~ "No, absolutely not, God, not this time..."

Then the LORD said to me, "Go and love your wife again, even though she commits adultery with another lover. This will illustrate that the LORD still loves Israel, even though the people have turned to other gods and love to worship them." (Hosea 3:1)

There are several verses in the Bible that deal with adultery, several more that deal with divorce and a few more that deal with the duties of husbands and wives. Although the parallel here is directed towards the Israelites, a lesson of true love and forgiveness is evidenced!

Regardless of how Hosea felt about his cheating wife, he loved the Lord with all his heart. God commanded him to "buy back" his adulterous wife and recommit to her. In doing so, his obedience to God was recognized in a greater magnitude than ever before.

Obedience to God is what we are told we must have, even from the early pages in Genesis. Our unholy state of sin and our unwillingness to trust in him sometimes create more problems than we realize. Sometimes the decisions we make are a learning experience and the realization that it's not God's plan is often not seen until the ink has dried. Then what?

In God there is love, in Jesus there is forgiveness, in the Holy Spirit there is strength! Proverbs 16:18 tells us that "Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall," but the true test of faith comes from Proverbs 17:19 since it is "better to be lowly in spirit and among the oppressed than to share plunder with the proud." Our pride keeps us from forgiving, from admitting we were wrong, from realizing the life that God has in store for us. If we trust in him and follow his path, obeying the teachings and following the road map he's laid out for us, then all will be well! But how can you hope to read the map if you don't have the "key"?

The key to the map of his plan for us can be found in his words to us. There is an answer for everything in the Bible, you just have to know where to look. Unfortunately, the answers are not in the back (like the algebra book I had in high school), you have to read it and study it to find your way. Swallowing our pride is hard, admitting we were wrong is harder still and forgiving those who have hurt us and cost us is the hardest of all, yet we are commanded to do so. Again - it's about what God wants, not what we want!

When he brings you to your knees, will you know what it is he is looking for? Will you recognize the "signs", humble yourself before him and accept what it is he is telling you or will you continue to argue with him, set fire to his map, and use it as your light as you wander around in the dark? My suggestion: use the light of the world instead - it's much brighter, it won't burn you and it never goes out!