Love In The End Times

. This is Renewed

Mindsets where we confront biblical truth head on no sugarcoating , no compromise . We expose false doctrine , reveal fulfilled prophecy and shine light on the demonic deception of these last days , but we also stand firm on the hope of Christ's return , the call to holiness and the urgency of true salvation . It's time to renew your mind , for the time is now .

Let's go , boys . Welcome back to Renewed Mindsets where we renew our thinking by the Word of God and not the patterns of this world . I'm Rick and I'm so glad you're here . Today's episode is going to hurt a little . We're looking at Hosea , a prophet who was commanded by God to love someone who wouldn't

love him back . It's one of the most painful love stories in all of Scripture . But what if I told you that that kind of love story is happening all around us ?

No , now , maybe God didn't tell you to marry a prostitute , like he told Hosea , but he may have called you to love someone broken , someone guarded , someone who pushes you away , someone who doesn't yet know what real love looks like , and you're the one God placed there to show them . It's not always dramatic .

A lot of times it's quiet , but it's real and it matters . Let's talk about what it means to love with the heart of God , even when that love isn't returned . So when the Lord first began speaking to Israel through Hosea , he said to him Go and marry a prostitute , so that some of her children will be conceived in prostitution .

This will illustrate how Israel has acted like a prostitute by turning against the Lord and worshiping other gods . That's Hosea , chapter 1 , verse2 . Now , to quote Marty McFly , this is heavy . Hosea didn't just preach about God's love , he lived it .

God told him to marry Gomer , a woman who would wound him again and again , and each time she ran , god told Hosea go get her , love her anyway .

Now , most of us won't be called to something that extreme , but many of us have been called to love people whose hearts are fractured , people who don't know how to love in return , people who sabotage relationships , push away affection or simply never learn what it looks like to be loved with consistency and grace .

And when you're in that situation , it's easy to feel like you're wasting your time . But Hosea teaches us you might be walking out God's love story in disguise . You see , some people

in your life may have never seen what godly love looks like . They've been lied to , used , abandoned , some were abused , and when you show up with patience and faithfulness and forgiveness , they don't know what to do with it . They might run from it , they might reject it , mock it or ignore it entirely . But that doesn't mean that your love failed .

It means you were planting seeds in a broken soul . God may have placed you in their life not to get love but to give it , to teach them what it looks like . And the blessing is you don't always realize what you taught them until a whole lot later . Sometimes it's not until eternity . But let's be real , it hurts . You pour out and they don't pour back .

You give and they take . You

pray and they drift . You try to show them Christ . But it's in that moment that you ask God , why me ? But Hosea's story gives us an answer , because sometimes God needs someone who's willing to love like he loves , not for what it gets back , but for what it gives out . Not for what it gets back , but for what it gives out . God does it daily .

He loves a world that rarely thanks him , rarely obeys him and constantly breaks his heart . And when you love someone who doesn't know how to love in return , you get a taste of that holy sorrow and strangely it makes you more like him . Let me read from Hosea , chapter 3 , verse 1 .

Then the Lord said to me go and love your wife again , even though she commits adultery with another lover . This will illustrate that the Lord still loves Israel , even though the people have turned to other gods .

Now let me say this again God may never call you to a Hosea-level obedience , but he will call you to love the unlovable , to forgive when it makes no sense To stand in the gap for someone who doesn't even know there's a gap , and sometimes God doesn't tell you the purpose until the very end .

You realize years later that you were there , one glimpse of Jesus , that your love softened them for something else . It softened something in them , that your prayers were the reason they came home . You may not see the harvest now , but in God's economy , love is never wasted .

God told Hosea go again , even though she'd been with someone else , even though she gave her body away again with someone else , even though she gave her body away again , even though she's taken everything you've poured into her and spent it on someone else , and if you've ever loved someone deeply , you know this pain . You show them what real love is .

You pray over them , you protect them , you forgive them , you help them grow , help them heal , and then they leave . And sometimes , not only do they leave , they turn around and offer that healed , better version of themselves to someone else . It's the kind of ache that Hosea knew , and it's the ache that many of us know too .

But hear this Just because they took your gift and gave it away doesn't mean it was wasted . You weren't loving them for you , you were loving them for God , and God sees what you poured out , even if they never look back . If you're sitting there right now and wondering why your love wasn't enough , just let me remind you it wasn't supposed to be .

Only God's love is enough to change a heart . Yours is the vessel , his is the power . You weren't sent to rescue them , you were sent to reflect him , and whether they ever come back around or not , you need to know this . You obeyed , you loved , you taught them something holy , and God is pleased .

In these end times , when love has grown cold and self-interest reigns , the world desperately needs people who will love , like Hosea , like Christ , like God , even if it hurts . I want to thank you for listening to me today . This came from God directly . Sometimes the deepest love stories don't have fairytale endings , but they have eternal purpose .

I need you to keep loving , keep trusting and know that God sees your heart , your sacrifice and your obedience . Just remember it's not a waste to love like Jesus , especially when there's no one else who will . That's all for today , but I'll be back with more unfiltered biblical truth and undeniable prophecy . The time to wake up is now .

If today's episode challenged you , don't keep it to yourself . Tell someone . Please Text them a link . Share the truth while there's still time . Visit renewedmindsetscom to stay connected and to listen to past episodes , and check out our merch at renewedmindsetsstore . Jesus is coming soon . Stay watchful , stay holy , stay holy , stay renewed Until next week . I'm Rick .

Be an encourager , not a discourager . I love you . Special thanks to Christy mccurry . See ya . The intro and outro music for the renewed mindsets podcast is are you ready ? By floodgate from the album are you ready ? Copyright 2002 offbeat ministries incorporated . Floodgate can be found on apple music and itunes . Music used with permission .