Restoration.

Text: Hosea 14:1-9. 

We fell, we lost, we became desolate. 

At that moment, no sane human would be in their right mind. For all the times we have stumbled because of our sins, the feeling of shame, guilt, self doubt, pain and a countless other variety of emotions overwhelm us, and we're left grasping at the spiritual straws of grace God has given us.

Sometimes, some people stay in that area of grasping: begging for scraps from the Master's table. They do not see themselves as worthy to come any closer, for fear that they would be turned away. 

But that's not what God wants, nor is it what He says. In Hosea 14:1, He says, "O (insert your name), return to the Lord your God, for you have stumbled because of our iniquity". [KJV] 

Note that He doesn't ignore the sins, but He tells us that He wants us despite the fact that we have sinned. 

We don't have to remain desolate. Isaiah 1:18.

Come to Him, and He will restore you. He says He will heal our backsliding and love us freely, for His anger has turned away from Him. He loves us. (Hosea 14:4)

However, at the end of Hosea 14, He warns us to be wise, and to do nothing with idols. We must be wise and prudent, and we must walk in the way of the Lord. 

We are blessed, children of God, to have a wonderful Father like Him, who is more than willing to take our burdens on Him and cleanse us from our sins. Let us boldly come to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy. 

God bless you. ❤