99 Days to Pentecost: Day 16
Day 16 - March 1, 2021
Hosea 7:1 (Read Full Chapter)
When I would heal Israel, the wrongdoing of Ephraim is uncovered, And the evil deeds of Samaria, for they practice deception
“Cheap Grace”
Written by Pastor Joshua Kim
I’m learning a lot these days raising my two daughters. I’m especially learning a lot about how deeply ingrained sin is in all of us - even in my 2.5 year old and 1 month old. My oldest, for example, learned very quickly that when she is in the wrong, the best tactic is to cry. Crocodile tears if you will. She scrunches up her face in her best effort at showing how upset she is by the situation in an unconvincing way. She is trying to take advantage of the situation.
We as sinful beings love to take advantage of situations and leverage it for our own good. And today’s passage reveals just how much Ephraim (representative of the northern kingdom of Israel as a whole) has been taking advantage of God’s grace and restoration (v. 1). Through “crocodile tears” repentance, we read how God’s restoration in their lives actually reveals more of their wrongdoing and evil deeds. Following the context of yesterday’s passage, their repentance is insincere as they cheapen God’s grace. Their true hearts are revealed in their actions even after they have tasted the goodness of God.
Do you cheapen grace? We cheapen grace when we use God’s mercy to simply avoid the consequences of our actions without a change of heart. And the truth is that many of us have forgotten that God knows all of the wickedness in our hearts. We cannot deceive God like we deceive ourselves. God sees right through our facade, just like I can see right through my daughter’s fake tears.
But the beauty of God’s grace towards us is that even in our insincere repentance, if we come in honest confession that we have taken advantage of Him, God’s grace is readily available to us. God’s grace will lead to the transformation of our hearts, but only when we come humbly before Him.
Prayer: Dear Father, thank You for Your grace. We are so undeserving. Yet, You give so lavishly and abundantly. We confess our hearts’ tendency to take advantage of Your grace and cheapen it. Forgive us. Change our hearts to be sincere before You. In Jesus’ Name, amen.
When I would heal Israel, the wrongdoing of Ephraim is uncovered, And the evil deeds of Samaria, for they practice deception
“Cheap Grace”
Written by Pastor Joshua Kim
I’m learning a lot these days raising my two daughters. I’m especially learning a lot about how deeply ingrained sin is in all of us - even in my 2.5 year old and 1 month old. My oldest, for example, learned very quickly that when she is in the wrong, the best tactic is to cry. Crocodile tears if you will. She scrunches up her face in her best effort at showing how upset she is by the situation in an unconvincing way. She is trying to take advantage of the situation.
We as sinful beings love to take advantage of situations and leverage it for our own good. And today’s passage reveals just how much Ephraim (representative of the northern kingdom of Israel as a whole) has been taking advantage of God’s grace and restoration (v. 1). Through “crocodile tears” repentance, we read how God’s restoration in their lives actually reveals more of their wrongdoing and evil deeds. Following the context of yesterday’s passage, their repentance is insincere as they cheapen God’s grace. Their true hearts are revealed in their actions even after they have tasted the goodness of God.
Do you cheapen grace? We cheapen grace when we use God’s mercy to simply avoid the consequences of our actions without a change of heart. And the truth is that many of us have forgotten that God knows all of the wickedness in our hearts. We cannot deceive God like we deceive ourselves. God sees right through our facade, just like I can see right through my daughter’s fake tears.
But the beauty of God’s grace towards us is that even in our insincere repentance, if we come in honest confession that we have taken advantage of Him, God’s grace is readily available to us. God’s grace will lead to the transformation of our hearts, but only when we come humbly before Him.
Prayer: Dear Father, thank You for Your grace. We are so undeserving. Yet, You give so lavishly and abundantly. We confess our hearts’ tendency to take advantage of Your grace and cheapen it. Forgive us. Change our hearts to be sincere before You. In Jesus’ Name, amen.
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