December 8

Hosea 10:1-14:9, Jude 1:1-25, Psalm 127:1-5, Proverbs 29:15-17

Pray: Holy Spirit, reveal Your truth to us today.

Read: New Years is approaching. Get your resolutions ready! It’ll be a great two weeks at the gym (pardon the sarcasm). We like making resolutions. I once heard a preacher say, “Christians don’t make resolutions, they make covenants.” I’m not sure that’s completely provable, theologically, but it’s a nice line in a sermon. Either way, we’re pretty quick to go back on our word, whether a resolution or a covenant. Hosea has a word for us on this: “They spout empty words and make covenants they don’t intend to keep.” There are real consequences to empty covenants and resolutions. Be honest with yourself, be realistic with your covenants and resolutions. Be a person of your word.

Edify: God agonizes over Israel in Hosea. He raised them up. He loved them. He cared for them. He helped them. They rebelled against Him, even while calling Him “Most High.” Yet, the Lord says, “I will bring them home again.” If you ever wonder if you’ve fallen too far, strayed too much, you haven’t; just read Hosea. God doesn’t approve of our sin, but He withholds His wrath because of the depth of His love, the same love He has for you.

Practice: Jude could have been written in 2024. If you follow such things you know that there are many people in many churches, clergy and laity alike, espousing that “God’s marvelous grace allows us to live immoral lives.” Jude calls them “ungodly people [who] have wormed their way into your churches.” Then and now, the problem was real, and followers of Jesus are called to respond. We are to “defend the faith that God has entrusted once for all time to His holy people.” I hope you’ll read Jude and join countless followers before you and defend the faith.