How God Parents Brats (Like Us)

God's children are like spoiled brats. God cares for us in His mercy and grace, and we take advantage of Him. We want our own way.

God's chosen children, the people of Israel, did this over and over. I read Hosea 11 this morning. This chapter reads like the transcript from an interview with a loving mom and dad whose kids have gotten in trouble. There is so much emotion in these words. This chapter shows God's character as much as any passage in Scripture.

I know how I feel when my kids act like spoiled brats. I try to help them; I provide them with what they need; I lovingly take care of them; I sacrifice for them ... and then they use me for their own selfish desires. God's children did that to Him. I do that to Him. I try to imagine how God must feel about that. But He is not a mere mortal like us. He is God (see v. 9). He is so patient and longsuffering.

In this passage, God simply tells His children the consequences of their own decisions and actions (vv. 5-7). They are responsible for the consequences of their behavior. God says He will not punish them as His burning anger tells Him to (v. 9), but He will also not remove the natural consequences of their own choices. This is just good parenting!

"Oh, how can I give you up, Israel? How can I let you go? How can I destroy you like Admah and Zeboiim? My heart is torn within me, and my compassion overflows. No, I will not punish you as much as my burning anger tells me to. I will not completely destroy Israel, for I am God and not a mere mortal. I am the Holy One living among you, and I will not come to destroy" (Hosea 11:8-9).

I often feel that way about my own kids when they mess up. How could I give up on them? How could I just let them go? I love them too much. I may get very angry with them, and I will let them deal with the consequences of their actions so that they will learn and grow, but, even as a mere mortal dad, I will never give up on them.

God's compassion for us is far greater than we can know. Jesus had the very same compassion for people (Matt. 9:36). Note the word overflows. His compassion to His people overflows out of His compassionate heart--His compassionate nature.

God's compassion overflows into you, leader. Are you putting yourself into a position to receive? When we spend time with God each day, He pours into us to overflowing (John 10:10). Our hearts become like His, filled with compassion that can then overflow into those around us. This is where Leading from the Heart begins!

Good Seeds, Bad Seeds

You reap what you sow. This leadership principle is so pervasive throughout the Bible. I came across it again today in Hosea 10. The prophet said:

Plant the good seeds of righteousness, and you will harvest a crop of my love. Plow up the hard ground of your hearts, for now is the time to seek the Lord, that he may come and shower righteousness upon you (v. 12).

This verse of grace--God's unmerited favor--stands out in the middle of all the verses around it that display God's judgment on Israel. He is still offering mercy and love if they will just repent. Regardless of how much we go it alone, God still desires an intimate relationship with us. He wants to shower righteousness on us ... if only we'll turn back and seek Him.

Did the Israelites accept God's grace? You probably know the answer:

But you have cultivated wickedness and raised a thriving crop of sins. You have eaten the fruit of lies—trusting in your military might, believing that great armies could make your nation safe! (v. 13).

This is so sad. The good seeds from verse 12 fell on hard and rocky ground, and did not produce good fruit. Instead, seeds of wickedness brought the fruit of sin and lies. Satan is the deceiver and the father of lies. His seed produced its fruit. Like crabgrass, Satan's deceptions grow best in the hard ground of our hearts.


Father, do what you must to plow the hardened ground in my heart. Till up the hard places--the areas of my heart that I've left exposed, that I have not tended to. Father, I do not want to allow Satan to put down roots into those areas, and where he already has, Lord, I ask that you carefully till and then cultivate those areas for You. I ask You, my Father, to soften all those places of my heart that have become hardened by sin's deceitfulness. Soften them and then plant Your good seed into my heart so that I may be able to produce a crop of righteousness for You. I know, dear Jesus, that I cannot bear fruit on my own. I desperately need You to do in my life what only You can do.

Should Christian Leaders Set Goals?

One of my hallmarks of a healthy small group is Goals and Plans: The group has a written “Action Plan” that includes a mission, goals, expectations, ground rules, etc. I've written about goals, plans, wins, and intentionality often in my posts at www.smallgroupleadership.blogspot.com. (Go there and see labels for "goals and plans," "group health," "intentional," and "win.") Obviously, I believe in the importance of a group having goals and plans. I've seen vivid evidence in the small groups at our church who developed goals and plans that lead to health, spiritual and numerical growth, and leadership development and deployment.

The other day, however, I began to question this value.

In their book, A God-Centered Church, Henry and Melvin Blackaby say that setting goals "comes straight from the world and the culture around us." OK, so that sentence jumped off the page and got my attention!

The authors go on to say, "As servants of the most high God, we don't have the right to determine the direction of our lives or our church. God alone sets the purposes, objectives, and goals for His people."

Does this fly in the face for you, your group, and your church? Should you stop setting goals and making plans? Well ... yes and no.

I see plenty of Biblical support for making plans and setting goals:

• "May [God] grant your heart's desire and fulfill all your plans" (Psalm 20:4).
• "Wise planning will watch over you. Understanding will keep you safe" (Proverbs 2:11).
• "Good planning and hard work lead to prosperity, but hasty shortcuts lead to poverty" (Proverbs 21:5).
• "I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 3:14).

The issue is not whether we should or should not set goals or make plans; the issue is whose goals and plans!

• "The Lord foils the plans of the nations; he thwarts the purposes of the peoples. But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever, purposes of his heart through all generations" (Psalm 33:10-11).
• "Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed" (Proverbs 16:3).
• "Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails" (Proverbs 19:21).
• "Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort?" (Galatians 3:3).

Several pages later in their book, the Blackabys say, "Instead of asking, 'What should we do this year?' we need to ask:

• What is God doing this year, and how can we join Him?
• What adjustments do we need to make in our lives in order to fulfill God's purposes for us?
• What does God want to accomplish in and through our lives this year?
• What has He been saying to us as a church [or small group or team] that we must carefully obey?"

I put these questions in a bullet list because I believe these are GREAT questions to ask your small group, ministry team, or leadership team.

Leading a small group--or anything in the church--from the Heart starts with the idea that we exist and gather in HIS presence under HIS power and authority for HIS purposes ... not our own.

How are you developing goals and plans in your group or team? Bathe the process in prayer and lots of listening. Ask the questions, above, and use them to shape the direction of God's group that He has entrusted to you.

The Choice

Where do you turn when you mess things up?

The book of Hosea recounts a time when God's people lost their way. And they had a choice: Where would they turn for help? Unfortunately they made the wrong decision:

"When Israel and Judah saw how sick they were, Israel turned to Assyria, to the great king there, but he could neither help nor cure them" (Hosea 5:13, NLT).

How sad. They could have turned to God, confessed their sin, and repented. But instead they turned to the world that could not really help or cure them, as only God could. But here's the Good News: even though God brings judgment upon people who have gone astray and don't depend on Him, He still patiently waits for us to admit our guilt and look to Him for our help (see v. 15).

God promises throughout Scripture that when we repent and turn to Him, He will respond to us. When we ask, he'll give. When we have faith in Him, He'll give us life. When we come to Him, he will give us rest. When we love Him, He will work for our good. He is for us. When we obey Him, He will be with us always, to the very end. He will never leave nor forsake us.

So, where will you turn when you are in need, when you have failed, or when you realize how sick and messed-up you are? You have a choice. There is only one source that can truly help and cure you. Apart from Him, you and I are nothing.

Don't Point Fingers, Leader

Did you know that as a spiritual leader, God will hold you accountable for the spiritual condition of the people you lead? You are a steward of the leadership responsibilities and the people He has entrusted to you (1 Peter 5:2, 3) and you and I will someday give an account to Him (Matthew 25:19; see vv. 14-30 for the entire parable).

In Hosea 4, God held the spiritual leaders accountable for the spiritual condition of the people.

"Don't point your finger at someone else and try to pass the blame! Look, you priests, my complaint is with you!" (Hosea 4:4, NLT).

If you're a leader, don't point fingers at the people you're leading. Look in the mirror first. God's complaint may be with you!

In verse 6, God says, "My people are being destroyed because they don't know me. It is all your fault, you priests, for you yourselves refuse to know me." Spiritual growth--discipleship--begins with us as leaders. We know that. We've heard it before. But I wonder how seriously we take it.

As I read this passage, I feel the weight of my spiritual leadership responsibility. And I should feel that weight! People's lives are at stake. Many people are depending on me to be a model of what having a real relationship with the living God looks like. God will someday hold me accountable for what I did with what he entrusted me. And yet, I realize that I don't have to carry this heavy burden myself. In surrender, I can take it to Jesus, and he will provide me with rest and peace. In his presence and by his power the burdens--even the leadership burdens--are not heavy at all.

I'm a Gomer ... and So Are You

Hosea has never been a Bible book I've paid a lot of attention to. Until now, I may have never quoted it. None of my favorite or memory verses are from it. But as I read it now, I'm amazed by it's very clear and meaningful illustration of God's character, ways, and love for us.

This morning as I read chapter 2 and let it soak into my life, God spoke to me about Himself.

In the prophet Hosea's true-to-life story, his wife, Gomer, represents the nation of Israel. She also represents God's church and each of us as individuals. Each of us have treated God with contempt. I have chased after other "gods" in this world. I've prostituted myself to the world. I've committed adultery against Him. I've selfishly taken advantage of His blessings and spent them on the lusts of this world. I'm a Gomer ... and so are you. (I'm also a Goober ... but that's another story entirely.)

The story of Hosea is this: God comes after us. Even when we have sinned and treated Him with contempt, as Gomer (Israel) had, he seeks after us to win us back. Gaaw-aawl-ly!

As you read trough Hosea 2, especially beginning in verse 14, notice that all the actions ("I will ...") begin with God, not us. God pursues us. He returns our blessings to us and transforms our lives. He causes us to "forget" our "Baal images." Not only that, but someday God will restore His creation to it's original state and put an end to all wars. The point is that no matter how bad things seem to be in this world, God is still ultimately in charge and will someday redeem and restore all things. Neither individuals, governments, nor any force in this world, including Satan, are really in control. Surprise, surprise, surprise!

This whole passage reminds us of God's promises. He says, "I will," and by faith, we believe He will. God extends His covenant to us. He woos us, pursues us, faithfully loves us despite our unfaithfulness to Him. Shazam! 

Father, thank you for wooing me. I'm sorry for the ways I've run after other "gods," trying to satisfy my lusts with other things. I'm sorry for prostituting myself to this world and committing adultery against you. I'm amazed that you still want me and that you pursue me as you do. You have been faithful to me even when I have taken your blessings and used them for my own worldly satisfaction. Father, I accept your faithful love for me. I am yours, all yours. You are my God. You are my only God! Lord, I know you will transform my troubles into opportunities for joy and hope and peace and life to the full. I believe that you can and will help me to turn from my temptations and sin and, only by your awesome power, to live a holy and blameless life. Father, I admit my own powerlessness over all these other gods that woo me, and I submit to your power in my life--your holiness, your ways. Thank You, Father for the way you are planting joy and goodness and love in my life through Your Spirit. Thank You for Your love for me. I am Yours. You are my God!

Jesus' Small Group Curriuclum

What curriculum did Jesus use as He led His small group?

That question seems absurd, at least to me. Jesus' curriculum was life. He asked great questions and told great stories as He did life with His group. And so they learned how to live life as they observed Him and did life with Him.

One of my favorite quotes outside of Scripture is from Leroy Eims:

Disciples cannot be mass produced. We cannot drop people into a “program” and see disciples emerge at the end of a production line. It takes time to make disciples. It takes individual, personal attention. It takes hours of prayer for them. It takes patience and understanding to teach them how to get into the Word of God for themselves, how to feed and nourish their souls, and by the power of the Holy Spirit how to apply the Word to their lives. And it takes being an example to them of all of the above.

What Eims describes here is shepherding. The Best Small Group Leader Ever was a shepherd: the Good Shepherd, the Great Shepherd of the Sheep, the Chief Shepherd. He had compassion on people who were "harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd" (Matthew 9:36).

I think Jesus is our best model for being a small group leader.

Which is why I believe small group leaders should be much more than just facilitators or hosts or disc-jockeys who put in a DVD and press the PLAY button. Small group leaders are called primarily, in my opinion, to be shepherds. When we take a minimal view of small group leadership, the members of our groups are still “like sheep without a shepherd.”

What do you think?