DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- KNOWNG GOD

 KNOWING GOD
Hosea 6:3-4
 
"Let us know, let us pursue the knowledge of the LORD. His going forth is established as morning; He will come to us like rain, like the former and latter rain to the earth."
 
There is no greater purpose in life than to know God. His ways are not inscrutable. He is as dependable as the sun coming up in the morning, and the cycles of the seasons. We can know about God through nature. "What may be known of God is manifest [margin: evident] in them. For since the creation of the world, His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead" (Romans 1:19-20). But I don't want to just know about God; I want to know Him in a personal relationship. As Paul cried out, "that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His suffering" (Philippians 3:10). That is worth pursuing.
 
TODAY'S PRINCIPLE: God is known to those who pursue Him.
 
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Have a pursuing day. Love you

DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- HEALING AND LIFE

 HEALING AND LIFE
Hosea 6:1-2
 
"Come, and let us return to the LORD; for He has torn us, but He will heal us; He has stricken, but He will bind us up. After two days He will revive us; on the third day He will raise us up, that we may live in His sight."
 
Hosea's call to Israel: Return to the LORD and be healed. He is the only One who can heal and give life to soul that has been beaten up by sin.   In Hosea's call to repentance we can see in retrospect the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus. He was stricken, smitten, bruised and afflicted by God, not for His own sin but for ours, and by His stripes we are healed (Isaiah 53:4-5). After His suffering, He lay in the grave two days and on the third day, God raised Him to life so that we may live in His presence. Oh, the love and grace God has shown, that I, who have been smitten and bruised by sin, can be healed and live again. What a wonderful Savior.
 
TODAY'S PRINCIPLE: God offers healing and life to the sin-stricken soul.
 
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Enjoy a "bound up" day. Love you.

DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- THE PURPOSE OF AFFLICTION

 THE PURPOSE OF AFFLICTION
Hosea 5:13, 15
 
"When Ephraim saw his sickness, and Judah saw his wound, then Ephraim went to Assyria and sent to King Jareb; yet he cannot cure you, nor heal you of your wound. ... I [God] will return again to My place till they acknowledge their offense. Then they will seek My face; in their affliction they will earnestly seek Me."
 
Chapter 5 is a litany of the offenses of a people who rejected the way of the Lord. They did not turn to the Lord in repentance because they had the spirit of harlotry (vs. 4). And even if they would have sought the Lord, they would not have found Him because He had withdrawn Himself from them because of their treachery (vss. 6-7). Instead of walking in God's way, they "willingly walked by human precept" (vs. 11). The result of their sin was trouble. When they recognized that they were a sick nation, they tried to find cures for their illness in the wrong places. Instead of turning to God for healing, they sought answers from other nations. But they could find no cure because their problem was spiritual, and only God can heal spiritual disease. The purpose of affliction is to cause us to earnestly seek God. God will remain distant until we seek His face in sincerity.
 
TODAY'S PRINCIPLE: God allows trouble so that we will seek Him with an earnest heart.
 
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Have a "seeking God" day. Love you.

DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- STUBBORN

 STUBBORN
Hosea 4:15-17
 
" 'Though you, Israel, play the harlot, let not Judah offend. Do not come up to Gilgal, nor go up to Beth Aven, nor swear an oath saying, "As the LORD lives" – for Israel is like a stubborn calf; now the LORD will let them forage like a lamb in open country. Ephraim is joined to idols. Let him alone.' "
 
The prophet warned Judah to not become like Israel. (Gilgal was a place of wickedness and false worship – Hosea 9:15; 12:11). Israel was stubborn and refused correction, like a calf who refuses to be led. She was like a child who rejects his father's help and says, "I'll know what I'm doing. I can do it myself." So God said, "Let him alone." But Israel would metaphorically wander in a wilderness like a stray lamb, searching for sustenance without a shepherd to lead them into green pastures. God will not force his will on anyone. When I stubbornly reject His way, He says, "Fine. If you want to do it your way, I'll let you." The open country may seem like freedom, but that freedom is not all it is cracked up to be. It ends up a barren, dry, and thirsty place away from God. I need to listen to God's warning to Judah – "Don't be stubborn."
 
TODAY'S PRINCIPLE: When I choose to reject God's way, He will not violate my stubborn will, and He will let me wander in the wilderness.
 
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Have a submissive day.  Love you.

DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- LEADERSHIP

 LEADERSHIP
Hosea 4:13b-14
 
"Therefore your daughters commit harlotry, and your brides commit adultery. I will not punish your daughters when they commit harlotry, nor your brides when they commit adultery; for the men themselves go apart with harlots, and offer sacrifices with a ritual harlot. Therefore people who do not understand will be trampled."
 
In God's great scheme of things, He has ordained that men be the leaders, whether in the family, the church, or the nation. Men are given responsibility to set an example of righteousness. But when they themselves live ungodly, can you expect their followers to do differently? I don't think that this means that the followers who sin in ignorance are absolved of responsibility. They will suffer consequences for sin – "be trampled" – even though they lack of understanding. But the men who lead them into sin will face a stricter judgment. Lord, help me to lead my flock in paths of righteousness.
 
TODAY'S PRINCIPLE: Men are given the awesome responsibility to lead their followers in the paths of righteousness.
 
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Have a leading/following day. Love you.

DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- IT FEELS SO GOOD

 IT FEELS SO GOOD
Hosea 4:13a
 
"They offer sacrifices on the mountain tops and burn incense on the hills, under the oaks, poplars, and terebinths, because their shade is good."
 
God had given Israel the proper way to worship – offering sacrifices in the temple. Israel forsook the temple in favor of worshiping out in nature because the shade was more comfortable. It felt good. I've heard people say that they don't go to church because they worship God in nature – in the mountains or beside some shady stream – because they feel closer to God when they are in His creation. It is dangerous to go by feelings because feelings are deceptive. When God has revealed His will, it is best to do it His way instead of how I feel. Just because I feel good about something does not make it right. The pop song that says, "It can't be wrong when it feels so right," is a myth and a lie. Comfort is not the criterion for making something right. Obedience to God's will is best, whether it feels good or not.
 
TODAY'S PRINCIPLE: Obeying God is not always comfortable, but it is right.
 
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Have a "do it God's way" day, even if you don't feel like it. Love you.

DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- LED ASTRAY

 LED ASTRAY
Hosea 4:12
 
"My people ask counsel from their wooden idols, and their staff [margin: diving rod] informs them. For the spirit of harlotry has caused them to stray, and they have played the harlot against their God."
 
God is not against asking counsel. His word says, "in the multitude of counselors there is safety" (Proverbs 11:14). The problem is not in seeking advice or counsel, but looking for it in the wrong places. Israel was consulting idols (who were mute) and the diving rod (which was demon-inspired, like an ouija board). They were drawn away by the spirit of harlotry which was intercourse with the spirit of this world, and it caused them to stray from God. When I need advice, I need to be sure it is informed by God's word and godly principles or I will be led astray.
 
TODAY'S PRINCIPLE: God has the answers to my problems – not the spirit of this age.
 
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Have a "good counsel" day. Love you.