Are You On the Fence?

There is a place that many people take on issues, ideas, opportunities, or many other aspects of every day life. It’s that non-committal area where someone doesn’t want to take a position one-way or the other.  You often hear the term “I’m on the fence about…” which means they feel as though they have yet to take a position on whatever it is. It is probably something we’ve all said at one point and may even say again.

A Lifeway Research poll indicated the 82% of people that do not attend church would actually go if a close friend or family member invited them. Yet that same survey indicates that over the course of a year, only 2% of people who regularly attend church ever invite a guest.  In the business world we would call the 82% “Low Hanging Fruit” because that would be your first target demographic to sell whatever product or service you wanted to offer.

We would also call the Sales team pitiful with 2% actually trying, especially if it were a team that is supposed to be working for the Creator of the universe.

God…

Whether we realize it or not, God is in a constant pursuit of our hearts. He’s after you!  He was after me until I gave up. I stopped trying to do it on my own and handed my life over to Him.  And when I screw up (and I do often), He’s always there with me, still in pursuit of my everything…

In the rarely read but Grace-filled book of Hosea, we read about a man named Hosea. He was a preacher and prophet in Israel during the 8^th century B.C.  and was a well-respected, prominent man. That all changed when God told him to go and marry and promiscuous woman, who was actually a prostitute, named Gomer (she sounds HOT, I know). You can imagine what the people in Israel thought of Hosea when he married a prostitute.  So Hosea, in his obedience to God, courted her and much to his delight, they were eventually married, having three children.

 

“When the Lord began to speak through Hosea, the Lord said to him, “Go, marry a promiscuous woman and have children with her, for like an adulterous wife this land is guilty of unfaithfulness to the Lord.” So he married Gomer daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived and bore him a son.” Hosea 1:2-3

As Hosea went along in his preaching journeys things went south. Gomer fell back into her old ways of prostitution and was cheaply passed around from man to man. Hosea had lost his wife, reputation, and been shamed; though his love for Gomer never waned.  Word made its way to Hosea that Gomer was at the tavern so Hosea went looking for her where he learned the depths of what Gomer had done. The betrayal, the adultery, Hosea was devastated and sought God as a place of refuge. He cried out to God asking what to do and was instructed:

“Go, show your love to your wife again, though she is loved by another man and is an adulteress. Love her as the Lord loves the Israelites” Hosea 3:1

Hosea learns that Gomer is to be sold at auction, so he pursues her. There she stood naked, wrecked, shamed, dirty, and worthless in her own mind… But not to Hosea. The bids came in 3 pieces of silver, then 5, 8, 11, 12, finally Hosea bid 15 pieces of silver and a bushel of barley winning back his bride.

Hosea took Gomer back and loved her regardless of the disgrace she had been as a wife and mother. The immense amount of love Hosea displayed toward Gomer was more than her sin and wretched past could bear.  She fell in love with Hosea all over again and turned from her wicked ways proving to be a loving and faithful wife to him until death.

Love wins again! Still undefeated!

God is pursuing each and every one of us in our mess, just as Hosea did to Gomer. Gomer had no idea that Hosea still loved her or was in pursuit of her. She had come to the point where she felt disqualified based on her actions.  Hosea loved her more than her past sin could stop him, just as God loves you… and me…

We’ve all been Gomer to God at some point. We’ve all had our idols. We’ve cheated Him. We’ve thought we didn’t need Him and sought pleasure in other things. But God’s love has never diminished and burns as deep as when he created us in His own image.

We are Gomer…

Some of you reading this are on the fence about God. You look to one side and see your life, the things you’ve done wrong, sin, shame, the mess you’ve made.  That’s all part of the enemy’s plan to make you feel disqualified.  That’s the enemy’s side of the fence.

You look to the other side and you see God’s love in His Son Jesus, but you’re just not sure you can get off the fence because it’ll cost you everything to truly follow Jesus. 

“Then he said to them all: "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.” Luke 9:23

Those things that you think you’ll miss by giving up your life fully and following Jesus, are replaced by a joy like you’ve never felt before. A love and comfort only God can provide. It doesn’t mean life will be easy, in fact if you read the New Testament, Jesus never had it easy. It was however, worth it…

God didn’t bid 15 pieces of silver and a bushel of barley for you. He bid so much more, His own Son and nailed Him to a wooden cross to die after he was whipped, beaten, and shamed.  Your mess doesn’t disqualify you and His love for you is even bigger than Hosea’s love was for Gomer.

It’s time you make a choice. Because the owner of that fence you’re standing on… is the enemy…