Verse and a Quote

Verse: They are all adulterers; they are like a heated oven whose baker ceases to stir the fire, from the kneading of the dough until it is leavened. (Hosea 7:4)

Quote: "First we make our habits and then our habits make us." Charles C. Noble

As I studied Hosea 7 this morning this verse stuck out to me. In the time that Hosea is writing and saying this to the nation of Israel the people would constantly have to stoke and stir the fire when cooking. This would create the desired heat to cook what ever was in the oven. The verse here speaks of unleavened bread being in the oven. So when Hosea here writes that Israel is a heated oven that does not need to be stirred, what is he talking about?

In Israel's case it was a lack of self discipline, a lack of self control and a total giving in to it's sinful lifestyle. They had so given in to the pleasures of the world that they really needed no temptation at all, they would see something, desire it and whether or not it was right they would give into it. In today's culture we would say, "If it feels good, do it" or as a co-worker of mine so aptly put it, "party like a rock star because you never know when your time is up". This is much like the attitude of the rich fool in Luke 12:13-21.

I believe that many in the church today have given into some of the things of the world and have lost their ability to discern. I see people who attend churches looking for their pastor to be the next great entertainer. I sometimes feel like we are looking for our evangelistic pastors to be like Bob Barker from The Price is Right and say "Come on Down" when there is an alter call. In many ways our churches have turned into that oven that needs no stoking. We live in an entertainment driven culture that has to be entertained or they are bored. I struggle if I see the church that way. If my pastor isn't teaching and the guy up front isn't entertaining me with his sermon, am I bored or am I listening to what God's Word has to say?

I like this mornings quote, because it states that the habits we sow are the habits we reap. If I sow entertainment in my life, I reap entertainment. If I sow sex and pornography in my life, I reap sex and pornography. The question I asked myself this morning is "what am I sowing and am I a fire that needs not stoking?". I also asked myself, "do I exercise self-discipline and self control or do I give into my hearts desire?"

I pray we all would learn fro Israel and the example Hosea gives us here.

Peace!

Verse and a Quote

Verse: “Indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You, But the night shines as the day; The darkness and the light are both alike to You.” (Ps.139:12)

Quote: A man can no more diminish God's glory by refusing to worship Him than a lunatic can put out the sun by scribbling the word, 'darkness' on the walls of his cell. C.S. Lewis

As I saw this verse this morning I couldn't help but think of my life prior to salvation. I felt like I could hide from God. I felt like if I pretended He didn't exist then that made it true. I look back at that time in my life and I almost have to laugh at my ignorance to who God is. I tried to run, I tried to hide and I even tried to use logic to rationalize the fact that He wasn't there, but it didn't work. 

This verse is a scary, but comforting verse at the same time. For the person who is living in sin this quite a frightening thought. To know that God is so big and so great that He can see you in the dark. The amazing thing is that it's not just the physical darkness God sees like day, but he sees the dark recesses of our minds like it was shown with light. God knows our every thought, he knows our every action prior to us acting it out and He knows exactly who we are going to be. The scary part of this verse is that in our sin God sees us. In our sin God knows us. The comforting part in all of this is that even in spite of knowing our sin and in spite of knowing our thoughts and actions defy His holiness, He wants us to draw near to Him. Our comfort comes from the fact that the cross makes us clean in the sight of a Holy God. 

I really like this quote from C.S. Lewis because in many ways it was me prior to salvation. I know that in many ways this me as a believer now when I am caught up in sin. We do think that if we just pretend He is not there then everything will be better. We tend to think that if just don't recognize the holiness of God then He must not be holy. The fact of the matter is God is Holy no matter what we think. God is sovereign no matter what we think and God is God no matter what we think.

Verse and a Quote

Verse : Blessed are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the Lord! Blessed are those who keep his testimonies, who seek him with their whole heart, who also do no wrong, but walk in his ways! You have commanded your precepts to be kept diligently. Oh that my ways may be steadfast in keeping your statutes! Then I shall not be put to shame, having my eyes fixed on all your commandments. I will praise you with an upright heart, when I learn your righteous rules.  I will keep your statutes; do not utterly forsake me! (Psalm 119:1-8)

Quote: "We may be certain that whatever God has made prominent in His Word, He intended to be conspicuous in our lives." Charles H. Spurgeon


I can't help but read today's scripture and feel like that is unattainable. The first thing I asked myself was, "do I seek after Him with my whole heart?". At times I could probably answer with a resounding "yes!" and at times I could probably answer with a whole-hearted and disappointed "no". I know that as a believer I desire to walk i His ways, I desire to know Him and what defines His ways, but I also know that I am a prideful person that desires to praised also. So, then how is it that we obtain this blessing the psalmist lays out for us. How do I obtain the blessing of a person that is righteous and whole-heartedly seeks after God? I believe that verse 6 answers it the best. We are to keep our eyes focused on His commandments. We are to walk in His statutes. So, then my seeking to love God and to pursue Him with my whole heart is directly related to my time in His Word and in prayer. The more I understand who He is and the more time I spend with Him, the more I'll love Him and desire to follow Him with all my heart. I pray that I would we would do just that.


Peace!

Verse and a Quote

Verse: For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing. (James 1:23-25)

Quote: If lips and life do not agree, the testimony will not amount to much. H. A. Ironside

 As I did my devotional this morning this verse came to mind. It was not a random thing, because I have been contemplating it quite a bit lately. I have been looking at my life and wondering does it match the words I speak to friends and family? Do the words I speak match a lifestyle fully given over to the Lord and then is my life the practical application of those words before those same friends and family?

I believe that as believers we struggle daily with the idea that our words must match our walk. I have seen two responses to this in my own life. The first I have seen is the "clam up" response. Instead of changing my walk to match the words I know I just stop saying anything at all so that I have nothing to fail at in my walk. I know that is wrong because that is just an external solution to an internal problem. The second response I have seen is that I live hypocritically before the world. My words and my walk are diametrically opposed to each other. With this I bring shame to the Gospel message and dull the true work at the cross.

I pray always that my walk would exemplify James 1:25, that I would persevere and that I would be a hearer that does act on what I know and hear. I pray that like the Ironside quote above says, that I would have a life and lips that agree. Oh how I pray that I would have that vision in the mirror of a man that sees the reflection of Christ in his life and not the reflection himself.

Peace!

An Edwards Minute

"Resolved, to live with all my might, while I do live."

 As long as I have been reading Jonathon Edwards Resolutions I have to say that this is my favorite. I like it because it is simple, but yet so deep in it's meaning. When I read this I ask myself who am I living for and who is living in me? I believe that when it comes to the word live we must ask those two questions. Our walks as believers are dictated by who lives in us and who we are living for. 

As of late I have been wondering if I live my life with all my might to the glory of God. After all I do claim to be a Christian and I do claim to have the Holy Spirit residing in me. So if this is true then when I pray in the morning, am I praying with all my might. Do I pray in a manner that shows that I am praying to a Holy and Sovereign God? When I do my devotionals in the morning am I studying and learning to the best of my ability? When I live my life each and every day am I doing it with all my might?


I think that there are days when I just sleep walk the day. I don't think one person would realize that a Christian walked by or that I have the strong beliefs I do. I believe that I am not the only Christian that does this too. I think there are many believers that sleep walk Monday through Saturday and then live life to it's Christian fullest on Sundays. There are some that make it through to Wednesdays or Thursdays, but how many of us could actually say that we lived life mightily for the Lord our whole week? I believe that this is what Jonathon Edwards is talking about here. We are to live our life mightily for the Lord while we are alive. We can not look to heaven and say I will have an eternity there to praise and worship Him. We are called to worship and praise Him here and now with our whole minds and bodies. We are to show who is alive in us while we are alive down here. 


What a challenge!

Verse and a Quote

Verse: "O Lord, you have searched me and known me! You know when I sit down and when I rise up;  you discern my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O Lord, you know it altogether.You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high; I cannot attain it." (Psalm 139:1-6)

Quote: My vision of God is dependent upon the condition of my character. My character determines whether or not truth can even be revealed to me." Oswald Chambers

As I read this psalm in conjunction with my morning reading in the Book of Hosea this morning I couldn't help but think about what it means to have an omniscient God. To have a God that is all knowing. It struck me how our culture and some people who claim to be Christian shutter at the thought that our God would use tragedy to bring people to Himself. Reality is, He does. Our God knows when we are happy and when we are sad. He knows when we are in trial and when we are not. He knows our thoughts and our next foot steps. For a believer this is comforting and for and for a unbeliever this is horrifying. 

Some things I thought of in regards to an omniscient God are:

- Because God is Omnipresent he knows all things. When I thought about the fact that God is in all places at the same time and that He is in all of time at the same time, I thought about the fact that He must know about all my comings and goings. Because He is absent from time he knows where I've been and where I am going. That brings me comfort.

- Because God is Omnipotent He is all knowing. When I thought about the fact that God is so powerful that He controls all things, I thought about the fact that He knows all because He controls all. How comforting to know that our sovereign God controls all of time and all the events contained therein. 

- Lastly I though about how because of all of this He deserves my praise. Knowing that I find comfort in a God that knows all, is all powerful and is everywhere at the same time, should drive me to praising Him. So, I left my devotional this morning wondering, do I praise Him enough or even with my whole heart? Can I do that? Things to ponder this morning.

Peace!

Verse and a Quote Day 2

Verse: I will return again to my place, until they acknowledge their guilt and seek my face, and in their distress earnestly seek me.(Hosea 5:15)

Quote: “Pray as though everything depended on God. Work as though everything depended on you.” Augustine



 This morning as I read this verse I couldn't help but think about how far we can get away from God and yet He waits for us to come back to Him. I look at my daily decisions and constantly ask, "was God in that decision?" I look at the things I say and do and ask, "was God glorified in that or was I magnified?" This verse states that God is waiting until Israel acknowledges their guilt before Him. This is the same for us. Much like Israel, a covenant people, believers, also a covenant people, need to acknowledge their guilt before a Holy God and seek His face. 

I know that when I am in trouble it is hard to seek God and to seek His will in that situation. I know that when trials that don't seem to fit our plans or that don't seem fair come our way, it is hard to go to the throne of Grace. Even though it is hard we must do just that, take it all to God. We must ask God to forgive us of our transgressions and to help us endure and grow in the trail He has put before us. We must not look for the easy exit because it is hard. We must seek God's face.


Today, is their unforgiven sin your life? Do you need to seek God and ask for His forgiveness? Are you in a trial that is causing you to question God? How often are you seeking His face?


I pray that you would seek His face and rest in His Grace.


Peace!

Verse and a Quote Day 1

Verse: “Come, let us return to the Lord; for he has torn us, that he may heal us; he has struck us down, and he will bind us up. (Hosea 6:1)


Quote: A "god' whose will is resisted, whose designs are frustrated, whose purpose is checkmated, possesses no title to Deity, and so far from being a fit object of worship, merits nought but contempt. A.W. Pink

I have been thinking lately about why I should blog. What do I have to say that other more qualified theologians and Bible teachers could say better. Then it dawned on me that I could post something I have been doing lately. I have been studying the book of Hosea the past few months and when I get done reading it and studying it I usually look for thinks men in Christian history have said about the particular verse I am reading or about the subject I pull out of the chapter I just got done reading. So starting today and as often as I can I will be posting a key verse in my morning devotional and a quote that caught my eye that I believe fits that verse or my thoughts as I read that verse.

Today I chose Hosea 6:1.We see Hosea heralding the fact that Israel should return to their God. He tells them that just as God has broken them down, He will build them back up. As I read this I couldn't help but think of Isaiah 64:8 and the fact that we are clay in the potters hands. God is constantly molding us into the men and women He desires us to be. So often we make ourselves the potter and make God the clay. We tell god that we don't like the path He has chosen for us. How often have you looked at the path that God has chosen for you and said to yourself, "I like this path because it has less pain and resistance"? How often have you not liked the way God is molding you so you took matters into your own hands? When I get this way, and I wish I could say it was something that I rarely struggle with, I remember Romans 9:21. God is soveriegn over everything, especially my life.

In that vain I saw this quote from A.W. Pink. Why would we chose to worship a god that we can manipulate? Why would we worship a god that we make mold into our beliefs? Seems foolish, huh? Yet so often we do this exact thing. Many people call themselves Christians and yet reject the fact that Jesus died for our sins. Many call themselves Christians and focus only on the attributes of God that jive with their beliefs. So often people claim Christ, but allow sin to reign and not the Holy Spirit within them. Why worship the God we create in our heads? Why worship a God that we make out of metal and trees? I pray that we all would worship the one God that is the potter. I pray that we would believe that the Potter is sovereign and knows what is best for us. I pray that we would allow the Potter to mold us into the men and women He wants us to be. As Hosea 6:1 says, He will heal us and bind our wounds after He has torn us and broken us.

Peace!