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Observations from today’s readings and today’s S-WOD, Saturday, 4 November 2023:
Hosea 9:7 — The days of punishment have come; the days of recompense have come; Israel shall know it. The prophet is a fool; the man of the spirit is mad, because of your great iniquity and great hatred.
One pattern in the Bible is when people or nations turn away from God in sin, they eventually lose the spiritual sense to even understand their condition (See Proverbs 4:19); Jesus described these people as having eyes which cannot see and ears which cannot hear. To those without spiritual senses, God’s faithful prophets are considered fools and are rejected while the people turn to false prophets who truly are fools and who encourage them along the path to their destruction.
False prophets often tell everyone what they want to hear; they proclaim ‘peace’ (with God) when there isn’t peace (Jeremiah 6:11, 8:11; Ezekiel 13:10); they claim sin isn’t sin; they make rules that are not from God with the intent of transferring righteousness, glory, honor, and authority from God to people; they muddy the waters of God’s word in order to make room for sin and to promote their own agendas (Ezekiel 34:18-19; Jeremiah 2:13). They are disobedient and do not display the ‘fruit of the spirit.’ (See Galatians 5) False prophets and false congregations consider themselves ‘spiritual’ and have influence over the unfaithful but lack any real spiritual power (2 Timothy 3:1-5).
I wonder what messages were being delivered by talented preachers during Noah’s day right before God flooded the earth. What do you suppose was going on in the ‘churches’ of Sodom and Gomorrah prior to the destruction of those cities? Concerning his Second Coming Jesus warned, “as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.” (Matthew 24:38-39) “Likewise, just as it was in the days of Lot—they were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building, but on the day when Lot went out from Sodom, fire and sulfur rained from heaven and destroyed them all— so will it be on the day when the Son of Man is revealed.” (Luke 17:28-30)
The vast majority will be completely unaware of the reality of the Great Judgment Day when it arrives. Now is a good time to be a ‘fool’ for Christ. “Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.” – Mark Twain
- Matthew 24:44 — Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.
- Matthew 24:30-31 — Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
- 2 Corinthians 5:10 — For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.
Hosea 10:12 – Sow for yourselves righteousness; reap steadfast love; break up your fallow ground, for it is the time to seek the LORD, that he may come and rain righteousness upon you.
From Henry T. Blackaby – “The people of Hosea’s day had become hardened to God’s Word. They had heard it many times before and had grown apathetic to what God required of them. God’s solution was for them to break up the fallow ground of their hearts. They were to allow Him to soften their hardened hearts. When the earth was dry and crusty, the farmer would plow to loosen the soil so it was receptive to the seeds and the rains that would give life to the crop. Likewise, God’s people were to break up the sinful barriers in their lives that prevented God’s Word from penetrating their hearts. Then, said Hosea, God would give life and refresh them by raining down on them in righteousness.
As Christians, we must continually cultivate our hearts and minds so that they are receptive to whatever God tells us. John the Baptist exhorted those around him to prepare for Jesus’ coming. We, too, can remind others to prepare their lives so that God’s righteousness will penetrate and fill their lives. We can urge them to repent when we see sin sinking into their lives. We can share the joy that God’s Word brings us and encourage our friends to seek God’s will also. We can model obedience for our children. We can tell of the blessings that have come to us as a result of our obedience. We can help to break up the fallow ground in the hearts of those around us.”
Hosea admonished God’s people to seek the Lord until His righteousness rained down upon them. We should immediately cultivate our heart whenever it starts to become hardened toward God. If we keep our hearts prepared, we will be ready when God’s Word comes to us.
Psalm 127:2 — It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep.
Psalm 127 is an important Psalm for parents, though its central truth applies to all of life’s endeavors. It starts out with, “Unless the Lord builds the house….” The word house can refer to ‘dynasty’ or family. I have yet to meet a parent who hasn’t at times felt great stress taking care of his or her family or who hasn’t felt simply overwhelmed by the work involved. Psalm 127 is a reminder to trust in the Lord as you labor in fellowship with Him – you don’t labor in vain. (Psalm 127:3) The psalmist is certainly not suggesting we stop working (Proverbs 6:6-11), stop getting up early (Proverbs 31:15; Psalm 119:148), or stop watching over our families late at night (Psalm 119:62); the psalmist is saying don’t do it anxiously, independently, or hopelessly; rather, labor with God, through God, for God, and in mutually supporting relationships with other Christian families. Strive to be a good “steward” (oikonomos) unto God, a word which means keeper or manager of the Master’s house (it’s His house, not yours), and rest easy knowing that God cares for His beloved children, and God, The Creator, The Almighty, The Sovereign, loves your children far more than you possibly can.
If your labors of love feel more like anxious toil, pray that God will give you the peace, rest, and thankfulness which can only come from remaining in His presence while you do the good deeds He has created you for and prepared for you – “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” (Philippians 4:6)
- Exodus 33:14 — And he said, “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”
- Matthew 11:28 — Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
- Matthew 6:25-34 — “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”
- Colossians 3:23-24 — Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.
- Proverbs 16:3 — Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established.
- Philippians 2:14-15 — Do all things without grumbling or questioning, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world….
- Galatians 6:9 — And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.
So many churches and Christians are wearing themselves out pursuing goals God never intended for them to pursue. Too often we decide how we are going to serve God rather than waiting on Him and merely being faithful with the little things He places before us day by day. It is usually pride, fear, and feelings of inadequacy that drive us towards emotional decision-making and pursuit of works of the flesh rather than works of the Spirit which come from the Spirit’s lead. God has given you just enough time and resources in a day to do exactly what He wants you to do without losing your peace and joy. He does not equip you each day to pursue your own goals and ambitions, things He never asked you to do. “The blessing of the Lord makes rich, and he adds no sorrow with it (Proverbs 10:22).” Why wear yourself out and ruin your joy and peace trying to get what God never intended you to have and what God will never allow you to keep? Serve God, rest in Him, receive His blessings which will exceed your expectations, and have peace in life.
Psalm 127:3-5 — Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one’s youth. Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them! He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate.
Children are a blessing from God, a reward from God. Treat them as such.
Proverbs 4:19 – The way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know over what they stumble.
The ungodly cannot even see the error of their ways. The Holy Spirit shows you the truth of yourself from God’s perspective, something indiscernible by human abilities.
Proverbs 4:2 — Do not forsake my teaching.
Many pray, seeking a word and direction from God, special revelation, but they have not taken seriously and to heart the word God has already provided in the Bible, general revelation. Be faithful to what God has already said, and watch God work in your life.
Proverbs 4:7 — The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom.
If you want to be wise, you have to work at it through the disciplines of discipleship. Your daily disciplines reveal what you really want. God does not just drop wisdom into the lap of the half-hearted. However, to cultivate wisdom, you have to plant wisdom, not foolishness – You have to plant God’s word in your mind and heart and remove the weeds of deception which come from the messages of the world, inspired by the devil (See Hosea 10:12). Stop wasting your time listening to people whose ambition isn’t Jesus. To be transformed, you must renew your mind, and to renew your mind you must change your information diet. Remove sinful messages from your mind and fill your mind with God’s word. Replace your complaints with praises, your curses with blessings, your anxiety with anticipation, and when you catch yourself starting to lose your joy, rejoice, or joy again. Listen to Satan’s lies no more.
- Romans 12:2 — Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
- Philippians 4:4-8 — Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.
Proverbs 4:14-15 — Do not enter the path of the wicked, and do not walk in the way of the evil. Avoid it; do not go on it; turn away from it and pass on.
Dedication to God is a complete life change that is as much about what you choose not to do as it is what you choose to do. You will have to walk away from the things everyone else accepts as normal and acceptable — God’s standard for you is much, much higher. God’s word says that all Christians are clergy, priests, and saints, but we don’t act like it.
Proverbs 4:18, 19 — But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, which shines brighter and brighter until full day. The way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know over what they stumble.
Each day, people are going further down that path they have chosen, whether on a journey closer to Jesus or a journey further away, a journey closer to light or a journey closer to darkness, closer to life or closer to death. Those being sanctified shine brighter and brighter until death or Christ’s return. Your last day on earth should be your best day – strive for that.
“Cross” Fit S-WOD (Spiritual Workout of the Day) – 4 November 2023: Rest easy, and strive to be a good “steward” (oikonomos) unto God, a word which means ‘keeper, or manager, of the Master’s house.’
Defenders Bible Reading Plan 