Every prophet in the Old Testament spoke judgment to the people of God on the way they lived out their faith.

This judgement came as a reminder to the Israelites of their need to worship the one true God.

As we read Hosea, we learn one thing: God wants us fully committed to Him. Are you all in for God today?

When Hosea's wife is sold into slavery, Hosea has a choice to make: leave her there, or rescue her.

God calls Hosea to go and love his wife, in spite of her sins, and he buys back her freedom.

In the same way, God bought back our freedom from sin through Jesus- because He loves us!

The book of Hosea is a real-life example of the important difference between an experience and a relationship.

If we only go to church for the experience, we miss out on the purpose- building a relationship with God.

God wants to use our relationship with Him to change our name from "lost" to "Christian"- a true follower of Jesus.

Hosea was told by God to marry a woman who lived as a prostitute, even after they were married.

Yet even when she was sold into slavery, Hosea loved her so much that he went and bought back her freedom.

Like Hosea's love for his wife, God's love for you is boundless- He bought your freedom from sin and shame through Jesus.

As we close out this series, we take a look at what the church often calls the "fellowship of suffering."

Our ability to comfort others in trouble or in need comes from the lessons we learn when we are in need ourselves.

This leads to an important question: how can your current suffering lead to future comfort, for yourself and others?

If God is so good, why doesn't He protect us from frustrating or painful circumstances?

A look at James 1 teaches us the truth: that God uses our difficult circumstances to mature our faith in Him.

Whatever situation you may be in, believe that God is using it to grow you in your faith!

What do you do when there's nothing you can do?

We continue to explore this question in part four of our "In The Meantime" series, as we ask another important question:

Do you believe God can take a situation that feels impossible and turn it into something beautiful?

When we're stuck waiting on circumstances in our life to change, contentment can feel a million miles away.

In these "in the meantime" moments, we can get tied up in all the things going wrong in and around us.

That's why the apostle Paul reminds us that our contentment isn't found in our situations- it's found in Jesus.

How do we approach others with the kindness and compassion we are called to in the Bible?

It begins with realizing that we are each like a broken cup, chipped and cracked, and in need of repair by God.

When we recognize the cracks God has fixed in us, we can learn to see others as God sees them.

In a short step away from our "In The Meantime" series, Mike Bell brings us a message from the prophet Isaiah.

When we worship the Lord, are we looking to worship Him each day in a way that is fresh and new?

Much like God called Isaiah, we learn how God is calling us to purity and freshness in our worship.