Hosea 12:6 (NIV) “But you must return to your God; maintain love and justice, and wait for your God always.”

The two principles of love and justice are at the very foundation of God’s character. They are also essential values that as Christians we are called to live by, but they are not always easy to keep in balance. Some people are loving to the point that they excuse or overlook wrongdoing. Others are just to the extent that they forget to love or show compassion. Love without justice, because it is not aiming at a higher standard, leaves people in their sins. Justice without love, because it has no heart, drives people away.

Hosea 10:12 (NIV) “Sow for yourselves righteousness, reap the fruit of unfailing love, and break up your unplowed ground; for it is time to seek the Lord, until He comes and showers righteousness on you.”

You can break up the “unplowed ground” of your life by acknowledging your sins and receiving God’s forgiveness, for He is just and full of unfailing love.