Loved with everlasting love

These lines from the third stanza have come to me as a timely reminder - "Oh, to lie forever here, doubt and care and self resign." Hallelujah that doubt, care and self resign as we simply rest in Him and all He is and has done and is doing.

We all need to learn a twofold lesson from Hosea 1 . First, God loves Israel with an everlasting love. There will be no change in His love. Second, although God is loving, He is also a God of purity and righteousness. He cannot tolerate any kind of uncleanness or unrighteousness. Wherever these things are found among God’s people, God’s chastisement comes in. For this reason, even though Israel has been re-formed as a nation, they are still under God’s chastisement. Nevertheless, as they are being chastised by God, they are still loved by Him. It is the Lord’s lovingkindness that they have not been consumed ( Lam. 3:22 ). Because of His compassion, Israel remains.

We too have been chosen by God and loved by Him with an everlasting love. However, we should not indulge ourselves just because God is loving. We must be in fear and trembling as we enjoy His love. If we are even a little mistaken, God will come in to chastise us. Yet His everlasting love is always victorious. On the one hand, His dealing with us is a matter of His chastisement; on the other hand, it is a matter of His love. His love will gain the victory.

Life-study of Hosea

Message 2 (LSM)

God’s everlasting love, His unchanging, subduing love, is altogether in Christ, with Christ, by Christ, and for Christ. Apart from Christ God’s everlasting love could not be prevailing. God’s unchanging love is prevailing because it is a love in Christ, with Christ, by Christ, and for Christ. If Christ had not been incarnated, if Christ had not lived on earth, if Christ had not died a vicarious death for us, if Christ had not entered into resurrection and then ascended to the heavens, there would be no way for God to draw us with cords of a man, with bands of love.

We need to be impressed with the fact that Christ’s incarnation, human living, crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension are all for us, for it is by all these steps of Christ’s humanity that God’s love in His salvation reaches us. These steps are the cords of a man, the bands of love, with which God has drawn us.

Life-study of Hosea

Message 9 (LSM)

I am forever his. Blessed be the name of the LORD!

Praise the Lord

Amen! Woke up singing this hymn. Such a loving reminder that I (we) am (are) His, and He is mine (ours)! Thank You Lord Jesus for Your constant loving care. You make life so full of meaning and enjoyable!

Blessed assurance, nothing can part Jesus and I. In moments of doubt and fear, I find this song comforting.

Such a beautiful love song.... comforting... tears always flow. Highlighting verse 3: Like little children, we can climb upon the lap of our Heavenly Father, lay our heads upon His breast and tell Him where it hurts - all the cares, fears and anxieties. As we allow Him to reassure us that we are His and He is ours we find true rest.

It's my "go to" song whenever I feel anxious, sad or alone... and I'm comforted

This hymn is not about assurance of salvation, It is much deeper. It is about our confidence in His love. Verse one says we are led by grace that love to know. When He keeps coming to us in our pitiful state, we really know His love. Everything becomes temporal, but His love is eternal. So as long as God and I shall exist, He is mine and I am His.

To say that “I am my beloved’s” does not mean that He is the Master possessing us as His servants. It means that we are His love. This relationship is not that between master and slave, but the affectionate relationship between husband and wife. - LS of Exodus Msg 55