Forgotten Books of the Bible - Hosea - 12

 

'“So you, by the help of your God, return,

hold fast to love and justice, and wait

continually for your God.” ' Hosea 12:6 https://my.bible.com/bible/59/HOS.12.6

I am constantly amazed at how simple God has made it to follow him. What does that tell you?  

HE WANTS YOU!

God has not made a complex formula to spend eternity with him. The formula is SIMPLE. "hold fast to love and justice, and wait continually for your God."

Forgotten Books of the Bible - Hosea 10 - Politics

 

'Then they will say, “We have no king because

we didn’t fear the Lord . But even if we had a

king, what could he do for us anyway?”

They spout empty words and make covenants

they don’t intend to keep. So injustice springs

up among them like poisonous weeds in a

farmer’s field. ' Hosea 10:3-4 https://my.bible.com/bible/116/HOS.10.3-4

Wow! Right in the middle of a little known book of the Bible, we get a passage of scripture about American Politics. We don't have a King, but we could ask the same question about our rulers.

What can they do for us anyway?

I don't care if your democrat, republican, or independent, politicians and our government is overrated. We have given them this ultimate power over us. We rely on them for everything. When the economy is bad, we want them to fix it. When there is war we want them to intervene. When there is injustice we expect them to make things fair. 

In reality, many of our economic woes, wars, and injustices are created by the people we hire to fix them. Until they can find a way to legislate sin out of this world, their power is empty.

I am going to sound naive and simple-minded, but the answer to all the problems in this world is not politics and like Israel found out four thousand years ago, it is not in a ruler or rulers. Our problems, the sin in this world, is created when we separate ourselves from God, or we try to BE GOD. 

That is exactly what Hosea was saying. 

Our trust should not be in the things of this world, our trust is in the Lord. If we bow to him, if we cry out to him, if we worship him and love him, the problems of this life will melt away. 

I know what you're saying. Yes, there will always be troubles. When I say our problems will melt away, I am not saying troubles will not exist. What I am saying is with God on our side, the troubles we face will be here for a short while but we will overcome those trials. When we trust in the Lord our problems will quickly fade away.

 Dependence on God is the key to hope and overcoming the trials of this life. He is greater than anything you could face. Trust in him and not the people, rulers, or solutions of this world.

Dear Heavenly Father, Please forgive us for placing our hope in politicians and the governments of this world. There is nothing they can do for us without complete reliance upon you. Thank you Lord, for giving us real hope, real grace, real mercy, and real love, even when we look in other places for those comforts. We must trust you in all things and follow your will. If we seek to do your will, you will make straight our paths. Amen!

Forgotten Books of the Bible - Hosea - 9 - Love your Pastor!

 

This is one of the priests at the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. While we were waiting to visit the place of Jesus' birth it was great to watch the priests interact with the crowd. They took seriously their jobs, but I could also tell they had the joy of Jesus. 

As I was reading Hosea 9 today, the verses about the prophets made me think about the pastors I have had in my life. 

'The time of Israel’s punishment has come;

the day of payment is here. Soon Israel will

know this all too well. Because of your great

sin and hostility, you say, “The prophets are

crazy and the inspired men are fools!” The

prophet is a watchman over Israel for my

God, yet traps are laid for him wherever he

goes. He faces hostility even in the house of

God. ' Hosea 9:7-8. https://my.bible.com/bible/116/HOS.9.7-8

I have had so many wonderful pastors in my life. Certainly, my dad and my grandfather is at the top of that list. But, there have been many others. One thing I have learned over the past two years at Indiana Wesleyan Seminary, pastors face so many difficult challenges. These challenges have been magnified by COVID. 

Please pray for these men and women. They are watchmen over their community of believers. The enemy has laid traps to trip them up. They have faced hostility from outside the church. The saddest challenge comes when that hostility comes from within the church. 

Please pray for your leaders.  Paul had a great statement  for these wonderful servants:

'Dear brothers and sisters, honor those who
are your leaders in the Lord’s work. They
work hard among you and give you spiritual
guidance. Show them great respect and
wholehearted love because of their work.
And live peacefully with each other. '

1 Thessalonians 5:12-13 https://my.bible.com/bible/116/1TH.5.12-13

And as I was writing this blog, I received my official Ministerial License in the mail. I am licensed while I pursue official ordination. Please Lord, guide me and direct my path in your service!

Forgotten Books of the Bible - Hosea - 8

 

"Israel has built many altars to take away sin, but these very altars became places for sinning! Even though I gave them all my laws, they act as if those laws don't apply to them. The People love to offer sacrifices to me, feasting on the meat, but I do not accept their sacrifices. I will hold my people accountable for their sins, and I will punish them. Hosea 8:11-13

These are some pretty harsh words. Could the Lord say the same to us?  As we build bigger and bigger churches how critical are we about our actions? Is this a message for the church today? 

The Lord has placed on my heart reaching out to those that feel rejected by the church, who feel like outcasts, who feel judged and unwelcome. I see these people at "Biker" events, in drug rehab centers, jails, prisons, homeless shelters, bars, and in economically depressed areas of our cities. I also know that many of the perceptions are inaccurate, but at the same time, they are real. Our churches FEEL like places for perfect people and imperfect people are intimidated by that. Our churches are filled with people that share many of the same issues with these rejected people, but on Sunday morning, very few hint at their brokenness. 

I love the church. It is a big part of my life and has been since my appearance on this earth. But, the church needs to do better. The church not only needs to reach out asking people to come, but we also need to GO OUT and meet people where they are. Walking through the doors of a church can be very intimidating for someone that has lived an entire life away from God. 

The meeting place, the ministry that God has led me to, wants to bridge that gap between church and the lost. PLEASE, if you are one of those people who have never had GOD in your life, let me help you discover who God is. 

I WANT TO HELP YOU! 

I am willing to hold face-to-face or online discovery bible studies with YOU. 

I will meet you anywhere, anytime, to help you figure out who God is. Please contact me if you want to explore who God is, outside the church setting, on your own turf. 

Contact me (rhoadzie@gmail.com) if you want to set up a time to meet. If we meet once and you don't want to continue, I am perfectly ok with that. There is no pressure to join a church. I just want to help you figure out who the God of the Bible really is. 

Forgotten Books of the Bible - Hosea - 7

 

"Its people don't realize that I am watching them. Their sinful deeds are all around them, and I see them all." Hosea 7:2

For those that don't believe in God, this verse means nothing. For those that profess to be followers of Christ, this is a big issue!

Just like Israel in the Old Testament, we do not realize God is watching and if we do know it, we don't act like it. This past week, the focus of my Master's work at IWU  has been accountability. It is such a good idea to have an accountability partner. Yet, God is our ultimate accountability partner. He sees everything. Everything we do, everything we say, and all our thoughts we have are laid bare in front of Jesus. We cannot hide.

How do you think God would react to your life yesterday. 

For my course work, I had to look at a day in my life and reflect on a series of questions (Spiritual Mentoring, Keith R. Anderson & Randy D. Reese). I modified them to fit my life. But, I would highly recommend taking time each day to think about your day through God's eyes. 

These might be questions to ponder just before you lay your head down at night:

In what ways did God reveal himself today?

What questions do I have for God about things that happened?

Was I living "In God's will" or "Out of God's will" today?

Would God respond with joy or sadness as he looked at my day?

What sins do I need to repent?

Would God speak words of consolation, encouragement, or challenge because of my day?

Whom did I encounter today, did my actions reflect Jesus' love?

Where was I anxious and afraid today?

What words did I speak to God today, and how often did I speak to him?

What do I need to change tomorrow?

We are followers of Christ every day and every hour of our lives. Are we acting like we are his? I am sure there are other questions that could be asked. The most important part of our day might be in reflecting on what we did in relation to our faith. God was watching. 

Need prayer? 

I am available for personal Bible Studies, online or in-person. NO CHARGE and at your convenience.

Contact me: rhoadzie @gmail.com