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WHERE WAS IT?… Micah 3

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While travelling in Israel a few years back,  we spent a whole week in Jerusalem.  We walked the back streets of one of the most amazing cities in the world, even the steep and slippery slopes of David’s Old City(an area no larger than a few acres).

The Western Wall,  where we prayed many times– this being the last remnant of Herod’s Temple.  Up above was Solomon’s Temple Mount.  Now hardly a trace remains.  It was so thoroughly destroyed by the Babylonians and the Romans that only faint conjecture remains as to its former location.  Can you imagine?  The Temple of the Lord–nothing.

Micah 3:5,12–‘Thus says the Lord…therefore because of you Zion shall be plowed as a field; Jerusalem shall become a heap of ruins, and the mountain of the house a wooded field’.  God’s people told Him to ‘take a hike’.  Leave us alone.  Don’t bother us.

‘Then they will cry to the Lord, but He will not answer them; He will hide His face from them at that time, because they have made their deeds evil'(Micah 3:4).  Warning:  there will come a day when a line has been crossed, where sin has carried our culture and even churches to the very precipice of hell; and they’ll jump in, feet first, smug and self-absorbed. They have decided NOT to follow the Lord.  Period.

There comes a point when the Lord lifts Himself up… and away He goes(Ezekiel 10).  Not His will or desire, but the response to His created beings who have turned their backs on Him one too many times.  His patience has run out.  The Hebrew word for ‘patience’ is literally ‘long of nose’.   Refers to the long journey of human blood from the tip of our toes, all the way to the very end of the nose, symbolizing God’s patience,  lined with arteries and veins of mercy and grace.  However, the blood eventually gets to the tip of the nose.  Time is up.  Opportunities to repent and turn to the Lord have ceased… and the end has come.

Pray for family and friends.  Never stop asking the Lord to bring each one into a saving relationship with Jesus Christ.  Pray for our churches that they would stay and stand true to the Lord and His Word in the Bible in spite of much opposition.  Pray for our country and world.   Pray often. Those of us who have found Him,  know that Jesus will see us through anything, no matter what.

The buildings may be gone.  The footprint of the Temple unknown.  But His presence in us is undeniable.  That’s why we’re called the temple of God–‘…do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you…'(1 Corinthians 6:19).  The Temple has been found–you and me!

Prayer:  Lord,  we love you and worship you now and forever.  In Jesus’ name.  Amen.

TOO MUCH TO ASK?…Jonah

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I know.  You think I’ve made a mistake–asking you to read ALL of the Old Testament book of Jonah.  The book is only 4 chapters with a total of 48 verses.  That’s it!  Too much to ask?  I think not!

I’m amazed at Jonah.  He tries to defy God while being one of the Lord’s chosen prophets.  He should know better.  He should act his part and do his bit.  He’s a prophet of Yahweh.

Eager to serve His Lord?  No, he runs away.  Swallowed…stewing…spit up and out…speaking of God’s coming judgement all over the city of Ninevah.  Then ironically, Jonah is grossly unhappy.  All upset over a dead shade plant when hundreds of thousands of people are hell-bound.  He’d be happy to grease-the-skids to gehenna for each one of those rotten Ninevites.

The story ends there.  No happy ending.  No repentant prophet. But here’s the big question that I have.  How do we know about the details of this story?  No reporters in those days. No combing through someone’s e-mail or Twitter accounts.   Merely humbled Jonah telling us his story.  If it were me, I’d forget all about my lapse of loyalty to the Lord.  Why dredge it up?  What good is it?  Better left unsaid!

Or is it?  I guess not–for the Bible tells of many failed people.  Endings far from flawless.  Certainly in our own day, there are too many of us who don’t live up to our billing as devoted followers of Jesus.   But isn’t that the point?   It’s not about me saving myself or anyone else.  ‘Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith…'(Hebrews 12: 2).

Honest-to-goodness, He’s the only One worth checking out.  Lower your eyes upon any one of us and trouble looms.  Look up to Jesus, and you can see both the forest AND the trees.   It took honest Jonah,  eating humble pie, to tell us his story.    It took guts and courage to admit who he was– what he did and didn’t do.

To me, I think the book of Jonah is his prayer of confession to the Lord.  Seeking forgiveness.  Here’s the challenge for you and me.  To pray that the Holy Spirit will help us to be humble and transparent.  And what should be shared with the Lord alone.  Maybe, we’ll all feel much better, really light and airy, as we open ourselves up to Him, the One who loves us in spite of ourselves.   Agreed?

Prayer:  Lord, thank you for the Bible and your openness.   In His name.  Amen.

NOSE UP IN THE AIR!……Read 1 Corinthians 1: 18-31

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Nose up in the air with pinky held high… due to our elevated status in society!  After all, we’re from Princeton!  I  still cringe at the thought.  Memories of 2 reunions…of college and then graduate school.  A few years apart,  yet light-years separated them, one from another.  I didn’t realize it at the time.  Nothing seemed out-of-the-ordinary.  Not in the least.  It was at Princeton Theological Seminary that my wife and I attended my 25th class reunion.  Not the easiest theological, graduate school to gain admittance to.  I was the first degree graduate from the Moody Bible Institute to be accepted at Princeton.  Nose up in the air with pinky held high!  Princeton is a very prestigious seminary in the United States, having been founded in 1812 as the first theological training school for the Presbyterian Church.  Just a lovely campus,  located in an historic, suburban town in central New Jersey, my home state.  Enjoyed being there as a student.  Very challenging educational environment for the entire 3 years.  Coming back for class reunions…special moments, indeed.  But something was in the air this time.  Was it my nose and little pinky?  Didn’t think so at the time.  For the pervasive feeling at this august gathering was one of prestige and status, preeminence and prominence,  with the phrase ‘we’re from Princeton’ being repeated over and over again.  My wife and I both noticed it.  A sort of mantra.  Parrots everywhere squawking: ‘we’re from Princeton’, ‘we’re from Princeton’ ‘Polly want a…’!  I kept thinking to myself:  ‘well, we know that.  We’re here, in Princeton,  and why must we keep reminding ourselves of the obvious?’  Why, already?   Puffing ourselves up with haughty achievement and one-upmanship of a ‘religious’ nature?  Possibly few others noticed.  Whether anyone else noticed or not, there was a certain scent wafting through the air.  Nose and pinky indeed!  In spite of breathing that rarefied air(!),  I’m grateful for the education I received at Princeton.  For the experience of ‘stretching’ myself in many ways.  Well, that was the seminary class reunion, and I imagine you get the picture!   Three years later we attended my Moody Bible Institute 30th class reunion.  It was great being back in the heart of downtown Chicago, where I loved living and working,  studying and growing in the Lord, whom I so wanted to serve.  3 years of higher education at Moody were preceded by 2 years at Fairleigh Dickinson University in Florham Park, New Jersey, majoring in business administration, for a total of 5 years earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in Pastoral Studies, Greek Emphasis.  Back in Chicago, at the college reunion, there were no ‘parrots’, no talk of ‘we’re from Moody’!  Those of us from the class of 1970 gathered in a distant classroom arranging our chairs in a large circle.  Starting far from where I was seated,  the sharing began.  The theme was what the Lord was doing in our lives–not where we were from,  but whose we are…and what it’s like to serve Him.  Seated at a far corner of that circle,  I had time to think about what I would share that day.  A moment of relief was quickly followed by panic circling around.  No idea what I would say, what was even worth mentioning.   I felt like I was experiencing midlife hot flashes!  It was so warm in that classroom… in early February, in Chicago?  As the sharing went around the room,  it was amazing what the Lord had been, and was still doing,  in the lives of these Moody grad’s, my fellow classmates and old friends.   But now the circle was closing in on me.  I just knew that I had to tell some joke or funny story about our time at Moody for I had little else to share of what Jesus had been doing in my life since.  Sadly, not much to brag about that day.  But wait a cotton-pickin’ moment–  I was from Princeton!  Didn’t seem to matter in that place, with those people.  Not at all.  My nose felt like it was no longer high in the air but had been rubbed in the dirt.  I was so embarrassed.  No one noticed or said anything about it.  My wife didn’t know what I was going through inside, in my soul.  A pained, inner wrestling.  Ever felt that way?  Could it have been ‘the conviction of the Holy Spirit’?  It was for me.  No doubt about it.  I may have been from Princeton but this was from the Holy Spirit of God Himself!  Felt terrible.  If I could only have disappeared.  Lying didn’t seem like a good option, either.  What do you do when God puts a mirror in front of your face and says, ‘take a good gander, why don’t you?’  What can you do?  What should you do?  That was the beginning of a turning point in my spiritual life. Time to take a good honest look at myself.   Not just a look, however.  A time to turn my life over to the One whom I loved and, somewhere way-down-deep-within, still wanted to serve.  To begin with– stop playing games, wasting time and opportunity, making excuses flying-by-the-seat-of-my-pants with nose high and pinky in the air.  Paul talks about this in 1 Corinthians chapter 1.  About being mature in Christ.  Moving from fleshly folly to God’s power.  From the foolish wisdom of this world… to Christ, the wisdom of God.  From status to service.  From academic prestige to the power of God, even in weak vessels like you and me.  Weak?  Oh yes, for none of this happens overnight or with a snap-of-the-fingers.  Maturity takes time.   Time to boast?  Not really.  Time to appreciate all that the Lord has done in our lives.  Yes,  with more determination than ever to live for Him.  Time to boast?  Nose and pinky high in the air?  No, as the Apostle Paul says,  who quotes the Old Testament prophet Jeremiah, ‘…as it is written, Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord’!  Sounds good to me.  Sounds real good to Him!

Prayer:  Lord, you are so precious to us.  We lift high your name.  The name above all names.  We bow before you in worship and praise…today and forever.  In Jesus’ name.  Amen.

Update on last post!

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Sorry, I goofed on the recent post.  I pressed the ‘publish’ button while still revising the latest blog!  And both my wife and I can’t figure out how to revise it and send it out as a completed piece.  Trying to get it right has proven to be a big frustration but next time I’ll be more careful… maybe!  Computer a huge help in editing but a big pain when, on its own!!!, it messes up!  So, here’s the revisions.   In the upper third of the piece ‘So, thanks Him’ should be…you know, you know!  Correct it yourself!  And here’s the complete ending–‘…someone useful for Him and others.  Don’t glorify the negative in life.  Glorify Him who can turn lemons into you-know-what!  Ah, lemonade…on a hot day, so soothing and refreshing.  Like all those blessings from the Lord.   Thank Him over and over again–today, tomorrow…and don’t stop there!’  (stop here)

 

First time this has happened, so pretty good, I’d say.  Hopefully never again…but no guarantees for sure!  Thanks for reading and allowing me into your life through this blog of mine dedicated to the Lord.  It’s good to reflect on Him out of the time He gives us in this life.  Reflectionsoutoftime.wordpress.com–why not tell someone else about it?  Thanks again…John

ARE YOU SPOILED ROTTEN?…1 Corinthians 3: 21-23, 4: 6-8

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Are you spoiled rotten?  I am!  We have so many things.  Before we moved to a brand-new home,  we spent years getting rid of this-and-that.  Not just our own, but boxes and boxes of our kid’s stuff that they didn’t want either.  My old set of pipes(gave up smoking, praise the Lord, many decades ago!)were tossed out,  sofas and tables given a second lease on life through Habitat for Humanity.  Clothes had shrunk due to humidity(!), given to the Gospel Mission in town.

So much stuff.  Spoiled rotten.  Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 3: 21-22 that ‘…all things are yours…all are yours…’  Now he’s not referring to what we found in the crawl spaces of our attic that we had forgotten about!  No, he’s referring to all those blessings from the Lord.  All freely given to us…none deserved.

Examples?  Saving us from the consequences of our sins.  All forgiven through the blood of Jesus Christ, Him alone.  Doing for us what we could never do for ourselves.  For the food we eat.  Where we live.  You name it, a blessing from the Lord.

But what about the disappointing and hurtful times in our lives, you ask?  Those also!   A friend mentioned that the stroke she had years ago, was a blessing from the Lord as it removed the stress of letting go of her old job.  Now she can be herself. The smile on her face was contagious.   A blessing.  Even a debilitating stroke.

I have a real heart for children’s ministry.  I love kids.  I have such fun with them…and maybe why my grandkids all call me ‘silly papa’!  This tug toward children, I think,  comes from my polio experience at the age of two and all that entailed for one so young.

My loss…a child’s gain.  I wouldn’t have it any other way.  This was God’s path,  preparing me for my calling in His service.  Was polio good?  No, of course not.  Did God work it together along with other experiences in my life for His good as He said He would in Romans 8:28?  What do you think?  Of your experiences?

I’m not sure that I would be sensitive to the frailties in others if I had skated through life blemish-free.   Polio…divorce…losing a church…not fun or good in themselves, but in the Master’s hands?  His creation of used-up clay and dust made into something useful for Him… and others.  Don’t glorify the negative in life.  Glorify Him who can turn lemons into you-know-what!  Ah, lemonade…on a hot day, so soothing and refreshing.  Like all those blessings from the Lord.  Thank Him– today… tomorrow.  Don’t stop then!

Prayer:  Thank you Lord for everything.  All things from your giving hands for good.  In Jesus’ name.  Amen.

FOUR DON’TS AND ONE DO!… Mark 13: 3-13

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Guess what made attending Board meetings at our church so special for me?   Our church organist would bring a dozen or so of the most mouth-watering, gooey, sugar-filled and extra gluten(!) donuts.  Was it rude to go back for seconds?  I was shamed into it, month-by-month.  Board members dragging me back for that bear claw, always against my will!! Also, brought an extra donut home for my wife,  being the dutiful husband!  She actually got to eat it.  Take my word for it…please!  Donut you believe me?

Back to the Bible– we need to heed the ‘Four don’ts’ and ‘One do’ that Jesus shares with His disciples.  These are His insights about the end times.  He urges four inner attitudes along with one encouragement.  Four Don’ts and One Do!

Are you ready?  After all, that’s the point.  Be prepared!   Jesus says in verse 5–‘see that no one leads you astray’.  In other words,  don’t be gullible.  Because someone sounds or looks good–could be a ‘red flag’.   Trying to lead you astray.  Feeding you a line.  Flattering you.  Antidote?  Good medicine out there?   The more you know the Bible, the less gullible you’ll be.  That’s true.  Try it!

Verse 7 says–‘do not be alarmed’.  Alarms may sound… but no panic for the child of God. We know who’s in charge.  Who’s on 1st, 2nd, and 3rd base!  After all, the Bible has warned us about all these troubles ahead.  Nothing new really.

Verse 9 tells us to ‘be on your guard’.   Guard your life.  Build a guard tower.   Watch what you watch.  What you look at. ‘Good fences make good neighbors’… keeping out the destructive from your spiritual and emotional ‘garden’.

Verse 11 refers to times of persecution.  Jesus says–‘do not be anxious beforehand…’ Don’t anticipate tomorrow’s worries today.  Today’s troubles are enough.  More than enough most of the time.  Don’t worry?  Easier said than done, I know.  I’ve got to work on this myself.  Not only this one,  but ALL the ‘don’ts’  in these verses.  I feel like I’ve just begun.

But God’s not done with me… or you!  Wait a minute, what about that ‘1 do’?  That’s found in verse 13–‘the one who endures to the end will be saved’.  Hang in there.  Be faithful to the end.  When you fall down,  ‘do’ get right back up…with Jesus’ help.  He calls us to endure. Be faithful to Him.  Stand your ground…for Jesus!  Don’t be thrown off course.  Dig in your heels.  Don’t budge.  You get the point?  Four don’ts and One do!  The end result?  Ending well!   He saves the very best for last… for those of us with lasting faith!

Prayer:  Help us, Lord,  to look to you and to always stand with you in the ups and downs of this life.  In Jesus’ name.   Amen.

NO MORE STRANGERS… Joel 3: 9-21

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Years ago,  my wife and I took a glorious world cruise along with hundreds of total strangers.  Didn’t know a soul.  That didn’t last very long.  We made some really good friendships on this three and a half month journey at sea.  Friends we still keep in touch with.  Like Jack and Maggie from way-down-under in Australia!  Very first people we met  at the ‘Sail-Away’ party from Sydney Harbor as we plied the waters past the famed Opera House.  These strangers became friends.  But more than that,  we discovered that they too knew our Lord Jesus.  More than friends, they were family.  Not strangers… a brother and sister in the Lord.

The prophet Joel talks about end times.  No more strangers then…where the Lord dwells.   Joel 3: 17–‘…the Lord your God, who dwells in Zion…and strangers shall never again pass through it.’   The Hebrew word for ‘dwell’ is ‘shakan’, to permanently reside, to lie down and rest.  God promises not to be a temporary guest, like a stranger in our midst.  He sinks His roots way down deep with His people.  I had a favorite elderly client when I was a financial planner for a large investment firm.  She and her husband were both believers, which was like icing-on-the-cake(and I love icing and cake!!).   When the topic came up about moving to a retirement home, she objected saying ‘no, my roots are way down right here’.  Reading Joel 3: 17,  I thought of this older woman.  Like her wish and determination, God stays very close to us.  He dwells with us.  His roots… deep.

What about that word ‘stranger’?  Possibly your translation says ‘foreigner’?   Joel says that none will be present in God’s dwelling.  What’s wrong with including the stranger?  Had not I been a stranger that the Lord welcomed into His family?  I looked up that Hebrew word.  It’s ‘zoor’, which does mean stranger but with a pronounced rough-and-ragged edge.

Means a stranger to godliness, someone who commits adultery, a profane person.  Not necessarily someone unknown, but one pigheadedly and utterly resistant to following the ways of the Lord.  Willful, dogged, hell-bent… strangers to Him.  This is their own decision and choice.    This makes much more sense to me.

In Heaven, with God dwelling in the center, we’ll have no more struggles with our own sin… or that of anyone else’s.  No more political parties, with their spin, posturing and power-grabbing, will be allowed in Heaven.  The Marriage Supper of the Lamb( Revelation 19: 6-9) will be celebrated like no party we’ve ever had here in this crazy world!  I told you there was real good news found in these verses from that unfamiliar prophet.  Now will you believe me?!  Wait a minute…forget about me, believe the Lord!  That’s much better!  Amen?

Prayer:  Lord, we thank you for making us family in your Son Jesus Christ.  Amen.

LOCKED DOORS AND CLOSED WINDOWS?…Mark 11: 1-19

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While attending college in Chicago,  I enrolled in a speed-reading class.  Pricey… but I worked two jobs to pay for it.   Never a fast reader, thought this might be beneficial.  It was.  I still read using my index finger, as we were taught to, which moves my ‘lazyish’ eyes quickly along.  Let me assure you that I do not speed-read the Bible!

Tempted, though,  when I get to a very familiar passage.   Like Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday.  Preached this story many times over the years.  Today was my time to read this story once again.   Came to Mark 11: 11 where I was stopped in my tracks.  Jesus has heard the cheers of the crowd that day–‘Hosanna’ and ‘Hallelujah’!

The Bible says that Jesus goes ‘into the temple…and when He had looked around at everything, as it was already late, He went out to Bethany with the twelve'(Mark 11:11).  He’s in the temple…seemingly all alone.  Jesus looks around…at everything.  Misses nothing.  Is that a sad tear we see rolling down His cheek?   Is He noting where His parents took Him to be dedicated with blessings offered by Simeon  and Anna?  How about all those times, teaching in the temple,  amidst the controversies?  Is Jesus shaking His head as He sees all those tables used to exchange money?   Should this not be a place of worship and prayer?

The Bible says that He looks everywhere, in every nook and cranny, behind every pillar and post.  He looks…everywhere.  When I read that, it just floored me.

Let’s bring this to today.  Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 3: 16–‘do you not know that you are God’s temple…?’  I am?   First, we welcome Jesus into our lives.  He comes to stay.   As Jesus walks around our ‘temple’,  what does He see?   Things I’d rather hide?  ‘No, not there…’!  Do you have some windows you just don’t want Him to open?  Some locked doors keeping Him out?  ‘Look here, Jesus… but no, not there’.

What does He see?  No doubt He’ll be looking everywhere, checking out everything.  We may hope to keep things from God, but we can’t.  He walks around seeing everything.  We may think that all those secret sins can be kept from God.  But they can’t.  He walks around seeing everything.

These ‘idols’ in our lives need to go.  You know what I’m talking about.  So do I.   Pornography?  Drugs or alcohol?  No.  We feel smug that none of those have us in their dirty grip.  No?  Well, what about gossip?  Or worry?  How about trying to control others through all kinds of subtle, or not-so-subtle,  manipulation and lies?  You know exactly what I’m talking about.  Let them go. The Lord wants to help.  Let Him!  Open doors…and windows!  That fresh air will sure feel awesome!

Prayer:  Lord, show us what needs to change and then help us.  In Jesus’ name.  Amen.

WATCH OUT! YOUR BED IS ON FIRE!…Mark 4: 21-25

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You better watch out.  No, Santa Claus is not coming to town!  Your bed is on fire!  What?   Jesus said that.  Name-dropper!   He spoke clearly about the light that enters our lives, when we come to know Him as our Lord and Savior.  I don’t remember the exact day.  What I do know is that, at a certain moment, I became a child of God.  Jesus says here in Mark chapter 4 that when you have light from a candle, you don’t put it under your bed. That’s dangerous.  Your bed could catch on fire!

A friend gave me a 2000 year old oil lamp from Jerusalem.  It’s a tiny,  baked clay lamp with a small opening where oil could be poured in.  Then you would insert a wick,  so that when lit it would give light to a one-room house.  ‘This little light of mine’ can do the trick.  But the lamp must be put up on something.  You can now see with that tiny lamp.  Scary places cease to be scary.  Like the Bible which lights our paths as a lamp for our footsteps( Psalm 119: 105).  ‘Let it shine.  Let it shine.  Let it shine’.

But do we?  I think mine goes under the bed too much of the time.  Afraid of what others may think of me, instead of wondering what God thinks.   Whose opinion do I care more about?

Recently my wife and I went hiking at Mt Rainier.  It was a gorgeous day.  Not much snow that winter,  so we could hike quite a few miles without tripping, falling and sliding  as we’ve done before!  Bluest of blue skies on this day.  Early summer wildflowers in full bloom.  When we got as high as we were going to hike( shy of the summit!! Very shy…!), we were sitting on a log looking over at Mt Adams and Mt St Helens, when two young men came over and started visiting.  They were travelling from the UK.  We compared notes as my wife and I had spent two months in England that fall.  Nice conversations.  Finally, I couldn’t help myself.   I had to grab my lamp from under the bed!  Had to comment on the cross one of them was wearing, and recommended that they both start reading the New Testament to find out about Jesus.   My bed was NOT on fire!  The mountain didn’t blow its top.  Actually those 2 young men seemed quite interested in what I had recommended!  Felt good to let…Jesus shine!  Let Him shine!

You don’t have to go climb a mountain or do something really weird.  Pray…and ask the Lord to bring people your way to share some of the light of Jesus with them.  Watch… keep alert…and let your light shine…!

Prayer:  Lord, we want to share you with others.  In Jesus’ name.  Amen.

SURE SOUNDS LIKE THE MORNING NEWSPAPER…. Hosea 4: 1-8

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Reading Hosea, I imagined I was reading today’s newspaper!  That current.  That insightful.  I live in a land where freedom is prized.  Founded on waves of religious freedom.  We, who are evangelical Christians, now feel that the wave has become a tsunami heading our way forcing us to run for the hills.  I remember a professor at the Moody Bible Institute talking about the difference between students today and those during my time.  He said it was the lack of Bible knowledge of today’s students.  He was talking about Bible college students.  Except for me, the ‘cream of the cream’ of Christian young people were accepted into the Moody Bible Institute.    Most were from fine Christian families, who should know the Bible.  This professor said that was not the case.  If THEY don’t know the Bible…!

Hosea 4:1–‘…There is no faithfulness or steadfast love and no knowledge of God in the land’.   Hosea is part of what’s called ‘the Minor Prophets’,  due to the brevity of the book.  His message, however,  is major.  ‘… no knowledge of God in the land’.

Not only is there no knowledge of God and the Bible, but it’s a willful rejection of God’s truth. Their results  will not be good–‘My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; because you have rejected knowledge…’  Hosea’s primary focus is on the religious establishment, Israel’s priests.  Today in ‘mainline’ churches,  many espouse universalism, which teaches that all will be saved.  None ever lost.   Doesn’t really matter what you believe as long as you believe in something.  Many pastors, in the towns where you live,  would nod their heads ‘yes’.  Not mainline… but out-of-line.

Hosea rails against the religious establishment–‘Yet let no one contend, and let none accuse, for with you is my contention, O priest.’  When denominations and pastors turn their backs on the revealed Word of God,  literally all hell breaks loose.  Morality and ethics slide down a slippery slope into the muck and mire of seething sin–‘there is swearing, lying, murder, stealing, and committing adultery; they break all bounds, and bloodshed follows bloodshed'(Hosea 4: 2).

Where have we gotten lost?  Verse 6– ‘…since you have forgotten the law of your God…’  Sin multiplies when God’s Word is ignored and rejected.  Pastors only talking about current events, latest trends in society,  and ‘how to’ messages.

Why not teach the truth of the Bible?  Hosea– ‘they feed on the sin of my people; they are greedy for their iniquity'(v. 8).  People repenting, turning to God disturb and disgust those subsumed in their own sin.

Hosea sure sounds like the morning newspaper to me.  For believers in Jesus Christ the Evening Edition of the ‘Good News Gazette’ is filled with wonderful and affirming stories!  For those who choose a different path, one of sin and rebellion, their Evening Edition will be cancelled, their subscription has run out.

Prayer:  Lord, we pray for revival wherever we are living.  In Jesus’ name.  Amen.