Relationship, Not Religion
There are some verses in the Bible that are great reminders of things we know, but we need to think about deeply again and again. Those verses should not be boring to us because we already know what they are teaching. They should excite us to heed their message even more than we are already have. From the beginning of the Bible all the way to the end, we read verses that remind us that Christianity is a relationship with Jesus, not a religion.
Hosea's prophecies to the people of Israel were very harsh at times. He clearly told them how God was very angry with them and the harsh discipline He was sending upon them. Then, He reminded them of what God really wants us all to do. (Hosea 6:6) "I want you to show love, not offer sacrifices. I want you to know Me more than I want burnt offerings." That is a quote from God Himself, and we all need to think about our lives and how we are doing this or not doing this.
God looks at every person's heart. He is looking for love. He is looking for genuine love that causes us to love Him with all of our heart, mind, and soul. He is looking for real love that we show to other people. If we don't have love for Him and for others that is evident in our lives and growing, then He doesn't want our worship, our sacrifices. Therefore, before we ever go to church for our corporate worship with others, or before we read our Bible and pray in worship at home, we need to make sure our heart is full of love that is spilling out to God and to others.
We need to know that Jesus wants a personal relationship with Him that is growing all of the time. He wants to see praying to Him about everything and listening for His answer. Then, He wants to see us apply what He has said to us, so we grow in our relationship with Him. We must be focusing on Him because of our genuine love and desiring to know Him more and more. When He sees that in our heart and in what we do, He will be pleased with our worship. If not, our worship is worthless.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Hosea 7-9.