to heal yourself of faithlessness? Choose God’s perfecting love.
