More Than Doing Things for God · Day 2
Knowing the God You Serve
By Wolisson Nascimento Santos
“For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.”
Hosea 6:6 · King James Version (KJV)
You can know a great deal about someone and still not be close to them. You know the facts, remember the dates, know what to answer. But a conversation about how the day went feels difficult.
Hosea speaks to people who kept bringing their offerings. God asks for something that rituals alone could not provide: the knowledge of God, more than burnt offerings. He wants a relationship that is part of everyday life.
Perhaps you read the Bible to prepare a message, organize gatherings, and help when someone has a question. All of that can be good. Notice whether there is also room to talk to God about your own life.
Serving and knowing can grow together. As you read, listen. As you pray, share what you are going through, including what you cannot yet explain.
Today, set aside a few minutes for that conversation. You can begin by telling him about your day.
The context
Hosea is speaking to a religiously busy people. And God does not answer by offering an easier alternative — he answers by asking for more. Sacrifice was what you could hand over: you brought it, left it on the altar and went home. The knowledge of God was what required you to stay.
The line mattered so much that Jesus used it centuries later, as we are about to see.
Did you know?
Jesus quotes Hosea 6:6 twice in Matthew — and both times he is defending someone the religious people were accusing. In Matthew 9:13 he defends himself for eating with sinners. In Matthew 12:7 he defends the disciples the Pharisees were condemning. The line God used to correct a people became, in the mouth of Jesus, the line that protects people.
A line to keep
You can serve God all week and not talk to him once.
Today’s challenge
On the way somewhere today — in the car, on the bus, walking — talk to God for five minutes without asking for anything. Tell him about your day the way you would tell a friend.
In the Antioquia app, each devotional also has a narrated story, questions about the text and guided prayer — one a day, with your progress saved.