3 Truths about God’s Love for You

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Today’s passage is Hosea 3:1-5.  It contains a powerful lesson for us as we begin our fast together.  Open your Bible, click on the above Scripture link or check out your GAME booklet to read today’s passage.  Let’s go!

First, God’s love for you is unconditional (v1).  We see God’s unconditional love in verse 1 where it says “the Lord loves the Israelites, though they turn to other gods and love the sacred raisin cakes” (v1).

To illustrate His unconditional love, God tells the prophet Hosea to love his wife, though she had cheated on him, with that same unconditional love: “Go, show your love to your wife again, though she is loved by another man and is an adulteress.  Love her as the Lord loves the Israelites” (v1).

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12 Ways God Loves You

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Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Hosea 2:14-23.  Let’s go!

On verses 14-23:  After describing in previous verses how God wanted to punish Israel for their unfaithfulness to Him, Hosea now goes on to describe the amazing, forgiving, second-chance-giving love that God extends to Israel.  From these verses we can learn 12 ways that God loves you and me.

1. God’s love takes initiative. God is a leader and, like a good leader, God takes the initiative.  God will not force Himself upon you, but He does take the first step and waits for you to respond.  He stands at the door and knocks.

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10 Clues That You Might Be Worshiping An Idol

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Today’s passage is Hosea 2:1-13.  Let’s go!

Hosea 2:1 (NIV)  “Say of your brothers, ‘My people,’ and of your sisters, ‘My loved one.’ 

Verse 1:  This verse fits in more with the contents of chapter 1 than with chapter 2.  At the end of chapter 1 Hosea describes how God will show His people amazing grace and mercy and restore them after they have cheated on Him.  Verse 1 here is part of that restoration. 

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Find Your Story in the Book of Hosea

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Hi GAMErs,

Today we begin the book of Hosea, a book written by the prophet Hosea in approximately 8th century B.C.  Today’s passage is Hosea 1:1-11.  Let’s go!

Hosea 1:2-3 (NIV) 
2 When the LORD began to speak through Hosea, the LORD said to him, “Go, take to yourself an adulterous wife and children of unfaithfulness, because the land is guilty of the vilest adultery in departing from the LORD.” 3 So he married Gomer daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived and bore him a son. 

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God Watches How You Treat His Other Children

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Joel 3:1-21

On verses 1-21: While everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved from God’s wrath (Joel 2:32) and blessed abundantly (2:18-32), the opposite is also true: those who do not trust in the Lord, who reject the Lord as God, will suffer God’s wrath.

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What God Will Do For Those Who Humble Themselves

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Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Joel 2:18-32. Let’s go!

On verses 18-32: God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble (Proverbs 3:34; 1 Peter 5:5; James 4:6). We see that here in these verses. After urging his people to humble themselves through repentance, fasting and praying together (v12-17), Joel now describes what God will do for His people when they humble themselves that way:

– He will have pity on his people (v18)
– He will send them new grain, wine and oil that fully satisfies (v19, v24)

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Don’t Wait Till Tomorrow to Turn to God

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Joel 2:12-17

12 That is why the LORD says, “Turn to me now, while there is time. Give me your hearts. Come with fasting, weeping, and mourning.”

On verses 12-17: The day of the Lord will be a dreadful day for those who have rejected God.

That is also why Joel implores his people to “return to the Lord your God, for He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity.” (v13) Echoing what God has already said in verse 12, Joel calls his people to fast (v15), to gather together (v15-16) and to pray and intercede for the people (v17) and to plead for God’s mercy.

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God’s Unstoppable Army

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Joel 2:1-11

Joel 2:1 Blow the trumpet in Zion; sound the alarm on my holy hill. Let all who live in the land tremble, for the day of the LORD is coming. It is close at hand–

On verses 1-11: After describing the impact of a recent locust plague on his land in chapter 1, Joel in chapter 2 turns his attention to the future. He focuses on what he and other Old Testament prophets call the “day of the Lord”. Earlier in Joel 1:15, Joel already made mention of “the day of the Lord”, but only in passing. Now in these verses, Joel goes into more detail about what the day of the Lord will be like.

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When You’re Going Through Desperate Times, Fast and Pray

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Joel 1:13-20

Joel’s nation was facing desperate times. A famine meant that offerings were withheld from the house of God (v13). Food supplies were cut off, joy and gladness as well (v16). Crops had dried up (v17), livestock were anxious (v18), and fire had devoured the pastures and forests (v19-20).

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When Things Go From Bad to Worse

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Today we begin the book of Joel.  Not much is known about Joel.  We do know that he was a prophet living in Jerusalem and his name means “Jehovah is his God”.  His dad’s name was Pethuel (meaning “Vision of God”).  Many scholars believe Joel was probably written soon after the Israelites returned from exile in Babylon in 538 B.C., but there are numerous other theories as well.  That said, Joel is a powerful book with some important lessons for us today.  Let’s go!

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