Hosea: Relentless Love Series

• But when you understand how much He loves you, respond to him with love and devotion. Mark this down, God always loves you.

This is not an easy lesson for some of us. We bring over from the old life the bookkeeping mentality - "I will do certain things and then God will do certain things for me. And so in a way he will reward me." But that’s not the Gospel.

• God would not love you more than He loves you right now. It is the love that you would felt if you stand beneath the cross and see Jesus died for you.

• The favour God bestows upon you is without merit. There is nothing you can do for it.

God does not love you because of what you are. God does not love you because of what you do. He loves you in spite of what you are, in spite of what you do.

• But when that dawns on you, when you realize that unconditional love of God, no strings attached, and then you will respond with love and worship, praise and service.

• You will come to church every Sunday and worship Him, because your life is His.

I met a wonderful Chinese brother, Ba Yong Li from Dongbei, China who came to Singapore March 2012 to work for a restaurant, 9 months now. It was his 1st time to Singapore, and no friends here. By nature of his work, he is not able to come regularly on Sundays; off days are on weekdays.

He stays at an apartment near Kovan MRT and so he looked for a church nearby. He came down to St Paul’s and then Bethesda church, but did not meet anyone. On his way back, decided to come into our church again. He met Rev Lo and requested for permission to spend some time in the sanctuary. We let him.

Later I noticed that he was kneeing on the stage area. I believe he did that because sitting at the pew would feel too distant, especially being alone in a big hall. He has taken his shoes off, when up the stage nearer to the cross, took one of the speaker’s chair to put his songbook and his bible (which he took from home), and he was singing aloud and clapping his hands - loud enough for me to hear standing at the corridor.

Isn’t that beautiful? It was his day off, but he has chosen to come to church and spend some time with the Lord, just to pray and sing. And he has been doing that ever since, every week or fortnight, on his day off. I see a born-again Christian in love with Jesus!

Do you know how much He loves you? Are you in love with Him?

(2) God’s Love Never Gives Up

He just doesn’t give up. He does not give up on you.

• Man like to ask, “Where are you, God? Show me that you’re there”, as if God is lost and nowhere to be found.

• The answer from the book of Hosea is that God isn’t lost; we are. He pursues us because we are always running away – to our own pursuits, to other loves.

Deut 32:10 “In a desert land he found him, in a barren and howling waste. He shielded him and cared for him; He guarded him as the apple of his eye…”

• I like the way Ravi Zacharias illustrates this. The Lord loves you so much He wants you to draw close to Him. Come closer, He says. Come closer. And you come close, so close until you saw your reflection around the pupil of His eye. God wants to shield you and care for you.