Repent O'Israel : Hosea 5-9

It is amazing continuing to read through Hosea. What a book for modern times. Not only have we committed adultery through our lives with God (thank you Battle Buddy Craig for that one), but we have a hard time not separating ourselves from our continued paths of destruction.

In this reading, God is speaking to Israel about their blindness to their actions and reveals their hearts position, their idols, their "moon festivals". God is planning a wake up call....

Hosea 5:4 ...."A spirit of prostitution is in their heart; they do not acknowledge the Lord".

I know in my life, I have had times where I was idoling money or fast cars, or focused on bad girls, sex, drinking ,etc....blind to the love of God....not acknowledging him for who he is...OUR MAKER.....

Hosea 5:14 - 15 ...."I will tear them into pieces and go away; I will carry them off, with no one to rescue them"......"Then I will go back to my place until they admit their guilt; And they will seek my face in their misery they will earnestly seek me"

Repent!!!

God's grace is everlasting...he promises he will not leave us...he will allow or even craft things in our lives to make us stumble, or "tear us into pieces"....but he will Love us...and Grow us...if we seek his face...and Repent. This is important to note.....

What have you and I repented for lately....do we need to add a bumper sticker to our cars.........

" GOT REPENTANCE ?"

Hosea 1 - 4

Favorite Verses

Hosea 1:2; 

the Lord said to him, "Go, take to yourself an adulturous wife and children of unfaithfulness, because the land is guilty of the vilest adultery in departing from the Lord".

Hosea 2:16;

"In that day," declares the Lord,

    "you will call me 'my husband';

     you will no longer call me 'my master"

Hosea 2:19;

I will betroth you to me forever....

...in love and compassion

Hosea 4:4-5;

"But let no man bring a charge,

   let no man accuse another,

for your people are like those

  who bring charges against a priest.

You stumble day and night,

  and the prophets stumble with you.

I felt like this was a scene from 'Pretty Woman'.  I mean, really, how hard would it be to marry a woman who was known as an adulterer?  Would she do it again, most likely, but God spoke!  So Hosea takes this woman, knowing full well that she was a high risk.  But God wanted to show how he was going to love his people, and wanted Hosea to live it.  How hard!  But God also commanded Hosea to reconcile with his wife after she lay with another man.  

Sometimes we see couples divorce because of adultery, infrequently, you see some Christian couples stay together.  I personally wasn't mature to understand this........but now I get it......Sure SIN has ramifications, and a marriage would be shattered...but could it be reconciled...of course...but not on the two partners strength...but that of the Lord.  With God, as we see in these verses....We are all SINFUL, and we need to lessen the JUDGING and look for the Truth and Grace (Love and Compassion).  Understanding full well, a spouse cheating is not an easy thing to get through, but PRAISE GOD, MARRIAGES can be RESTORED.

Personally, I have always told myself I couldn't forgive my wife if she cheated on me.  With God in the marriage it is possible for people to forgive each other through all SINS....it's not easy....but it is possible.

Interesting and Taboo'd topic, but I am glad that God puts everything in his book!

Dec 8th thru 12th Bible Reading Plan

This week, we are in the fantastic book of Hosea:

Monday Dec 8th Hosea 1-4

Tuesday Dec 9th Hosea 5-9

Wed Dec 10th Hosea 10-14

Thurs Dec 11th Joel 1-3

Friday  Dec 12th Amos 1-4

Have a great week!

Been Gone A Long Time....

Ok - After a long Thanksgiving Holiday, I am back.  I am over being sick, and after going to The Singing Christmas Tree at Keller Auditorium....I am "Inspired".....

Time to get back into the groove.  This last week, we had an awesome God filled couples care group, we discussed Daniel...and man....it was great.  I am not going to catch up with Daniel in the blog, but if anyone wants to add to it, please feel free too.

This week.....HOSEA!  Praise God for the the KIDTROPOLIS kids and their choir performance at Church today!

Standing In Awe - What Can We Say!!

I was so overwhelmed by the magnitude and detail in Ezekiel 1.  How can one imagine the magnificent creatures described in the vision Ezekiel saw.  God and his Angels.  Jesus at the Throne.  A Rainbow significantly representing Gods covenant.  I wanted to paint this, what would it look like to you? Awesome.  

God will speak to us, when we stand ready to do what he commands us.  He will work in us through the Holy Spirit.  I don't ask God to fill me with the Holy Spirit enough.  I want to please God, but is my will hardened at times...do I really want the Holy Spirit to transform the way I work with coworkers, with my wife, with my children.....I mean...does that mean I dont have free will when I invite the Holy Spirit in?  What would a day look like constantly allowing God to work through us...to change us...to alter the world, our relationships, to set aside selfishness and wants/desires of worldly things.  

Dont get me wrong, God wants us to enjoy life, and the beauty around us.  Its just he wants to be with us, within us, part of us.......Let me ask you this, will you commit to including him in your life?  

Ezekiel 3:1 " And he said to me, Son of man, eat what is before you, eat this scroll; then go and speak to the house of Israel. So I opened my mouth, and he gave me the scroll to eat"

...."So I ate it, and it tasted as sweet as honey".

Prayer: Lord, I am amazed by the visions that Ezekiel witnessed.  Lord, I cant imagine the intangible.  I am so thankful that I beleive in you and have faith.  I praise you.  I lift you up.  I want the Holy Spirit alongside my meetings at work.  I am a sinner, and I repent Lord of my bitterness towards some people in my life.  Please help me grow and mature.  Again, I give thanks to your plan in my life, and know that you are indeed Holy and good, growing my spirituality and disciplining me when necessary.  You are my Father.   I yearn for your scrolls (passages in the Bible) to taste as sweet as honey and I become more fervent than ever for your word.

This Weeks Bible Reading Plan

Mon Nov 10, Ezekiel 1-4
Tues Nov 11, Ezekiel 5-9
Wed Nov 12, Ezekiel 10-13
Thu Nov 13, Ezekiel 14-16
Frid Nov 14, Ezekiel 17-19

Have A Great Week!!!

Cant Forget Lamentations!!!

I was a little behind this last week.  It was a long week with a drained body.  A cold hit me hard and lasted Thursday through Sunday night.  Even as I type now, I am coughing...but encouraged that if I get to bed by 11pm tonight,  I will have a near 7.5 hrs of sleep! Hallelujah!

First, I am very excited to say, my wife and I have been married 4 years! What a blessing! 

Lamentations is interesting.  I don't know the whole picture, but we are roughly reading passages written in 586 BC.   My favorite verses:

Lamentation 3:25 " The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him"

Lamentation 3:27 " It is good for a man to bear the yoke while he is young"

Lamentation 3:39 " Why should any living man complain when punished for his sins"

I read a comment on a CNN post the other day about Christians and something to do with the California Prop 8 passage, and how Christians/Mormons (the Mormon church funded $20Million in ads,etc) should be ashamed of themselves.  A blogger wrote "How can you be for this, it prevents gay couples from being married"...another blogger wrote "one word...BIBLE",  well that previous blogger wrote back "  $%#^ (it was actually a bad word) the bible...it is worthless trash....etc etc etc".....

I was shocked....sad...and I saw more comments from many more bloggers also proclaiming their hate for Christians and the Bible.

My friends, it is going to become more difficult to live as a Christian in this country.  We are going to be targetted and we will be tested.  We must have faith and hope that our God has a marvelous plan.  We must seek him.  One of these verses also reminded me how important it is as a father to be the spiritual leader in the home and instill the proper love for Christ in my children.  Am I doing that?  

PRAISE: Thank you Lord for such a beautiful loving and God seeking WIFE! I am so happy to be married to Suzi.....She is the cheese to my macaroni...(I took that line from the movie Juno).

PRAYER: I pray that parenting time with Ethan increase.  Erika (Ethans mom) has been adamant that Ethan not spend more time with us.  It has been 3 years since we last increased time, and we have asked her many times to go to mediation, counseling, etc.  She basically told me that I need to talk to my lawyer if I wanted any more time.  I pray that the Lord will help soften Erika's heart and see the yearning of Ethan to spend more time with his brother and with his Dad (me).  I also pray that God can help me be patient and still shine the light during conflict and disagreement.

Jeremiah 30

Wow.  There is so much I can talk about in Jeremiah 30.  The words of the Lord are very strong and are caring.  He goes from talking about how he will save those who are his servants to talking about bringing down the hammer on those who sin without caring.  The talk about saving people from bonds is very fitting considering what has gone on this week.  Although I understand that the death of my grandfather was something that was sort of going to happen, it still feels like there is this cloud hanging over me.  With this being the first death in the family that I can remember, it's also very sobering.  Nothing like death to put things in perspective.  The second half of this section seems to be a wake up call.  Not to say that I am sinning in a flagrant manner, but there are some aspects of my life that I think I have let too much of the world in and not enough God.  My time is one area to work on. Giving it freely to God.  I think I have it down in the area of service, but I think times of meditation and quiet would really help me grow deeper in my relationship with God.

Ben

Strayed, Repented, Disciplined, Rebuilt

It is interesting to fathom a little piece of God's plan. We are individually part of the great plan, the novel that has zillions of chapters and plots and scenes. Can we really fathom it. No, not really, but we do know from scripture and God's promises that he will not give us too much to handle, and we all are sinners. We stray, we repent, we are disciplined...and we are rebuilt. We are loved by an awesome God.

Jer 31:3 "..I have loved you with an everlasting love ;
I have drawn you with loving-kindness.
I will build you up again and you will be rebuilt, O virgin Israel"

Jer 31:18 " ..You disciplined me like an unruly calf, and I have been disciplined
Restore me, and I will return because you are the Lord my God,
After I strayed, I repented....."

God continues to love us, despite our inadequacies...despite our pitfalls. Yes there are consequences to our actions....it isnt groundhog day with a lollipop everyday - a reward....there generally is a ramification to our sin, a learning (that is what we are supposed to get from it), but we dont always learn......we sometimes just refuse to "get it".

Prayer: "God, please allow me to get it. Forgive me for my sins and shortcomings. Please strengthen my patience and quick response...allow peace and lessen my aingst in situations. Amen.".

Halloween Week Bible Reading Plan

October 27, 2008 Monday Jeremiah 32 - 33
October 28, 2008 Tuesday Jeremiah 34 - 37
October 29, 2008 Wednesday Jeremiah 38 - 42
October 30, 2008 Thursday Jeremiah 43 - 47
October 31, 2008 Friday Jeremiah 48

Jeremiah's Obedience

Imagine being Jeremiah during this time. He was prophesying to the people of Israel, but not to a people who embraced what God was speaking through him. He was delivering truth and great news of despair and wrath. He was not a popular person, and it was incredibly difficult to deliver God's words to the people. I bet he felt alone, outcast, and not liked. Although God was speaking directly to him, socially I bet he was discarded. He was not in favor of the people, and when he brought the clay jar and smashed it to pieces to illustrate God's prophesy of breaking the people....man....could you imagine how nervous you would of been.

God asks each one of us to step out in faith and obedience to live his commands and spread his truth. He doesnt want us to feel ashamed when confronting brothers and sisters of the great evils that they may be involved in. Courage. Jeremiah's complaint (Jer 20:7) sums up his worldy status:

"O'Lord you deceived me and I was deceived,
you overpowered me and prevailed,
I am ridiculed all day long,
everyone mocks me.
Whenever I speak, I cry out
proclaiming violence and destruction"

Prayer: Lord, use me for your glory. I ask that you continue to transform my life and the lives around me for your plans. In times of despair I ask that I continue to praise you, and that your holy spirit lives inside of me...strengthening me for your glory. Amen.

This Weeks Bible Reading Plan

October 20, 2008 Monday Jeremiah 17 - 19

October 21, 2008 Tuesday Jeremiah 20 - 22

October 22, 2008 Wednesday Jeremiah 23 - 25

October 23, 2008 Thursday Jeremiah 26 - 29

October 24, 2008Friday Jeremiah 30 - 31

Skirts Pulled Over Our Heads - Ashamed?

Jeremiah 11-13

The prophet Jeremiah was questioning God in not yet taking action against the people of Israel. 

Jer 12:2-3..."You are always on their lips but far from their hearts; Yet you know me O Lord; you see me and test my thoughts about you".  

Do you ever question God regarding our enemies in our lives? I know when I encounter difficult people who put God in the backseat and are sinning flagrantly, using the Lords name daily, but living empty hearts for him...I often ask "Please Lord...do something!".  Recently, I have wondered...can we declare enemies, as the old testament refers to them?  Or do we need to simply turn the cheek and pray to God that I will get through the situation, etc. Can I ask God to squash my enemies.  It is an interesting topic, however, as of any hardship we cant be certain that enemy wasnt in our life because God planned it to be? Nonetheless...it is clear that our actions, whether public or hidden behind the seens are ALL SEEN by God, and we cannot run away from that fact.  

Jeremiah 13:26 : "I will pull up your skirts over your face 

that your shame may be seen

Your adulteries and lustful neighings,

your shameless prostitution!........How long will you be unclean?".

Prayer: Lord, please forgive me for some temptations today.  I looked too intently at some girls today at work, and I watched a music video on YouTube that was luring and sexy.  It is not a healthy direction to go in, because I know Satan will try to grow a small seed.  Although this is not as serious as pornography, etc, it can be a start as many men get lured into unhealthy addictions to sexual stuff.  Lord, I also praise you for taking away a thorn of mine in regards to sex with my wife.  I didnt really need sex daily, and nor should I of ever demanded of established frequencies, etc.  With your patience, love, and teachings...I can honestly, publicly say that I do not think of that sexual need daily....it was such a burden and I was carrying that around and creating tension in my early days of our marriage.  Thank you.  Amen.

Sin and Punishment

I think the bottom line in Jeremiah 8, is "What prompted Israel to turn away from God?".  People became to worldly, selfish, and driven to idols rather than focusing on the Lord.  Even worse, they seemed to proclaim that they are wise and have the law of the Lord.  But, they ultimately were rejecting God through their deceit, sins, and idolatry.  It was scary to read on in Jeremiah 9:4 "Beware of your friends; do not trust your brothers, for every brother is a deceiver and every friend a slanderer.  Friend deceives friend and no one speaks the truth".  What a sad place to be in (sometimes we can all relate in events through our lives), and the people displaced God from their hearts, minds, and the worldly desires dominated.  Do we have such troubles during our time...we sure do.  I have had my moments of lamenting on money, or too busy with work, or gone to a party and was a drunkard.  It is so easy to become of the world, and not the heavenly.  How can we avoid such lures.  We can focus on God's truth - the Bible, we can start a blog to keep our reading and journaling documented and accountable, we can pray throughout the day (its a great reminder to focus on what's really important), we can have contact with our battle buddies and care group members, etc.  I guess what I am trying to state is that we all need to individually find the correct habits or tools to build that relationship with God in such a busy and changing world.  We need to each find our balance and remember the priorities of God, Spouse, Family (including children), Work...etc.... It's being disciplined spiritually.  God will punish, and that punishment maybe harsh or it may be missing out on the peace of God's love and relationship while we are on this planet!

An excellent you tube skit to watch is the following.  I was shedding a little water if you know what I mean., it was emotional.

Lifehouse ' Everything' Skit

Prayer: God, please give me the discipline to develop spiritual habits that help build the kind of relationship with you while on Earth.  You have brought me so far these last 4 years.. and I am a changed man....Thank you. Amen.

PS.  I am listening to Bringing Up Boys by James Dobson, good stuff!  Work was great today, lots to do.  Craig and I met this morning for Bible Study and I must say the Battle Buddies are back in action...Wed AM this winter!

This Is Your Life

I listened to Switchfoot's "This is your life" today...

Are you who you want to be?  Am I living an upright life...in all areas of my life?  Am I oblivious to the sins I carry.  Do I repent of these sins, do I invite God into my heart, or is it hardened?  Do I refuse to repent, have I been struck with by God..have I felt pain.  Disturbing as it may sound and as much as we dont want to admit, God does inflict situations for correction.

Jeremiah 5:3: "Lord, do not your eyes look for truth? 

You struck them, but they felt no pain;

you crushed them, but they refused correction"

Jeremiah 5:15 " O house of Israel, I am bringing a distant nation against you -- " 

I can think of many times throughout my life, I have wondered in retrospect, was that "event" because of random acts and others decisions OR did God just step in and throw the zinger? Does God do that.  This soul believes he does.  I have needed correction in my life.  I am NOT UPRIGHT, PERFECT, OR THE PUREST.  I praise God for his corrections in my life, and because I mature (God not giving too much, just enough that I can handle - yes - he knows this...) I can know that he loves me and I am learning something.  I am not saying God goes around hurting everyone as like a game, but he is our father....and like a good father, discipline is necessary at times.  Israel experienced this.

Today - Looking at today, is the USA a western Israel...are we being corrected?  Hasnt America, being blessed beyond any other nation in the world, living a life of pride, swearing falsely, idolizing our own idols, lustful, greedy, selfish....I feel that this nation is falling to a similar level to a people that Jeremiah witnessed.  Isnt that scary? The question is in this life of ours, are we trying to live like Jeremiah despite what is around us...with good hearts?

My Prayer: Lord, please correct me with your mercy and grace when I am fallen.  May I repent of my sins and not let the burdens of this worldly life overcome me and harden my heart.  AMEN.

Please Pray For: - My relationship with my ex-wife to be better and that our communication and alignment be improved.  I pray for a Godly man in her life.  I also pray for Gods touch of her heart to realize that Ethan is yearning for more time with his father (me) and Jacob.  I also pray for Ethans continued calmness and peace with the situation and that I can answer his questions with wisdom and in a loving manner (not hurting his mother or saying bad things against her).   

Praise God!

Jeremiah - Prophet Videos on YOU TUBE

Check out the videos on YouTube (10 of them) for a Jeremiah Prophet of God series.  FYI.  Going to read Jer 5-7 now... :)

I Surrender

As I began this post, I realized that a good start would be with some worship music. So, while I was preparing to read Jeremiah 3,4 for tomorrow, I opened with "I Surrender". Todays sermon at Sunset was really uplifting. It was helpful for me to turn over my issues and sins to God. By nailing the little piece of black paper (Pastor Ron said I needed two pieces, funny...how did he know?) on the cross... I felt the burdens lifted. Some of my favorite passages from tomorrow's/todays reading plan:

Jer 3:12 "Return, faithless Israel...I will frown on you no longer..."

Jer 3:13 "Only acknowledge your guilt - you have rebelled against the Lord your God"

Jer 3:22 "Return,faithless people; I will cure you of backsliding"

Jer 4:4 "Circumsize yourselves to the Lord, circumsize your hearts"

This Christian ride is a roller coaster. For me, I have had ups and downs...times where I rely on God, and times where...nah, Jason can take over now..."God, hang out in the copilot seat and watch how its done". Really...I ignore God at times. How I repent of this Lord! It is hard to keep yourself on track day after day, year after year. But God loves us and he yearns for our hearts. We must remind ourselves throughout many different ways, that God accepts us, broken and all. He will cure us! He desires our hearts to be split from the worldly things that distract us from our relationship with him.

My prayer: "Lord, please forgive me of putting you behind the many things that I make priority. I ask for your mercy and accept a heart that does desire you and truly yearns for a stronger relationship with you. Help me return to you O'Lord, faithfully....consistently....passionately. Amen."

Oct 13-Oct 17 Reading Plan (KickOff)

Oct 13th Jeremiah 3,4

Oct 14th Jeremiah 5-7

Oct 15th Jeremiah 8-10

Oct 16th Jeremiah 11-13

Oct 17th Jeremiah 14-16