Years ago, when I was leading a Christian ministry located 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 some degree, we grew used to it, but one particular winter was particularly challenging. In addition to dealing with high winds, we also faced more snow and ice than was common. Some of the ice storms did so much damage in the area that it looked like a tornado had come through the region.
Our property was no exception to this, and one of the ice storms cause several of our larger trees to topple. As I stared at those fallen trees, I couldn't help but think to myself, "It's going to be a lot of work to get these trees cut up and removed."
I started reaching out to several tree removal services just to get an idea of what it might cost to hire someone to handle the mess. The price tag was in the thousands, and I wasn't sure the ministry could easily afford that expense. Thankfully, word of our need reached the ears of people who had been touched by the ministry in the past, and a couple volunteers offered their time, tools, and effort to remove the trees for us for free. It was hard work, but they didn't ask for anything in return. They did, however, accept a hot lunch when we placed it before them.
Years earlier, another group of volunteers told me about a time they came to serve for a work day on that same property and the person who was leading the workday wanted to charge the volunteers for every cup of coffee they drank while volunteering their time. I imagine that felt rather insulting and thankless. That certainly wasn't an example I wanted 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 may initially feel thankless, particularly because the people you're 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 with your church or another ministry may feel the same way, but is it?
In Hebrews 6:10, we're given some encouraging words to keep in mind if we feel overlooked in the midst of our service to others.
"For God is not unjust so as to overlook your work and the love that you have shown for his name in serving the saints, as you still do." - Hebrews 6:10
God is not 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 would have been an encouraging thought for Hosea to dwell on during the days of his ministry to the people of Israel because, even though he sought to serve them and help them, they typically thought of him as a killjoy and frequently grew impatient 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 must have felt thankless, and Hosea made a point to address these issues in chapter 9 of his book.
Don't let it bother you when people think you're crazy.
"The days of punishment have come; the days of recompense have come; Israel shall know it. The prophet is a fool; the man of the spirit is mad, because of your great iniquity and great hatred." - Hosea 9:7
God is historically patient with humanity. When you consider the fact that every sin we commit is ultimately against Him and an offense to His perfect holiness, it starts to become clear just how patient God really is.
Nothing will thwart God's plan of rescuing and redeeming mankind. A major 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 come. The people of Israel were called to live holy lives that didn't reflect the ungodly ambitions of their neighboring nations. But instead of remaining dedicated to the Lord, they embraced the mindset and idolatry of their neighbors.
For quite some time, God put up with this disobedience, but in Hosea's day, He announced through His prophet that the days of punishment had come. It was now time for Israel to reap what 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 this, 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 don't imagine Hosea enjoyed being disrespected this way. The people called him a fool and a madman, but it was they who embraced foolishness.
The longer I have walked with the Lord, the less bothered I seem to be when I discover that people 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 is at present. I attribute this change to the Holy Spirit teaching me to value what He values as my faith gradually matures. Maybe you're observing the same exact pattern taking place 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 all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so 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 during the course of His earthly ministry, you may be treated the same way as you live out your faith in the midst of an ungodly culture. Don't let it trouble you. Don't grow discouraged if those who don't yet understand what you've come to understand call you crazy.
Keep your eyes open to what God is trying to show 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 house of his God." - Hosea 9:8
The ministry of a prophet is often misunderstood, both in his time and afterward. It seems to be the contemporary understanding that a prophet is someone the Lord uses to foretell the future, and that's certainly one of the ways the Lord has used those who He call called to a prophet's work. But another task of a prophet that some might argue is their primary task, is to serve as 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 express irritation with the message.
We get the impression from Hosea's words that instead of being loved by the people, they hated him. Instead of being supported, they looked for ways 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 how to trap Jesus into saying something for which he could be arrested." - Matthew 22:15, NLT
As Jesus spoke words of life to the generation in which He ministered, the gospel message was met with the same hostility that we can see taking place in Hosea's time, roughly 750 years earlier. The words of Christ are still met with hostility from those who reject His offer of new life through faith in Him.
Let's not make the mistake of those who came before us. By the grace of God, as the Holy Spirit enables us to do so, let's keep our eyes open to what the Lord is trying to show us so our hearts won't close to His attempt to save us from hopelessness and condemnation.
Walk by the Spirit and avoid this world's corruption.
"They have deeply corrupted themselves as in the days of Gibeah: he will remember their iniquity; he will punish their sins." - Hosea 9:9
As Hosea continued to preach 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 in 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 woman passing through the area so wickedly that the rest of the tribes of Israel rose up against them and nearly wiped 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 people of Hosea's day once again.
One of the easiest things for us to do is to adopt the corruption that is present in our generation. Most people seem to make that decision, at least to some degree. We see an adoption of corruption when we observe what we welcome into our lives (influences, alliances, entertainment choices) and what comes out of our lives (words, actions, dedication of time, worship). But Christ offers us something better than what this world is offering us.
"They promise them freedom, but they themselves are slaves of corruption. For whatever overcomes a person, to that he is enslaved." - 2 Peter 2:19
"For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life." - Galatians 6:8
When we find new life through Jesus, we are immediately indwelled by the Holy Spirit. We are set free from our former slavery to corruption. We are no longer overcome by the sin that once mastered us. We are empowered to reap the blessings of walking with the Spirit as He reminds us of everything Jesus desires us to understand.
Living as a committed follower of Christ in the midst of a corrupt generation or a fallen world can feel like a thankless exercise, particularly as the pressures and priorities of this world mount against us. Hosea knew what this felt like. Jesus certainly knew as well. But as we take up our cross and follow Christ no matter what the cost, please remember it really isn't a thankless exercise. He sees us, He walks with us, and He promises an inheritance in His eternal kingdom that can 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 an online community called Platform Launchers where he helps people build 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 millions of times by listeners throughout the world.
You can learn more about John’s ministry, books, and podcasts at BibleStudyHeadquarters.com.
