“Go, take to yourself a wife inclined to infidelity and have children of infidelity; for the land commits flagrant infidelity, abandoning the LORD.” – Hosea 1:2 NASB

God asked Hosea to take a wife whom he knew to be a harlot. In that culture, this was perhaps the ultimate disgrace. Prostitution also was a symbol of people who were not committed to God and who worshiped idols and false gods (Exodus 34:14-16). God had warned His people not to “fall into prostitution” (Leviticus 19:29). Infidelity resulted in harsh penalties (Deuteronomy 22:13-24). By asking Hosea to marry a harlot, God was asking him to do something he never would have considered. Why would God tell him to take “a wife inclined to infidelity”? Hosea was asked to be a symbol, representing all God’s people had done to Him. Through his example, God would reveal His mercy, grace, and compassion despite their sins. He was also calling them to holiness, to remember His standards, and to repent from sins. No longer to go after Israel’s lovers, the people were to return to God and recognize God had blessed them and loved them (Hosea 2:1-8). Today many are like the people of Hosea’s time. They pursue the wrong goals. They’re in love with the wrong things. They are deceived by the world. Like them, God offers us choices as individuals and nations. Search your heart and mind to see if you have become spiritually unfaithful. Remember that Jesus loves you so much that He died just for you. Renew your love for Him.

Reflection Question: Are you more in love with things of the world than with things of eternity?

“Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.”—Romans 13:13–14 NKJV

While reading these verses, St. Augustine had a life-changing experience. Born in northern Africa, Augustine learned about Christianity from his mother. But as a young man, he embraced other religions. Eventually he returned to Christianity, yet he continued to accept worldly standards, even living with a common-law wife. But concerned about sin, he studied Romans 13. He discovered that this passage led him to probe “the hidden depths of [his] soul.” He asked God to change his life and “a great storm broke within me, bringing with it a great deluge of tears.” He realized he was still enslaved by sin. God answered his prayers. “In an instant, it was as though the light of faith flooded into my heart and all the darkness of doubt was dispelled.” He found forgiveness, freedom, and cleansing and devoted the rest of his life to serving God and writing two of the most important books in Christian history Confessions and City of God. Augustine learned how firmly sin can grip our lives, even if we are Christians. The pleasures and attraction of sin can seem overwhelming. But sin has a price. We cannot know freedom while sin rules our hearts and minds. Today, realize that sin in any form can make you a slave. Ask God to reveal if any sins have taken hold of you, whether it is obvious or subtle, open or hidden. Let Jesus set you free.

Reflection Question: Write a confession of specific sins.