Friday Thought -- February 28, 2014

Good Morning Friends,

“The word of the LORD came to Jonah son of Amittai: ‘Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me.’ But Jonah ran away from the LORD and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the LORD.” (Jonah 1:1-3)

Jonah did not like the assignment God gave him. Preaching to the people of Nineveh was not something that he wanted to do. They were enemies of God’s people. Jonah had no desire to see them repent. He wanted to see them destroyed, not saved. And he certainly did not want to be the instrument God used to prolong the life of Nineveh. He probably would have been fine if he had been called to be the instrument of Nineveh’s destruction.

Because he did not want to do what God assigned, Jonah ran away from it. In fact, the Bible says that Jonah didn’t just run away from the assignment, he ran away from the Lord. Somehow he thought he could hide from God. He thought he could go where God would never find him. What a foolish thought!

There are times when God does give one of His children an assignment that is not pleasant. He sometimes gives assignments that we would rather not do. But, as Jonah will find out, it does not pay to try to hide from the Lord. There is no place to hide from Him!

It would have been better for Jonah if he’d trusted the Lord and been obedient to Him from the beginning.

It would be better for us if we would always do that, too!

His, by Grace,

Steve

Thursday Thought -- February 27, 2014

Good Morning Friends,

“Hear this, you who trample the needy and do away with the poor of the land, saying, ‘When will the New Moon be over that we may sell grain, and the Sabbath be ended that we may market wheat?’ -- skimping the measure, boosting the price and cheating with dishonest scales, buying the poor with silver and the needy for a pair of sandals, selling even the sweepings with the wheat. The LORD has sworn by the Pride of Jacob: ‘I will never forget anything they have done.’” (Amos 8:4-7)

The Lord cares about how we do business. Not giving a fair price to your customers. Being dishonest in how you deal with people. Taking advantage of the poor. Providing goods that are inferior. All of these things are sinful -- displeasing to the Lord. God expects every aspect of our lives to reflect His character, even our work lives.

But most of us aren’t small businessmen who can be guilty of the kinds of things with which Amos charged Israel. But even if we work for someone else -- even a large employer -- God expects the way we do business, the way we handle ourselves at our workplace to reflect His character.

The stories you tell at work. The quality of the work you perform. The honesty with which you turn in reports. The language you use. The way you treat your co-workers. The way you do business. All of these should reflect the Lord’s character.

Paul taught, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” (Colossians 3:23-24)

Serve the Lord -- even when you are being paid by someone else. Let your work reflect God’s character.

His, by Grace,

Steve

Wednesday Thought -- February 26, 2014

Good Morning Friends,

“Then Amaziah the priest of Bethel sent a message to Jeroboam king of Israel: ‘Amos is raising a conspiracy against you in the very heart of Israel. The land cannot bear all his words. For this is what Amos is saying: “Jeroboam will die by the sword, and Israel will surely go into exile, away from their native land.”’ Then Amaziah said to Amos, ‘Get out, you seer! Go back to the land of Judah. Earn your bread there and do your prophesying there. Don’t prophesy anymore at Bethel, because this is the king’s sanctuary and the temple of the kingdom.’ Amos answered Amaziah, ‘I was neither a prophet nor a prophet’s son, but I was a shepherd, and I also took care of sycamore-fig trees. But the LORD took me from tending the flock and said to me, “Go, prophesy to my people Israel.”’” (Amos 7:10-15)

The priest, the king, and the people of Israel didn’t want to hear the message that Amos was bringing to them. They were satisfied with their lives. They weren’t interested in changing. They just wanted life to continue as it was. Amos was preaching a message of repentance, and the judgment that awaited if repentance did not come. That was certainly not what they wanted to hear!

The message of God is often something that the people do not want to hear. What people want to hear is that they are doing fine and can continue doing their own thing. But that’s not always God’s message. God’s message is often a message of repentance and the judgment that awaits those who don’t repent.

Those who bring God’s message to people are often opposed. Being a spokesman for God is rarely fun. It often brings great distress and pain. God’s messengers face opposition, ridicule, and sometimes violence against them.

A messenger of God doesn’t choose his assignment or his message. It is given by God. Despite the difficulty, the messenger has to be faithful to what God has called him to do and told him to preach.

Are you willing to be God’s messenger to the people around you, even when it’s a tough assignment?

His, by Grace,

Steve

Tuesday Thought -- February 25, 2014

Good Morning Friends,

“This is what he showed me: The Lord was standing by a wall that had been built true to plumb, with a plumb line in his hand. And the LORD asked me, ‘What do you see, Amos?’ ‘A plumb line,’ I replied. Then the Lord said, ‘Look, I am setting a plumb line among my people Israel; I will spare them no longer.’” (Amos 7:7-8)

Carpenters used to use plumb lines and perhaps some still do. Attach a weight to the end of a string and then put the other end at the top of the wall and let the weight hang down. That’s a way for the carpenter to be sure he gets the wall straight up and down. He doesn’t want the top to tip in or out. It’s also a way to check houses that have already been built to see if its walls are still straight, or if they’ve slipped through the years.

A plumb line is a test to see if things are as they are supposed to be, as they were designed to be.

God has a plumb line, too – a standard He uses to determine if people are the way way He desires them to be.

When God put His standard up against the people of Israel it showed they had slipped from where they had been, from what they had been designed to be. God had formed them. He had designed His people to be pure, different from the rest of the world. But they’d fallen from the standard, they were no longer plumb.

I wonder what God’s plumb line would show about His church today? He formed the church. He designed it to be what He wanted it to be. If He were to put His standard up against the church now would He find that it has slipped through the years?

Or, maybe God should put a plumb line on your life. What would He find there?

His, by Grace,

Steve

Monday Thought -- February 24, 2014

Good Morning Friends,

“I hate, I despise your religious feasts; I cannot stand your assemblies. Even though you bring me burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them. Though you bring choice fellowship offerings, I will have no regard for them. Away with the noise of your songs! I will not listen to the music of your harps. But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!” (Amos 5:21-24)

Empty ceremony without true heart change does not impress God. Israel was careful to follow all of the prescribed rituals and ceremonies, but their hearts were not changed. They celebrated the Lord in feasting. They brought the daily sacrifices that were outlined in the Old Testament. They sang songs of praise. But none of those meant anything to God. They were just empty ritual.

God was looking for changed hearts among the people of Israel. He was looking for the compassionate actions toward others that that kind of heart change would bring – justice. He was looking for the new lifestyle that kind of heart change would bring – righteousness.

God has not changed His attitude toward empty ritual. A person can attend church weekly. He can sing in the choir. He can give tithes and more. He can pray long and loud prayers. But if his heart is not in them and if his heart is not changed, these are but empty rituals, meaningless to the Lord.

It’s how you love Him that matters to God. It’s how you love others that shows you are His disciple. It is how you treat your neighbor that demonstrates a heart commitment to the Lord. It is the righteousness that God is developing in your life that is the true fruit of His Spirit.

It’s not that worship is not important -- it is. But it is important only as it comes from a heart that is being renewed. If our hearts are right then our worship will be pleasing to God.

His, by Grace,

Steve

Friday Thought -- February 21, 2014

Good Morning Friends,

“Therefore this is what I will do to you, Israel, and because I will do this to you, prepare to meet your God, O Israel. He who forms the mountains, creates the wind, and reveals his thoughts to man, he who turns dawn to darkness, and treads the high places of the earth -- the LORD God Almighty is his name.” (Amos 4:12-13)

“Prepare to meet your God.”

That is some good advice. Judgment was coming upon Israel and God warned them to be ready to stand before Him.

It is good advice for us all. After all, “man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment.” (Hebrews 9:27)

Israel should have been considering Who it was that they would be standing before. So should we! He is the One who took nothing and formed the mountains from it. He is the One who turned on the fans that send the wind across the earth -- sometimes blowing gently, sometimes blowing with gale force. He is the One who warns man of judgment and invites man to salvation. He is the One who turns the light switch off and on every day -- and the One who can make the sun stand still. There is no place man can go to hide from Him. Man is destined to stand before the Lord God Almighty and face His judgment.

For those who have not prepared to meet God, “only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God” awaits them.  (Hebrews 10:27)

But Israel was too caught up in day to day living to think about the judgment that was ahead. They were having too much fun to think that it might ever end. That sounds like another people we know about -- and live around!

But life will not always go on like it is today. Judgment is coming. It is a fearful expectation for those who are not prepared.

And there is only one way to prepare. “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 8:1) Thank God that in Christ Jesus not even facing God brings terror. Knowing Christ is the one and only way to prepare to meet your God!

His, by Grace,

Steve

Thursday Thought -- February 20, 2014

Good Morning Friends,

“‘I gave you empty stomachs in every city and lack of bread in every town, yet you have not returned to me,’ declares the LORD. ‘I also withheld rain from you when the harvest was still three months away. I sent rain on one town, but withheld it from another. One field had rain; another had none and dried up. People staggered from town to town for water but did not get enough to drink, yet you have not returned to me,’ declares the LORD. ‘Many times I struck your gardens and vineyards, I struck them with blight and mildew. Locusts devoured your fig and olive trees, yet you have not returned to me,’ declares the LORD. ‘I sent plagues among you as I did to Egypt. I killed your young men with the sword, along with your captured horses. I filled your nostrils with the stench of your camps, yet you have not returned to me,’ declares the LORD. ‘I overthrew some of you as I overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah. You were like a burning stick snatched from the fire, yet you have not returned to me,’ declares the LORD.” (Amos 4:6-11)

Famine. Drought. Disease. Pests. Plagues. War. Disaster.

These were the tools of God to try to bring Israel back to Him. He used them all. He emptied His arsenal of instruments against them in an attempt to wake them up. He tried over and again. He waited patiently for them to respond.

But they did not respond as He wanted them to respond. They did not return to Him. They cried out in their sorrow, but did not repent. They kept on with their empty ceremonies and rituals, but they did not repent of their sins and return to the Lord.

Was Israel stubborn or blind, or both?

Earthquakes. Floods. Tornados. Hurricanes. Fires. Disease. Famine.

God continues to use His arsenal of tools in an attempt to get the people of the world to wake up. He uses them all. It seems as though He is holding nothing back. He is emptying His arsenal. He is waiting patiently.

The world cries out in anguish and sometimes in anger toward God, but they do repent. The world does not return to the Lord.

Is it stubbornness, blindness, or both?

His, by Grace,

Steve

Wednesday Thought -- February 19, 2014

Good Morning Friends,

“Surely the Sovereign LORD does nothing without revealing his plan to his servants the prophets. The lion has roared -- who will not fear? The Sovereign LORD has spoken -- who can but prophesy?” (Amos 3:7-8)

Consider the compassion of the Lord that is shown by the fact that He always warned His people before acting. He certainly didn’t have to. He chose to, because His desire was to see them repent and come back to Him. What God did among His people He always did so they would learn and grow.

Each of the prophets of the Old Testament -- and those of the New, as well -- is a gift from God.

Consider what it would have been like to have been a prophet. It couldn’t have been easy to bring the kind of messages the prophets usually brought. Their messages were rarely pleasant. They were almost always a precursor to the discipline that the Lord was preparing to bring upon His people. The prophets had to be among the most unpopular people around.

Though their task was not easy and it made them unpopular, they had no choice but to bring the message God had given to them. When the Lord revealed His message to them -- when He spoke -- they had no option but to pass on His message.

Sometimes the assignments the Lord gives His people -- even His deeply loved and valued people -- can be very difficult. Thank God that the prophets were willing to be faithful to fulfill the difficult assignments the Lord laid upon them. They were a gift from God.

His, by Grace,

Steve

Tuesday Thought -- February 18, 2014

Good Morning Friends,

“‘I destroyed the Amorite before them, though he was tall as the cedars and strong as the oaks. I destroyed his fruit above and his roots below. I brought you up out of Egypt, and I led you forty years in the desert to give you the land of the Amorites. I also raised up prophets from among your sons and Nazirites from among your young men. Is this not true, people of Israel?’ declares the LORD. But you made the Nazirites drink wine and commanded the prophets not to prophesy.” (Amos 2:9-12)

God did miracles for His people.

It took supernatural power to bring Israel out of their slavery in Egypt. God brought Moses to lead the people, God brought plagues to convince Pharaoh to let them go, God split the Red Sea to provide safety. God did miracles for them.

It took supernatural power to give Israel the land of Canaan. They walked into the land because God split the Jordan River for them. They conquered Jericho because God caused its defensive walls to fall down. God caused the sun to stand still to give them time for victory. Time after time, God did miracles so they could conquer the land.

God sent prophets and leaders to them who were anointed by His Spirit. He gave them His word. He provided righteous direction and correction through them. That God would speak to His people was a miracle.

Yet, Israel forgot God’s miracles. They ignored His supernatural power. They turned away from Him despite all that He had done for them. Now, judgment awaited them, severe discipline from the Lord. If they had only listened to God’s voice and remembered His miracles!

Don’t ever forget that God has done miracles for us, too! Don’t ever forget to listen to what He says.

His, by Grace,

Steve

Monday Thought -- February 17, 2014

Good Morning Friends,

“This is what the LORD says: ‘For three sins of Damascus, even for four, I will not turn back [my wrath].’” (Amos 1:3)

“This is what the LORD says: ‘For three sins of Gaza, even for four, I will not turn back [my wrath].’” (Amos 1:6)

“This is what the LORD says: ‘For three sins of Tyre, even for four, I will not turn back [my wrath].’” (Amos 1:9)

“This is what the LORD says: ‘For three sins of Edom, even for four, I will not turn back [my wrath].’” (Amos 1:11)

“This is what the LORD says: ‘For three sins of Ammon, even for four, I will not turn back [my wrath].’” (Amos 1:13)

“This is what the LORD says: ‘For three sins of Moab, even for four, I will not turn back [my wrath].’” (Amos 2:1)

“This is what the LORD says: ‘For three sins of Judah, even for four, I will not turn back [my wrath].’” (Amos 2:4)

“This is what the LORD says: ‘For three sins of Israel, even for four, I will not turn back [my wrath].’” (Amos 2:6)

Do you get the point?

It’s easy to focus on God’s grace and God is full of grace. He longs to see people come to Him and be saved. He doesn’t want anyone to perish. He wants everyone to be saved. He is patient with people, waiting for them to respond.

But God’s patience will run out. It did for each of the nations Amos mentioned and judgment came upon them. God’s patience will run out for the world, too. Judgment will come upon the world and sin will be fully punished.

Love for God is the primary motivation to get your life right with Him. Love for men is the primary motivation to share the Gospel with them.  ut judgment is a motivation for both, too. Judgment is coming!

His, by Grace,

Steve

Friday Thought -- February 14, 2014

Good Morning Friends,

God uses ordinary people. That’s the thought that struck me as I read the early part of the book of Amos. That book begins --

“The words of Amos, one of the shepherds of Tekoa.” (Amos 1:1)

Amos was just a shepherd. He was going about his task of tending the sheep when the Lord spoke to him. God used this ordinary shepherd to bring His message of warning to the people.

David was a shepherd, too. That’s what he was doing when God called him to face Goliath. Just an ordinary shepherd doing extraordinary things by faith.

Matthew was an accountant. Peter, Andrew, James and John were fishermen. Just ordinary people doing ordinary things when God called them to be His spokesmen.

And God still uses ordinary people. You don’t have to have a theological degree. You don’t have to be ordained. You don’t have to be employed by a church. God uses engineers and accountants and lawyers and doctors and loggers and carpenters and mechanics and nurses and secretaries and all other sorts of ordinary men and women. People doing ordinary things when God calls them to be His spokesmen, His tools to touch the lives of others.

He may call you to a short-term assignment -- just to talk to some person He brings across your path. He may call you to a long-term assignment of one sort or another. Just because we are ordinary doesn’t mean that God won’t use us. The ordinary folks are the folks God has always used -- and will be until He’s done with this world.

His, by Grace,

Steve

Thursday Thought -- February 13, 2014

Good Morning Friends,

“I will gather all nations and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat. There I will enter into judgment against them concerning my inheritance, my people Israel, for they scattered my people among the nations and divided up my land. -- Proclaim this among the nations: Prepare for war! Rouse the warriors! Let all the fighting men draw near and attack. Beat your plowshares into swords and your pruning hooks into spears. Let the weakling say, ‘I am strong!’ Come quickly, all you nations from every side, and assemble there. Bring down your warriors, O LORD! ‘Let the nations be roused; let them advance into the Valley of Jehoshaphat, for there I will sit to judge all the nations on every side. -- ‘Then you will know that I, the LORD your God, dwell in Zion, my holy hill. Jerusalem will be holy; never again will foreigners invade her.’” (Joel 3:2; 9-12; 17)

God used other nations to discipline His people. But even though they were God’s tool of discipline for Israel, their wickedness toward Israel will still not go unpunished. Judgment will come upon the nations who despised and mistreated God’s people.

God is patient and He does not want any to perish. He withholds judgment for years, sometimes for generations, even for millennia. But that does not mean that judgment will never come. As surely as God fulfilled the prophecies concerning the coming of His salvation, He will also fulfill the prophesies concerning the coming of His judgment.

The nations will be brought into the valley of decision. It will be war. But the outcome is

already known. They will be fighting against God and God will certainly prevail. In the end, all will know that God lives and all will know that He reigns.

The people of the world have often abused God’s people -- both Israel and the church. It seems as though God sits idly by allowing His people to suffer. But not so, God is patiently waiting until it is time for judgment. Then justice will prevail. All who have abused His people will be brought before His court of decision and God’s people will be vindicated.

His, by Grace,

Steve

Wednesday Thought -- February 12, 2014

Good Morning Friends,

“Then you will know that I am in Israel, that I am the LORD your God, and that there is no other; never again will my people be shamed. And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days. I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and billows of smoke. The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD. And everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved.” (Joel 2:27-32)

It is probable that Joel lived in Jerusalem in the frantic last days before it fell to the Babylonians. It was a time of judgment upon God’s people. Already God had sent plagues upon the nation in an attempt to bring them to repentance. They had not listened even to His sharp discipline. Even harsher discipline awaited them – they would face years of captivity and oppression.

God was pouring judgment upon His people, but He would not always pour judgment upon them. Joel prophesied of the judgment -- and of a glorious day that would come later. The later day would be a day of the Spirit coming. It would be a day of a new message from God, delivered even through young people, the sons and daughters of the land. But the blessing of the Spirit would not be restricted to the young. Even the old men and old women would feel His touch and respond to His call. Signs and wonders would appear in the sky, a glorious day.

It would be a day of salvation. Not just for those of the right nationality. Everyone would be offered the salvation that Joel was predicting.

And that day has come! Peter quoted Joel’s prophesy in his sermon in Acts 2 and declared that the day of which Joel spoke had come in Jesus Christ. (Acts 2:17) We live in that day. A day of the Spirit. A day of in which God’s new message is going forth through young and old alike. A day of salvation!

Thank God you live in that day!

His, by Grace,

Steve

Tuesday Thought -- February 11, 2014

Good Morning Friends,

“Blow the trumpet in Zion; sound the alarm on my holy hill. Let all who live in the land tremble, for the day of the LORD is coming. It is close at hand -- a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and blackness. Like dawn spreading across the mountains a large and mighty army comes, such as never was of old nor ever will be in ages to come. --- The day of the LORD is great; it is dreadful. Who can endure it? ‘Even now,’ declares the LORD, ‘return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning.’ Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity.” (Joel 2:1-2; 11-13)

The day of the Lord is a day of judgment. God will not always withhold His judgment. His patience will run out. It did on Israel -- and the Assyrians destroyed that nation -- it has never returned.

And the day of the Lord will come upon the entire earth one day. There will come a day when God will call an end to this season of history and usher in eternity.

It will be a day of judgment for those who have rejected God, for those who do not know Him. It will be a dreadful day. It will be a day that cannot be endured. It will be a day of devastation and destruction such as has never been seen before. And it is coming. Just as certain as there is a God, His judgment will come.

But it is not God’s desire to judge. It is not His desire to destroy.

It is God’s desire to forgive. He longs for men to repent. He longs for men to return to Him with sincere hearts. “Rend your heart and not your garments.’ It is not ceremony God seeks – it is sincere hearts that He seeks.

The people around us are in deep trouble. For the most part, they have rejected God. They have turned their backs toward Him. The day of the Lord will come upon them. It’s only a matter of time. Time we have to urge them to repent, to turn back to Him.

His, by Grace,

Steve

Monday Thought -- February 10, 2014

Good Morning Friends,

“Hear this, you elders; listen, all who live in the land. Has anything like this ever happened in your days or in the days of your forefathers? Tell it to your children, and let your children tell it to their children, and their children to the next generation. What the locust swarm has left the great locusts have eaten; what the great locusts have left the young locusts have eaten; what the young locusts have left other locusts have eaten.” (Joel 1:2-4)

Judgment came upon Judah. It was judgment the likes of which had never come upon that nation before. The prophet had a word from God about how to respond to it.

“Wake up, you drunkards, and weep!” (Joel 1:5)

“Mourn like a virgin in sackcloth grieving for the husband of her youth.” (Joel 1:8)

“Declare a holy fast; call a sacred assembly. Summon the elders and all who live in the land to the house of the LORD your God, and cry out to the LORD.” (Joel 1:14)

The people of Israel had been ignoring God and God’s patience with them ran out. God brought judgment upon the nation to wake them up. Repentance was the response God desired and required.

Oh, if they had only listened to God before judgment came. If they had only lived in repentance before God had to use such drastic measures to get their attention.

God will get people’s attention. He cares too much to allow them to continue to ignore Him and His Word. God’s patience will not go on forever.

Judgment awaited the nation of Israel because they ignored God. Judgment awaits any nation that ignores God. Judgment awaits any individual who ignores God.

Judgment came to the northern kingdom of Israel and that nation was destroyed and that nation has never been regathered and rebuilt – only the southern kingdom of Judah survived.

Judgment also came upon Judah and they were sent into captivity … the pain was severe. It was pain they could have avoided if only they had listened to God.

If only America would listen! If only each of us would listen!

His, by Grace,

Steve

Friday Thought -- February 7, 2014

Good Morning Friends,

“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.” (Hosea 14:9)

The Lord is righteous -- perfect. Everything He does can be characterized by the same terms. He does nothing that is wrong. He does nothing that does not reflect character – which is perfect righteousness.

Everything the Lord asks of us also reflects His righteousness. He never asks us to do anything that does not reflect His character – that is not righteous.

That doesn’t mean that what He asks us to do will always be without pain. Surgery is painful, but when it is needed, it is right and good. Some of the things God asks us to do are painful to go through, but lead to results that are needed.

That doesn’t mean that what He asks us to do will always be what we want to do. Often it will not be what we want to do. Children often don’t want to brush their teeth. They don’t want to go to bed at a decent hour. They don’t want to do their homework. But all of those things, and many others, are things that are helpful for them, good for them in the long run, even though they do not want to do them.

We may not understand the value of what the Lord asks us to do. But we can trust that it has value. We can trust that it is right and good. Everything God asks of us is. Everything He asks of us reflects His righteous and perfect character.

His, by Grace,

Steve

Thursday Thought -- February 6, 2014

Good Morning Friends,

“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. Assyria cannot save us; we will not mount war-horses. We will never again say ‘Our gods’ to what our own hands have made, for in you the fatherless find compassion. I will heal their waywardness and love them freely, for my anger has turned away from them.” (Hosea 14:1-4)

The sincere words of your mouth can make a huge impact upon your life.

Jesus taught that the mouth reflects what is in your heart, “For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.” (Matthew 12:34)

Paul told the Romans that the mouth was an essential part of salvation, “That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.” (Romans 10:9-10)

James said that the mouth is the hardest part of the body to control, “We all stumble in many ways. If anyone is never at fault in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to keep his whole body in check.” (James 3:2)

John wrote that confession was a key to forgiveness, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)

“Take words with you and return to the Lord.” That was Hosea’s advice – God’s challenge to His people.

It’s so easy to use our mouths for destructive purposes. Let’s choose to use it for something good!

His, by Grace,

Steve

Wednesday Thought -- February 5, 2014

Good Morning Friends,

“‘How can I give you up, Ephraim? How can I hand you over, Israel? How can I treat you like Admah? How can I make you like Zeboiim? My heart is changed within me; all my compassion is aroused. I will not carry out my fierce anger, nor will I turn and devastate Ephraim. For I am God, and not man -- the Holy One among you. I will not come in wrath. They will follow the LORD; he will roar like a lion. When he roars, his children will come trembling from the west. They will come trembling like birds from Egypt, like doves from Assyria. I will settle them in their homes,’ declares the LORD.” (Hosea 11:8-11)

God never delights in wrath. He is the God of compassion and always longs to forgive those who turn from Him. He patiently waits for His people to come to Him in repentance. Over and over again, Israel had rejected the Lord. Over and over again, the Lord waited patiently for them to come back to Him. He withheld His wrath in the hope that they would turn again to Him.

That doesn’t mean His patience will never run out. It will. It did for Israel. His wrath did eventually come upon Israel. Although, even then it would be devastating punishment not designed to destroy them, but designed to wake the people up and cause them to return to Him.

Look around and see how much people have rejected the Lord. Understand how patient God has been with the people of the world. His wrath has been withheld. His punishment is delayed. He longs for people to return to Him. He will wait generations for it to happen. “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9)

God wants His people to have that same kind of compassion and patience. We know the world is in sad shape because of its sin and its rejection of God. Don’t respond in anger or hatred -- God doesn’t! Respond with patience and a longing to see them return to Him.

His, by Grace,

Steve

Tuesday Thought -- February 4, 2014

Good Morning Friends,

“When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son. But the more I called Israel, the further they went from me. They sacrificed to the Baals and they burned incense to images. It was I who taught Ephraim to walk, taking them by the arms; but they did not realize it was I who healed them. I led them with cords of human kindness, with ties of love; I lifted the yoke from their neck and bent down to feed them. Will they not return to Egypt and will not Assyria rule over them because they refuse to repent?” (Hosea 11:1-5)

God has been so good to Israel throughout its history. He loved them. He taught them. He led them. He healed them. He freed them. He fed them. The blessings God had provided for them couldn’t even be counted.

But Israel had forgotten the blessings God had showered upon them. They did not look back to their past to see how God had helped them. Instead, they focused on the present and looked everywhere but to God for help. If only they studied their history, remembered their past and seen God’s work in it.

What was true of Israel is also true in each of our lives. God has been so good to us throughout our lives. He has loved us, taught us, led us, healed us, freed us, fed us. The blessings God has showered upon our lives can’t even be counted.

And, like Israel, it is easy for us to forget those blessings, especially during a difficult time in the present. And by forgetting the way God has blessed us in the past, we fail to seek God’s help and direction in the present. We look for help from everywhere but God. But He’s the One source of real help.

Study the history of your own life. Count your blessings. And don’t forget the One who has been there to help you.

His, by Grace,

Steve

Monday Thought -- February 3, 2014

Good Morning Friends,

“Sow for yourselves righteousness, reap the fruit of unfailing love, and break up your unplowed ground; for it is time to seek the LORD, until he comes and showers righteousness on you. But you have planted wickedness, you have reaped evil, you have eaten the fruit of deception. Because you have depended on your own strength and on your many warriors.” (Hosea 10:12-13)

Is there unplowed ground in your life? Those are the places in your life in which you will not allow the Lord. They are places that are dry and hard and will not produce fruit for the Lord.

Some people will not allow the Lord into their marriage. They know that Lord will want to change them and the way they relate to their spouse. That seems too painful to think about, so they lock the Lord out of their marriage. They don’t realize that God wants to make their marriage better. There might be pain involved, but not pain designed to hurt, pain designed to move toward something better. If only they would allow the Lord into that part of their lives.

Some people serve the Lord wholeheartedly at home and at church, but will not let Him be a part of their work lives. Work is too much a part of the world. Those people would never understand if you brought the Lord into your work life. There would be changes He would surely make. He might want you to change the way you work. He might want you to change the way you relate to your co-workers, the jokes you laugh at, the comments you make about others. But God wants your work life, too. There is no part of your life that He does not want to be a part of.

Your relationship with your parents. Your relationship with your children. Some past hurt or sin that you lock away not to be disturbed. What you do for entertainment. How you spend your money. There are numberless places that could be unplowed ground in your life. God wants to be a part of each of those places. He wants to show you His righteousness in every part of your life.

Is there unplowed ground in your life?

His, by Grace,

Steve