6/26/2024 8:14:20 PM
God Makes Us New
“Ephraim is a flat cake not turned over.” Hosea 7:8 (NIV)
The verse might sound silly. It was actually spoken in anger.
Imagine cooking pancakes, but never flipping them. One side would be done, even burned, while the other side was soft and inedible.
In Hosea 7, that’s how God saw the people in Israel. They were only half done. Their words and actions were inconsistent. They professed to believe in God; they even followed some of his ceremonial laws in their outward worship. But God saw their hearts and their unwillingness to live according to his will.
God has never been satisfied with or fooled by an outward show of Christianity. He has worked in our lives to make us new. We are new through faith in Jesus and the peace that comes from trusting in him for complete forgiveness. This peace washes over us and offers us relief and hope. It shapes our view of God.
We are made new so that we can live as God’s people. The line immediately before the verse above says, “Ephraim mixes with the nations.” The people in Hosea’s day were living like unbelievers, even as they claimed to be God’s people.
Christ Jesus has set you free from sin so that you can live the full life of serving him and putting him first. This will be seen in your faith that rest on Christ alone. This new life will also be seen in your desire to live a holy life and to struggle against sin.
Christ has called you out of the world’s way of thinking and acting. Make time to grow in God’s Word and in his grace so that you can see the joy of a full life – a life of believing in Jesus and serving him.
Pastor Aufdemberge
Pastor Kneser
Pastor Wempner
Pastor Zarling