Shiloh Rose Archive

The trip that we are going to be taking is one that is of great seriousness. The coming of Jesus, to redeem his church! For this trip we do not need a vehicle, only the seal of the Holy Spirit. That will be the power that will transport us to the sky to meet Jesus. The day of the Lord, is something that we don’t talk about often enough, and perhaps because maybe we are not truly ready! Have you unpacked your bags, you cannot take anything with you? Do you have your wedding attire prepared? Whether we are ready or not we are all invited!

Jesus is seeking a blameless church, one that has been cleansed and redeemed! How do we get redeemed? By accepting what Jesus has done for us on the cross. We take his blood as the atonement for our sins, and we name him Lord of our lives. We confess our sinful nature and we repent. Repentance is the turning away from those sins and to go in a different direction.

Did you know that our relationship to God is likened to a marriage? This forever commitment to be our God in all of our wandering! When we think of the role a husband plays the imagery really hits home. Husbands are expected to: Provide, Commit faithfully, Protect, Provide Stability, Exclusivity, Relational Intimacy, Sacrificial Love, Partnership, etc. God is offering all of these things to all of us. All that we can offer back is our willingness to walk alongside him in all our ways.

Many of you know that we are all unable to fully be all that we should be, and it’s not that we don’t want to. I think we all desire to be better, but in our fallen state we are limited. That is why we need the Spirit of God to help us to be better. When we accept his sacrifice, he comes to live inside of us. He guides us each day as we stay close with him. Will you still sin? Yes, but the beauty of this marriage to Christ is that he will NEVER leave the relationship.

He may distance himself to let you feel the weight of your choices but you are not abandoned! He will come and seek that which is lost! I mean when something belongs to you, aren’t you going to GO AND GET IT? If your package is delivered to the post office, you go and pick it up. You lay claim to what you paid for and what bears your name. Our names have been changed when we become in covenant relationship with God.

“Knowing we will stray doesn’t stop the plan; it just defines the cost, he is willing to pay.” -Google Gemini

Have you ever heard of the story of Hosea in the Bible? He was a prophet for God, a messenger for the children of Israel. During this time, they have begun to worship idols, ignore God and betray his loyalty. The people are divided and living recklessly. The Lord wants to use Hosea as an example of type of love he gives to us. He commands Hosea to take a wife, named Gomer and the Lord knows that she has a harlotry in her heart. Not only is she betraying God, she begins to betray Hosea in their marriage. This hurt Hosea and his children with her deeply.

The story says that she was making a fool of Hosea and herself. The recklessness of her decisions caused her to be in bondage. Hosea had to go and redeem her back, he literally had to pay money to get HIS OWN wife back! How heartbroken, embarrassed, angry, and ashamed he must have felt. Can you imagine having to bring your spouse home after such trashy living? I can relate, because in my marriage right now my husband has betrayed my trust many times. The pain is wounds that I still carry.

The imagery of being bought with a price, is just what Jesus did for us! He paid our sin debts, and redeemed us to himself. Hosea and Gomer are able to be restored in their marriage through forgiveness and reconciliation. That’s the whole point that Jesus has for us today, he wants to bring us home. We are sojourners in this world, seeking a home. If you have ever heard of a marriage being restored, it’s always such a beautiful story, to see how things can change. When we are committed to go in the right ways. I’m not sure if my marriage will outlast this storm. However I KNOW my marriage to Jesus, will weather the storm!

He’s not giving up on me, and I am not content without him in my life. He will continue to come and rescue me and I will run into his open arms! May we all come to know this kind of love!

“I will betroth you to Me forever; Yes I will betroth you to Me In righteousness and justice, In loving kindness and mercy; I will betroth you to Me in faithfulness, And you shall know the Lord.” Hosea 2:19-20 (ESV).

Notice that the Lord says that he will betroth us to himself three times, he is repeating this message and proclaiming his promise. The repeated means that it is permanent, complete and secure. Sometimes we let God down, but we know that he never fails! We know that in this earthly realm, we experience a lot of brokenness in relationships. This promise I am holding dear to in my own pain in marriage. I hope that you are willing to think on the things I have said and take Jesus up on his offer.

This whole message came from a song actually. My kids asked me to sing them a song, because they too are feeling the weight of this separation. When I sing to them their little, restless bodies become still and I feel them rest in God’s love. I almost always sing worship songs to them because these songs are ones I learned at church camp as a little girl. They are an integral part of the woman of God that I am today. I sang several songs, but one song really touched my heart. The song, “I Shall Wear A Crown.” After the song was over, later my five year old son came to me and said he was crying “happy tears” I said why he said very plainly: “because of Jesus.”

The song is about going home to heaven, a place of rest from our struggles. The moment we can put on our heavenly bodies and be separated from the griefs and pain of this broken world! The moment we put on our white garments and tell our testimony to the saints! What a day of joy it will be! No more striving, contention, sickness, death, etc. Hallelujah! I hope you too will gain a crown when it’s all over! Get RIGHT church and let’s go home!

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