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Day 7: Love for Love’s sake

Hosea was called to live in the flesh the message of God's love for His people. But there is a human side of Hosea as a person that is part of the story being told also. He understood that God's agape love is not private but distributable. Yes, he was aware that every act of love he did towards Gomer was a reflection of the love that God had for the people of Israel. But he gave his life to this mission of telling the story of God's love by living the practice of love every day, full-time, in his personal life.

To fulfill this difficult calling from God, Hosea undoubtedly loved God very much. He was a prophet, a consecrated man of faith and prayer, and a voice of God on earth. But in practice, this love for God also translated into loving people, Gomer and his children.

Hosea did not have the option to choose how, where, or when he would give love. He would wake up and open his eyes, and everything around him was already challenging to love. There was not a season in which he could just gather his strength and decide to love Gômer because he saw the end of the tunnel of that commitment. He had no vacation or holiday to stop loving Gomer with acts of kindness, attitude, and words. Even though Hosea was a man with feelings, needs, and pain, he still looked Gomer in the eyes and cared for her. He loved her because she and her children were his family.

When we truly love God, our hearts align with His. We begin to love what He loves, and His love flows through us, empowering us to love and obey His commandments. The love we receive from God is not meant to stop with us. It is a love that is meant to be shared and distributed to transform us and those around us.

The love for the sake of love, which is God, seeks nothing in return. His reward is to be loved.

We do not know God if we do not love our brothers (1 John 4:20).

"There are those who seek knowledge for knowledge's sake; that is curiosity. There are those who seek knowledge to be known by others; that is vanity. There are those who seek knowledge to serve; that is love." - Brother Bernard (11th Century)

My Prayer:

Father, I thank You for loving me to the point of sending Your Son Jesus to die in my place. I love Your presence, and I feel so much pleasure in listening to You and knowing Your Word. Hearing Your voice is the sweetest experience I can have. The Lord is beautiful, and more and more, I want to know and love You. Like Hosea, I know the Lord is also telling a story of His love in me. Holy Spirit, help me to be that representative of Jesus to others. May my hands, feet, arms, and mouth distribute the love of God that I enjoy every day. Forgive me for not loving my brothers. Show me, and I will love for Your sake because Your love does not fail. In the name of Jesus, Amen.