Hosea 1:2
2The first time GOD spoke to Hosea he said:
"Find a whore and marry her.
Make this whore the mother of your children.
And here's why: This whole country
has become a whorehouse, unfaithful to me, GOD."

Hosea 8:1-3
1"Blow the trumpet! Sound the alarm!
Vultures are circling over God's people
Who have broken my covenant
and defied my revelation.
2Predictably, Israel cries out, "My God! We know you!'
But they don't act like it.
3Israel will have nothing to do with what's good,
and now the enemy is after them.


Ouch! This tends to be just a tad painful to read, for me at least - very convicting. The fact that I may go to church twice a week, read my Bible and occasionally talk about God, doesn't make me faithful. If my heart's desire is not to truly seek God, well - I'll let Derek Webb's lyrics take over from here . . . "I am a whore, I do confess." Calling myself a Christian doesn't mean I know God - if I'm not spending time with him every single day, how can I know him? My dad preached about encountering God yesterday. (Craig talked about it @ Purpose too! Maybe God's trying to tell me something . . .) He said Christ takes the first step - it's up to me (because God gives us the choice of free will) to meet him. Once I encounter Christ I should reflect on it, rejoice about it and talk about it! So, here I am - telling you guys, and anyone else who happens to read this.

Bottom line: How can I understand my Creator if I do not choose to encounter Him daily in His Word?