Listen! Listen! / An Original Work / December 20, 2011
Weep and wail o’er your sins, children.
God is calling out to you:
Be ye honest; tell the truth,
And it will set you free.
Harken to Him calling you to
Bow on bended knee today.
Don’t delay to let Him in,
And He’ll cleanse your hearts;
Pure within.
Sinners, won’t you listen to Him
Calling out to you today?
He died so that you would be free
Of your sins always.
Turn from your sin. Turn to Jesus.
Obey Him in ev’ry way.
He wants to set you free of
All your guilt,
For which He did pay.
Listen! Listen!
Don’t close your hearts
To His voice speaking to you.
He will give you all of His peace,
If your hearts be true.
He longs for you to come to Him
Humbly now and repentant.
Obey all of His commandments.
Live with Him eternally.
http://youtu.be/OWdvnBm2U-k
Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening. I read Hosea 11:12-14:9 (NIV 1984).
Surrounded with Lies
Israel (Ephraim) surrounded God and his house with lies and deceit. Judah was unruly against God. Ephraim fed on the wind; he pursued “the east wind all day” and multiplied “lies and violence.” Evidently this symbolized Israel’s futile foreign policy. Yet, I see another possible meaning. Jesus Christ, via his Holy Spirit, gave spiritual gifts and ministries to the church to prepare God’s people for works of service, so the body of Christ might grow and mature in Christ. This is so “we will no longer be infants” (spiritually speaking), tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming.”
The Lord gave me a picture this morning of a pirate ship with the false gospel (gospel-lite) at the helm. And, much of today’s church here in America is inside this pirate ship, i.e. they have been taken captive by this false gospel and are being led along by this strong east wind (false teaching; eastern religions). This gospel-lite conforms to the norms of society and hides the truth of the gospel, or at least it hides half of the truth, and we know a half-truth is a lie. This false gospel does not “slay the sinner,” as A.W. Tozer so eloquently stated it. It entertains him. It leaves out repentance (turning from sin) and obedience to Christ from the gospel, and it tells people that all they have to do is “believe,” though this is not really explained. As well, it tells them that God is pleased with them no matter what they do. Any serious student of scripture can see from reading the New Testament from beginning to end that through and through it teaches repentance and obedience to Christ as synonymous with faith – the faith that is a gift from God and is necessary for salvation.
But you must return to your God;
maintain love and justice,
and wait for your God always (Hos. 12:6).
No God but Me
When Ephraim spoke, men trembled;
he was exalted in Israel.
But he became guilty of Baal worship and died.
Now they sin more and more;
they make idols for themselves… (Hos. 13:1-2a).
“But I am the LORD your God,
who brought you out of Egypt.
You shall acknowledge no God but me,
no Savior except me” (Hos. 13:4)
God cared for Israel in the desert. When he fed them, they were satisfied, yet when they were satisfied, they became proud, and they forgot God. Isn’t that typical of human nature? When things are going well, it is easy to get caught up in our own lives and daily activities and to forget about God, or at least for Jesus Christ to become a whole lot less significant in level of importance and priority in our lives. Yet, when things begin to fall apart, and life hands us some lumps of coal, we remember God. Israel was the same way. God knows this about us, which is why he allows us to go through difficulties – sometimes just to mature us, and other times to get us back on the right path. He is our shepherd, and he will use his rod and his staff to lead his sheep, even if it means sometimes to give us more than just a gentle nudge in order to get us back on track.
The people of Samaria must bear their guilt,
because they have rebelled against their God… (Hos. 13:16).
Take Words with You
Return, O Israel, to the LORD your God.
Your sins have been your downfall!
Take words with you
and return to the LORD.
Say to him:
“Forgive all our sins
and receive us graciously,
that we may offer the fruit of our lips (Hos. 14:1-2).
Israel was to return to her God, because her sins had been her downfall. Logic alone says that returning to God thus requires she turn away from the sin that had overtaken her. The words, thus, that she was to take with her were words of repentance (godly sorrow and turning away from sin). And, they were words of humility, asking for God’s favor once again. As a result of God’s forgiveness and restored blessings, God’s people would then offer the fruit of their lips – praise and thanksgiving to God. These words they were to bring with them were also words of acknowledgement that man could not save them, but only God could be their Savior. They had to give up their man-made idols and their “other gods”, which might include fame, fortune, entertainment, prestige, the approval of man, etc. for us today. They had to acknowledge and honor God as their only source of salvation. And, they had to turn from their sins. And, this is true of us today, as well. If we have wandered away from our pure devotion to God, our only Savior and Lord, we need to return via repentance.
God said he would then heal their waywardness and he would love them freely. He still loves us when we are wayward, yet that love relationship between us and our Lord is hindered when we hold sin in our hearts, and when we follow after other gods to serve them, and when we ignore God in favor of our own selfish lifestyles. God does not block his love – we do when we shut him out of our lives. So, when we come to him in repentance and we acknowledge our sin before him, that opens the fellowship back up between us so that God is able to love us freely, without hindrance by our own walls we erect via sin and rebellion. Once we acknowledge and turn from our sin, that reopens that love relationship to flow freely between us and our Lord Jesus; between us and our God. We will experience his blessings flowing into and out through our lives. Our prayers will find answers. And, we will sense God’s love, care and protection in our lives once again. God has nothing to do with idols. He wants to be our only God, and for our fruitfulness to come from him alone.
Who is wise? He will realize these things.
Who is discerning? He will understand them.
The ways of the LORD are right;
the righteous walk in them,
but the rebellious stumble in them (Hos. 14:9).
Your Word / An Original Work / December 27, 2011
Based off Psalm 119
Praise You with an upright heart as
I learn of Your righteousness.
I seek You with all my heart;
Do not let me stray from Your law.
I have hidd’n Your word in my heart
That I might not sin against You.
Open my eyes that I may see
Wonderful things in Your word.
I am a stranger on earth.
I have chosen the way of truth;
My heart is set on Your word.
I will walk about in freedom,
For I have sought out Your truth.
Teach me knowledge and good judgment,
For I believe in Your law.
Your hands made me, and they formed me;
Give me understanding, Lord.
I put my hope in Your word.
Your word is a lamp to my feet
And a light unto my path.
You are my shield and my refuge;
In Your word I put my hope.
My heart trembles at Your word, Lord.
May my lips o’erflow with praise.
May my tongue sing of Your truth, Lord.
Your salvation, Lord, long I.
Your word, Lord, is my delight.
http://youtu.be/PoekdVclmGM
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