In this 13th chapter of Hosea we unexpectedly come across one of the most remarkable verses in the book, if not in the whole Old Testament. But first we need to see its context. 

Will you, like Israel in Hosea's time, become increasingly confident in what you have gained? Or will you remember your origins, where you have come from, and so keep yourself humble before your God?

God is love. We often find this difficult to comprehend, especially when faced with hard circumstances, because our understanding of his love is so small. We find it hard to grasp how he can hold light and love in balance.

We can sow to please our sinful nature or sow to please the Spirit - in both cases we should be aware of what we are sowing for. Our sowing has consequences in the future.

So, what are your life goals at this moment in time? To get a better job? To get married? To move to a bigger house or flat? To get a better car? To have children? To pass your exams?

Why don't you ask God to give you a 'roadworthiness check' and see if there is anything that needs putting right? Like me, you may be surprised at what he puts his finger on.

When I worked in the European Commission one of the most tense times was when the annual promotion list was being published. The competition to get on the list and so rise up a grade was intense. 

When a society turns its back on the true God, the reality is very different from the one envisaged by John Lennon and the optimists of the 1960s. Hosea lived that reality and describes it to us in this chapter.

When God wanted to buy us back from our slavery to sin and wrongdoing, it took much more than money - it took the most precious thing that he could ever find, the blood of his own Son. 

If you are worried that you have committed a sin that cannot be forgiven, read this chapter and see how great is the Lord’s love for the human race; open yourself to him, so that you can receive that love.

Over 2,500 years ago the Lord used Hosea’s tangled family life to predict that he would adopt Gentiles - you and me included - into his chosen family.

The Lord Jesus wishes us all to experience much more of his love and his power. But before that can happen, we need to enter into the fellowship of his sufferings. 

Please join with me on a voyage of discovery into the book of Hosea, into the heart of God, into the depths of his love, and into his dealings with a world which has turned its back on him.

Like Daniel, we hear (and read), but often do not understand. With him we ask, My Lord, what will the outcome of all this be? 

Despotic rulers may do as they please, they may acquire great wealth and power; but they will all come to an end.

He is God, and though he is constantly adapting himself to our weakness, he calls us to follow his agenda, rather than him following ours.

Have you ever had a promise from somebody, and you have waited so expectantly for the thing promised: a special present, a new relationship, a new job opportunity?

When we look at the brutal, authoritarian regimes which are persecuting Christians today, whether it is ISIL in Iraq, Syria and Libya, or Kim Jong-Un in North Korea, we do not need to fear or lose our confidence.

When I was a teenager in the 1960s I remember the widespread fear that communism would take over the world through the empire of the Soviet Union, which seemed so impregnable in its hostility to Christian faith. Yet in my own lifetime I have witnessed its collapse and disappearance.

God is constantly communicating with us. Are we ready to hear from him in any and every circumstance?

In this chapter we find Daniel an old man, probably in his 80s; but we find him as fervent as ever in his commitment to the Lord. What was his secret?

We recently moved house and a couple of apple trees in our garden bore good fruit this year but they had not been pruned for a long time. So a tree surgeon came and cut them right back. He told us that they may well not bear fruit in the next two years; but his pruning will give them 25 more years of fruitfulness. Times of pruning are necessary, but hard.

Are we genuinely interested in seeing the person restored to a correct path, or are we taking the opportunity to put him or her down?

Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were delivered from the king’s anger in a miraculous way, as are many Christians today. But thousands each year die for their faith, many more languish in prisons, are tortured, deprived of job and educational opportunities. This world is not worthy of them (Hebrews 11:38).

Have you asked God which leaders in your country or your continent you should pray for? I am challenging myself as I write these words. The answer we receive may be surprising to us. And do you have confidence that your prayers will make a difference for those leaders?