Years ago, after I was leading a Christian ministry positioned in Pennsylvania’s beautiful Pocono Mountains, we experienced a stretch of severely bad weather. The weather was often more severe in nature in that region, so to a point, we grew used to it, but one particular winter was particularly difficult. In addition to coping with high winds, we also faced more snow and ice than was common. Some of the ice storms did a lot damage in the realm that it looked like a tornado had come through the region.
Our property was no exception to this, and one among the ice storms cause several of our larger trees to topple. As I stared at those fallen trees, I could not help but think to myself, “It’s going to be lots of work to get these trees cut up and removed.”
I began reaching out to several tree removal services simply to get an idea of what it may cost to rent someone to handle the mess. The price tag was within the 1000’s, and I wasn’t sure the ministry could easily afford that expense. Thankfully, word of our need reached the ears of people that had been touched by the ministry up to now, and a pair volunteers offered their time, tools, and energy to remove the trees for us without spending a dime. It was exertions, but they didn’t ask for anything in return. They did, nonetheless, accept a hot lunch once we placed it before them.
Years earlier, one other group of volunteers told me a couple of time they got here to serve for a piece day on that very same property and the one who was leading the workday desired to charge the volunteers for each cup of coffee they drank while volunteering their time. I imagine that felt slightly insulting and thankless. That actually wasn’t an example I desired to emulate while people were helping me.
The reality is, there are some tasks the Lord may ask you to do throughout the course of your life that will initially feel thankless, particularly since the people you are attempting to serve don’t seem very appreciative of your efforts. Parenting can feel like a thankless task at times. Serving in our vocations may feel thankless as well. Volunteering together with your church or one other ministry may feel the identical way, but is it?
 In Hebrews 6:10, we’re given some encouraging words to be mindful if we feel missed within the midst of our service to others.
“For God isn’t unjust in order to overlook your work and the love that you may have shown for his name in serving the saints, as you continue to do.” – Hebrews 6:10
God isn’t unjust. He knows what He has called us to do, and His eyes see our obedience to His leading and our love for His people. As you serve Him in what may at times feel thankless, please know that He has greater rewards in mind for His children than the human mind can conceive.
I imagine that might have been an encouraging thought for Hosea to dwell on in the course of the days of his ministry to the people of Israel because, despite the fact that he sought to serve them and help them, they typically considered him as a killjoy and ceaselessly grew impatient along with his words of caution and reminder. Hosea was attempting to point the people back toward God, but they kept ignoring his words and pressing on toward rampant idolatry. Again, that will need to have felt thankless, and Hosea made a degree to handle these issues in chapter 9 of his book.
Don’t let it hassle you when people think you are crazy.
“The days of punishment have come; the times of recompense have come; Israel shall understand it. The prophet is a idiot; the person of the spirit is mad, due to your great iniquity and great hatred.” – Hosea 9:7
God is historically patient with humanity. When you think about the proven fact that every sin we commit is ultimately against Him and an offense to His perfect holiness, it starts to grow to be clear just how patient God really is.
Nothing will thwart God’s plan of rescuing and redeeming mankind. A serious a part of that divine plan includes the nation of Israel. It was through the offspring of Abraham that the promised seed, the Messiah, Jesus Christ, was to return. The people of Israel were called to live holy lives that did not reflect the ungodly ambitions of their neighboring nations. But as a substitute of remaining dedicated to the Lord, they embraced the mindset and idolatry of their neighbors.
For quite a while, God put up with this disobedience, but in Hosea’s day, He announced through His prophet that the times of punishment had come. It was now time for Israel to reap what that they had sown. They ignored warning after warning. They celebrated their good harvests, the birth of their children, and their financial prosperity by giving credit to the false god, Baal, claiming it was he who made them so fruitful. So the Lord made it clear that He was going to take their blessings away and send them as captives into the neighboring nations.
Soon after Hosea prophesied that the Lord was going to do that, the nation of Assyria overtook them. The Northern Kingdom of Israel was taken into Assyrian captivity in 722 BC. After a three-year siege, the Assyrians, led by Sargon II, conquered the capital city of Samaria. The Assyrians exiled many Israelites, including those living near the Habor River and in Media. Hosea had warned them, but they thought he was crazy, so his warnings were ignored.
I do not imagine Hosea enjoyed being disrespected this fashion. The people called him a idiot and a madman, however it was they who embraced foolishness.
The longer I actually have walked with the Lord, the less bothered I appear to be after I discover that individuals think I’m crazy for taking my faith as seriously as I do. At a younger season of life, my tolerance for insult was lower than it’s at present. I attribute this modification to the Holy Spirit teaching me to value what He values as my faith step by step matures. Maybe you are observing the identical exact pattern happening in your life the longer you walk with the Lord.
I’m reminded of the words Jesus said about persecution as He gave His Sermon on the Mount.
“Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, on your reward is great in heaven, for in order that they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” – Matthew 5:11-12
As Hosea was persecuted and insulted for taking God’s word seriously, and as Jesus was reviled in the course of the course of His earthly ministry, chances are you’ll be treated the identical way as you reside out your faith within the midst of an ungodly culture. Don’t let it trouble you. Don’t grow discouraged if those that don’t yet understand what you’ve got come to grasp call you crazy.Â
Keep your eyes open to what God is trying to point out you.
“The prophet is the watchman of Ephraim with my God; yet a fowler’s snare is on all his ways, and hatred in the home of his God.” – Hosea 9:8
The ministry of a prophet is commonly misunderstood, each in his time and afterward. It appears to be the contemporary understanding that a prophet is someone the Lord uses to predict the longer term, and that is actually one among the ways the Lord has used those that He call called to a prophet’s work. But one other task of a prophet that some might argue is their primary task, is to serve because the conscience of a nation. As the Lord makes His will clear to them, they make His will known to His people.
Hosea was faithful to do what God had called him to do. He served as a “watchman” over Israel. His eyes, ears, and heart were open to what God was making known to him, and he openly made that revelation known to the people, even when doing so caused them to precise irritation with the message.
We get the impression from Hosea’s words that as a substitute of being loved by the people, they hated him. Instead of being supported, they looked for tactics to entrap him and use his words against him. Sounds familiar, doesn’t it? This approach wasn’t unique to Hosea’s era.
“Then the Pharisees met together to plot the best way to trap Jesus into saying something for which he might be arrested.” – Matthew 22:15, NLT
As Jesus spoke words of life to the generation wherein He ministered, the gospel message was met with the identical hostility that we will see happening in Hosea’s time, roughly 750 years earlier. The words of Christ are still met with hostility from those that reject His offer of recent life through faith in Him.
Let’s not make the error of those that got here before us. By the grace of God, because the Holy Spirit enables us to achieve this, let’s keep our eyes open to what the Lord is trying to point out us so our hearts won’t near His attempt to save lots of us from hopelessness and condemnation.
Walk by the Spirit and avoid this world’s corruption.
“They have deeply corrupted themselves as in the times of Gibeah: he’ll remember their iniquity; he’ll punish their sins.” – Hosea 9:9
As Hosea continued to evangelise to the people, imploring them to repent of their worship of false gods, he offered them a history lesson and called their attention to the sins of their forefathers.
In Judges 19-21, we’re told about Gibeah, a town within the land of Benjamin. The men of that town were violent and vulgar. Without reiterating the specifics, those chapters tell us that they collectively treated a lady passing through the realm so wickedly that the remainder of the tribes of Israel rose up against them and nearly worn out the tribe of Benjamin in response. This same heart of corruption that was evident in Gibeah several hundred years earlier was present among the many people of Hosea’s day once more.
One of the best things for us to do is to adopt the corruption that’s present in our generation. Most people appear to make that call, no less than to a point. We see an adoption of corruption once we observe what we welcome into our lives (influences, alliances, entertainment decisions) and what comes out of our lives (words, actions, dedication of time, worship). But Christ offers us something higher than what this world is offering us.
“They promise them freedom, but they themselves are slaves of corruption. For whatever overcomes an individual, to that he’s enslaved.” – 2 Peter 2:19
“For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, however the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap everlasting life.” – Galatians 6:8
When we discover latest life through Jesus, we’re immediately indwelled by the Holy Spirit. We are let out from our former slavery to corruption. We aren’t any longer overcome by the sin that after mastered us. We are empowered to reap the blessings of walking with the Spirit as He reminds us of every part Jesus desires us to grasp.
Living as a committed follower of Christ within the midst of a corrupt generation or a fallen world can feel like a thankless exercise, particularly because the pressures and priorities of this world mount against us. Hosea knew what this felt like. Jesus actually knew as well. But as we take up our cross and follow Christ regardless of what the price, please remember it really is not a thankless exercise. He sees us, He walks with us, and He guarantees an inheritance in His everlasting kingdom that may never be corrupted or taken away from the one who has been granted it.
© John Stange, 2025. Originally published by Bible Study Headquarters. Used with permission.
Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/TongTa
John Stange is the Lead Pastor at Core Creek Community Church and a professor at Cairn University where he leads the Digital Media and Communication program.  He also leads a web-based community called Platform Launchers where he helps people construct message-based online platforms.
 John has authored over 30 books and presently hosts several podcasts on the LifeAudio podcast network.  His shows have been downloaded thousands and thousands of times by listeners throughout the world.
You can learn more about John’s ministry, books, and podcasts at BibleStudyHeadquarters.com.
