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Realizing the presence, promise, and power of the Kingdom of God.
The DEEP

A Supernatural Life

and a good life.

Hosea 1:1-3 (ESV)

The word of the LORD that came to Hosea, the son of Beeri, in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel.

When the LORD first spoke through Hosea, the LORD said to Hosea, “Go, take to yourself a wife of whoredom and have children of whoredom, for the land commits great whoredom by forsaking the LORD.” So he went and took Gomer, the daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived and bore him a son.

Life in the kingdom of heaven is a supernatural life—a life of communion with God, where His presence is felt, and His directions are clear.

But who doesn’t also want a good life? By that I mean an enjoyable one that’s reasonably trouble free. No one wants to live a nightmare.

Thus, it’s normal for God’s people to hope and pray that He’ll give us both, that the LORD will protect us from suffering and allow us to serve Him effectively, free from the slings and arrows that would slow us down.

But for many of God’s servants that’s not the deal. Prophets like Hosea get a supernatural life but not a pain free one. Here God starts Hosea off with a tough command—especially in the culture of that day. “Go, take to yourself a wife of whoredom and have children of whoredom,”

God explains that, “for the land commits great whoredom by forsaking the LORD.” Hosea is getting the “life of communion with God, where His presence is felt, and His directions are clear” in spades.

So, Hosea takes the critical next step; he obeys God and marries Gomer.


The irony here is that chasing after “the good life” can lead to anything but. Devote your life to self-gratification and you’ll experience the ultimate pain—emptiness. The good life can be excruciatingly boring.

Hosea sets himself up for a world of hurt, but only if you define hurt in purely secular terms. Yes, he’ll be enduring heartache, and being disrespected isn’t fun.

But a supernatural life is so exciting that anyone who has heard the voice of God can’t live any other way. That would be unbearably bland. Consider this analogy.

If you could be President of the United States, would you want the job? How about if you were guaranteed that you’d be good at it? Sure, the job is tough. People will hate you so much that you’ll need the most elite security detail on earth to keep you safe.

But it would be an awesomely full life, right?

The Bible uses an interesting word to describe what it’s like to be a Christian—alive.


All the weekly study guides, which include all five devotionals plus related questions for discussion or meditation, are available for download here:

https://www.ailbe.org/resources/itemlist/category/91-deep-studies

The Job book is on Amazon and is eligible for Amazon Prime. The Kindle edition will be out soon.

https://www.amazon.com/Higher-Purposes-Lesson-God-Job/dp/1684719534

Mike Slay

As a mathematician, inventor, and ruling elder in the Presbyterian Church in America, Mike Slay brings an analytical, conversational, and even whimsical approach to the daily study of God's Word.

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