Marriage and Buying Redemption

There is a story in the Bible about a husband and wife. Hosea is where you can read about a husbands’ love for his wife chapter 3 does a beautiful job; Hosea's Reconciliation With His Wife

1 The LORD said to me, "Go, show your love to your wife again, though she is loved by another and is an adulteress. Love her as the LORD loves the Israelites, though they turn to other gods and love the sacred raisin cakes."

2 So I bought her for fifteen shekels of silver and about a homer and a lethek of barley. 3 Then I told her, "You are to live with me many days; you must not be a prostitute or be intimate with any man, and I will live with you."

This is a great example of redemption in the midst of betrayal. Do you love your wife this much? Can you love her like Christ Loved us? Can you give up everything for Christ? I don’t know that I can, but I want to. I want to experience the freedom that comes from receiving and providing uncensored grace (I am stealing the phrase from a pastor in Las Vegas, Jud Wilhite). Definition of Uncensored Grace: We’ve all heard of grace, but uncensored grace is what you get from a loving God when all the religious types have gone home, and every last hope for your own effort has blown up in your face. Uncensored means that there is no formula or membership or performance that stands between you and God’s goodness. Uncensored means that as wide and deep and high as your mountain of personal ruin might get, God’s transforming grace through Jesus is always wider and deeper and higher.(also stolen) I hate the fact I grew up with the mentality that there are people you avoid or that even as a Christian that I need to be careful who I help, “It could be dangerous”, was a phrase I heard often.

My challenge to myself and you is to break free, run and follow the Holy Spirit, reach out and offer a hand, give it away, all of it, time, money, but most of all love and friendship. You don’t know who needs it and if we give it away the worse thing that can happen is that we will have nothing to show for the effort. But if, just if, that one person needs what we are giving away we could change a life for eternity.

Go and give it away!

Fishing Report: Try a Dave's Hopper up close to the bank about dark but a cricket pattern may work a bit better in the Midwest.