WHIRLWIND
Today’s Reading: Hosea 7-8
Click scripture link to read online or HERE to listen online (then click the symbol of the audio speaker above the scripture portion).
A field on the north shore of the Sea of Galilee is ready for harvest. Galilee is over 600 feet below Sea Level with a bowl-like topography. Strong south-west winds are drawn into this 5 mile by 8 mile rift in the earth’s surface and can create strong whirlwinds which destroy the crops, and as we read in the Gospels, turn the peaceful seascape we see here into violent storms.
GOOGLE MAPS – To see where the photo was taken, click HERE.
Key Verses: Hosea 7:2 and 8:7a
They do not consider in their hearts that I remember all their wickedness; now their own deeds have surrounded them; they are before my face…They sow the wind, and reap the whirlwind.
Five times in today’s reading we see the name of the largest tribe in Israel, Ephraim. Ephraim was farthest away geographically from the Temple in Jerusalem, and it seems that they were also furthest away from God during the time of Hosea’s ministry. Ephraim represents all ten northern tribes of Israel. To try to communicate to them their need to repent, Hosea uses word pictures like “band of robbers,” “an oven neglected by a sleeping baker,” “a silly dove caught in a net,” and farmers who “sow to the wind and reap a whirlwind.” In the first verse of our reading, God speaks through Hosea and says, “I would have healed Israel!” God is “not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (read 2 Peter 3:9-11). But just like Hosea preaching in his day that “Israel has forgotten his Maker!” (Hosea 8:14a), God also wants to bring us close to Himself and not reject us, but our sin and our foolish pride create a wall between God and us that stops reconciliation. Jesus broke down that wall for all who repent of their sins and trust in Him. Through another prophet, the Lord says of a future time, “I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more” (Jeremiah 31:34b).
PRAYER FOR TODAY:
Lord God, I repent of my sin. I pray with the man whose prayer has become so well known, “God be merciful to me, a sinner!” (Luke 18:13). By Your forgiveness You erase my sin from Your records. According to Your promise, You don’t even remember my past sin. Thank You!!! I ask for Your grace for this new day so that I will be kept pure in thought, word and deed. I ask this through the only One who had no need to repent, the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen!!!
100 PERSONAL WORDS:
We have a 21st century Jeremiah (Johnston) who says,
“In an age of acute Biblical illiteracy, the vision of the Christian Thinkers Society is to lead the vanguard of a new movement that will have a notable impact on the shape of contemporary Christianity by providing the essential training to transform and enrich believers, Christian leaders, and Pastors who will be characterized by a thinking faith, capable to communicate confidently, and committed to escape the tendency to offer trite answers to a sceptical world.”
I’m asking my blog readers to pray for Jeremiah and share Jeremiah’s vision with others. Check out his website HERE. I like Jeremiah’s slogan, “Teaching Christians to Become Thinkers, and Thinkers to Become Christians”…and a big “AMEN” to that!!!
Yours for a greater understanding of the heart and mind of our “Maker!”
David
Praying David’s prayer with all fervency and deepest thankfulness for His great love, grace and mercy for us. For Nan, this morning. May your anxiety be washed away as you sink into the reassurance of His Words: Proverbs 12:25 Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs him down, but a good word makes him glad. 1 Peter 5:7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. Philippians 4:6-7 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. We all do that, this morning, our Heavenly Father. We cry out to you with our requests in trust and faith. His blanket of love be upon you, today, fellow saints. Amen.
So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
1 Corinthians 13:13 ESV
Peace Be Still (Lyrics) ~ The Belonging Co ft. Lauren Daigle
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VBzg4B3_yS8
Amen!
Thank you for the scriptures, Beverlee. I will meditate on them.
God bless.
God bless you and keep you, dear Nan!
We should strive always to live in a state-of-repentance and pray for grace to do so and we should learn to forgive ourselves,as we do others,once we have genuinely repented.
Nan,I pray you are feeling stronger.Here is Dr Stanley’s message on fear.God bless
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-kn-3RwKzs
Forgive Myself
Does God ever make mistakes,
Does He regret where He has led
When each step His child takes
Dries up the blood His Son has shed.
Now I fear I am now lost,
When I try to do what is right,
For mistakes are the cost
But it’s His blood that wins my fight.
So forgive myself I must,
For,if not,then in vain He died
And I would yield His trust,
Then they could say my Savoir lied.
So get back upon your feet
And know Satan is a liar
Cast down in his defeat
To burn ever in hell fire.
No,God never makes mistakes,
But His ways are above our own,
So know,each child He makes
Is of the holy seed He’s sown.
(G.W.)Bill Marshall/23,June,2016
Amen
Great message from Dr. Charles Stanley, Bill. Amen.
Thank you Beverlee for your kind words yesterday! Trust the Word is strengthening you Nan. Proverbs 3:5-6 is another good promise for anxiety. Keep safe saints. may God’s will be done in our family and the world. Amen!
God bless you and keep you, sister Ger!
“How Great Thou Art”
O Lord, my God, when I in awesome wonder
Consider all the worlds Thy Hands have made
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder
Thy power throughout the universe displayed
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee
How great Thou art, how great Thou art
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee
How great Thou art, how great Thou art!
And when I think of God, His Son not sparing
Sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in
That on the Cross, my burden gladly bearing
He bled and died to take away my sin
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee
How great Thou art, how great Thou art
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee
How great Thou art, how great Thou art!
When Christ shall come with shout of acclamation
And take me home, what joy shall fill my heart!
Then I shall bow in humble adoration
And then proclaim, “My God, how great Thou art!”
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee
How great Thou art, how great Thou art
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee
How great Thou art, how great Thou art!
Writer: Stuart K. Hine
Divine, Rob!
Although Hosea is not so nice to read, for me, it is a wonderful story of redeeming love, amazing redeeming love. It reaches to my lowest hells. It is a picture of God’s redeeming love: to Gomer. by Hosea, and God’s love to “whosoever”, that included me, in the redeeming love of God, by,Jesus’s death on the cross. It was costly and is a most precious gift to me, to accept or reject: May I daily accept to walk with Him.
A thought about faith, hope and love. For me love, is the greatest, as it is eternal, that is it always was, is now and ever shall be. God, in love created mankind, in love redeemed mankind, and has a forever loving place with Him, for mankind.
Beautiful sentiment, sister Irene! I love your words and wisdom! I agree that love, overall, is the greatest but faith is the basis which love stands on and hope is the breathing of love and holding onto of the faith. Of all three, one clings to the other and none can be without each of the same.
Hello precious prayer partners! Thank you all so much for praying for me, this whole situation with the corona virus is unsettling; you can’t even go outside, I do go a walk around the neighbourhood BUT no talking,no touching,it is tough…….today I had an experience, I met a gal who has lived in town for about 4 years; she walks alot, I bought her and I coffees; we sat in the car for 2 hours and I thanked the Lord for that time because that is what I needed…..but the
rules say we are to be 6 feet apart and here we were in the car, 1 foot apart…….I found God’s humour so delightful….
please pray for her, Mathy, is homeless for 4 years, has lived in the bush in her tent and she is a very hardy person; she can’t find a place that allows dogs and she has 2 dogs, they are emotional dogs for her; they were there when she quite the drugs;drinking, smoking; so………………….as usual I found that I received plenty from her, through the Grace of God;
we pray Mathy will find a place this week and that the place will be an EXCELLENT AREA for the dogs; I pray that the dogs would be good guard dogs where ever they end up living…blessings to all, I am going to post another prayer
TY Lord for the good talk today with Mathy; Lord please speak to the hearts of my children; I love them all; I pray for them daily; Lord help me to forgive them; I am not going to have any one speak to me in an abusive manner; Lord You have been looking after them for years; let them know that I love them; I pray for them daily;
Lord thank You for the e mail from Alberta and my home town no less; that is from you as I do not know the person who sent the e mail but she knows me and knew that I went to the Lutheran church in Alberta, Thank you Lord, that also was You;
Lord bless my neighbours; thank You for the car; You know about the room at the back; I pray You Lord will send me the right person to rent the room; it is a room,bath, own entrance;clean,quiet;must eat meals out,has micro wave;cable,own entrance;own bathroom; Lord I ask for Your help in this area;
the rent money will go directly on the loan,
Lord bless the people in my area; help me to be a blessing to them all;
Thank You Lord for Pastor Jef; bless the church leaders in Canada; give them grace,wisdom,good health;a new And right spirit within them; amen amen amen