Yet I am the LORD your God Ever since the land of Egypt, And you shall know no God but Me; For there is no Savior besides Me. (Hosea 13:4, NKJV)

Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved. (Acts 4:12, NIV)

This is the message for all eternity. We find this same message from the beginning to the end of the Bible. Our prayer is that all of you will come to a saving faith in Jesus Christ, enabling you to live the righteous life He desires for you, which is the message of the Book of Hosea.
 

When Ephraim spoke, trembling, He exalted himself in Israel; But when he offended through Baal worship, he died.  Now they sin more and more, And have made for themselves molded images, Idols of their silver, according to their skill; All of it is the work of craftsmen. They say of them, "Let the men who sacrifice kiss the calves!"  Therefore they shall be like the morning cloud And like the early dew that passes away, Like chaff blown off from a threshing floor And like smoke from a chimney. (Hosea 13:1-3, NKJV)

The people of Israel, like so many of us today, put their day-to-day trust in one of three things: power, circumstances, or material things.

Power is very seductive. The more we get (in terms of position, authority, responsibility, etc) the more we want. Soon the allure leads to other things such as sexual misconduct (a key aspect of the "Baal worship" the Israelites enjoyed). We see politicians and atheletes, as well as us ordinary folks, who fall prey to this temptation. As this verse points out, power abused leads to death and destruction. Someone once said about power "Enjoy it while you can because when you retire, they don't return your phone calls any more!"

So it is with circumstances - people put their trust in circumstances and rise with the good times. They also sink quickly in the bad times and wonder why God doesn't save them. The Bible teaches us that we can be content regardless of circumstances - seek our fulfillment in life by seeking first Jesus' Kingdom and His righteousness.

And the last thing we see is people putting their trust in material things. Material things disappear "like the morning mist".  But only Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever!  Putting Jesus first means putting Him first in ALL areas of our life, not just the Sunday morning time slot.
 

O Israel, return to the LORD your God, For you have stumbled because of your iniquity;  Take words with you, And return to the LORD. Say to Him, "Take away all iniquity; Receive us graciously, For we will offer the sacrifices of our lips.  Assyria shall not save us, We will not ride on horses, Nor will we say anymore to the work of our hands, 'You are our gods.' For in You the fatherless finds mercy." (Hosea 14:1-3, NKJV)

"Take words with you, and return to the LORD" (Hosea 14:2, NKJV) refers to a personal relationship. In the Old Testament and in the New Testament we see that this has always been God's plan - to have a personal relationship with you. Do you feel like you have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ? Chapter 14 explains how to get you relationship right with God, the first time and forever:  recognize the sin which separates you from the Eternal God, repent of your sins (turn away from them and turn to the Lord),  and receive the gracious gift of eternal life in Christ Jesus as your Lord and Savior. Do not just seek to experience God's forgiveness to escape His judgement. The Lord says for you to take action - "Take words with you".
 

Who is wise? Let him understand these things. Who is prudent? Let him know them. For the ways of the LORD are right; The righteous walk in them, But transgressors stumble in them. (Hosea 14:9, NKJV)