A Loving Relationship
She was head over heels for this guy she meet through a friend.
Reference: “When I found Israel, it was like finding grapes in the desert; when I saw your ancestors, it was like seeing the early fruit on the fig tree. But when they came to Baal Peor, they consecrated themselves to that shameful idol and became as vile as the thing they loved. (Hosea 9:10 NIV)
Explore: Not every relationship works out well.
A friend of mine fell in love. She was head over heels for this guy she meet through a friend.
Initially he seemed nice enough. They spent every waking moment together and she could not speak highly enough of him.
But then the cracks started to show. He made her feel guilty when she went out with her old friends, she was doing all his chores and got to the point where she felt scared of what he would do if she didn’t.
We saw the signs early, but unfortunately it took my friend longer to catch on. Thankfully, she was able to exit the relationship before anything serious happened but needless to say, she has been scarred for life.
Application: Things are not always what they seem and sometimes the facade that is given is quite different to the reality. Even God experienced these kinds of relationships.
He gave himself completely to the Israelites and had high hopes for their future together, yet the people changed. No matter how much God offered them love and grace, they chose someone else.
The best thing they can now offer us is an illustration of how we should not treat God. But let us heed the warning in their story.
Instead of using God like a crutch, let’s love Him and offer ourselves to Him just as He has done for us.
Prayer: Lord, relationships are so important, but when they go wrong they can leave deep scars. May we be honest and true in all our relationships and love others as You have loved us. Amen.
What have you learned from previous relationships?
This article was written by Linda Bailey
Linda started theological studies in 1999 in Australia. After working for ten years in various church ministries, she now works as the breakfast producer at 89.9 LightFM - the Christian radio station in Melbourne, Australia. She writes blogs every day about passages she is currently reading in the Bible. Follow her on Google Plus +Linda Bailey or Facebook by clicking the like button on the right of this page.