As we’ve looked at the seventh commandment, this passage in Hosea has been one passage that has felt heavily pressed on my heart this week. This passage brings me back to the simplicity of why I was created… I was made for Jesus.
I was created to walk in the cool of the day with him.
I was created to know his thoughts towards me.
I was created to know what hurts his heart and what moves it with gladness.
I was created that no other thing would capture my heart the way he has.
I was created for undistracted, undivided attention to Jesus alone.
My devotion to Jesus directly impacts every thought and action I have. When we look away from Jesus, the door opens wider for other things to grab our attention. Every adulterous thought begins with small compromises in our thinking patterns. On Sunday, Jose talked about keeping our bar for purity high… but we cannot walk in true purity without devotion to the spotless, blameless, pure Lamb of God.
As I imagine the beautiful picture in Hosea that God has painted for us to display his love for us, I cannot help but think of a bride walking down the aisle to her groom. As she walks down the aisle, her attention lies nowhere else. No other person or material thing has her attention the way her groom does. This is how God desires that we abide in him every day. God never looks away; he never loses his unconditional love for us. Our bridegroom continually longs to have our full affection.
The seventh commandment has always been about more than physical adultery. It shows us the beauty of devotion to Jesus. Today, may we acknowledge that we fully belong to our blessed Savior, and pour out our devotion to him alone.