Honey From The Rock

www.poeministries.org

Honey From The Rock
Psalm 81:16

"Sweet Stuff From God's Word"

A daily Bible study with Victor Knowles
Copyright 2007

Repentance Road

This entry was posted on 03-27-2007 and is filed under Devotional.

"O Israel, return to the LORD your God, for you have stumbled because of your iniquity...I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely, for My anger has turned away from him" (Hosea 14:1,4 NKJV).

The word "return" appears 15 times in the book of Hosea. Israel had strayed so God sent Hosea to preach return through repentance to them. If man is "totally depraved," as some teach, why would God instruct prophets like Hosea to preach a message of repentance and return? If it was already predetermined that they were destined to damnation, why hold out hope for the "hopeless?"

And why would Jesus and the apostles preach a message of repentance (which they most surely did)? If men cannot repent, cannot return, why preach that they should? All this is to say that God knows men better than the best theologian, living or dead. God wants men to repent because they can and because they should. Then He will receive them back, forgive them, and love them freely. What's holding you back?

Prayer: Loving Father, we know that it is because of Your goodness that men are led to repent of their sins and return to You. Thank You for making a way of escape for us. Through Christ we pray.