Today’s post comes to us about ten hours earlier than normal. But, God should always come first in the tasks of a day, so eventually, I hope to push this back another six hours more, like it originally was. It has been already a long and satisfying day, with about three and half hours of church and some lunch following. So, here comes the Bible, which, because my scheduled reading still includes Hosea and an epistle of John, I can already guess is about prostitutes and love. So, where can the lesson we’ve already been taught so much go from here? Read on…
Today’s trip takes us through Hosea 4. Read through the first six verses if you have time (the bible in context is the bible we are intended to have and know), but right now I’ll pick up the story in Hosea 4:7: “The more priests there are, the more they sin against me. They have exchanged the glory of God for the shame of idols.” Here we are at idols again. Complement this passage with 1 Peter 2:9, “But you are… a royal priesthood,” and you hopefully can see the magnitude here. The more “Christians” there are, the more they sin against God. Yes, the more sinners you get together, the more sin there will be. I can grasp that. But the problem is accepting the glorious gift of salvation, and then exchanging God for idol worship. Take the time to be the difference, be a 1 Peter 2 person, so that the priesthood can be a set apart people, who are striving to sin less and be with God more. Or, read the rest of the chapter to find out what happens to those who just keep prostituting themselves to idols.
2 John 8 reads “Watch out that you do not lose what we have worked so hard to achieve. Be diligent so that you receive your full reward.” My point here today is that we are to be diligent with our faith, not just for the reward, but because we have a responsibility to continue the good works started by Jesus and the early church, to love God and people.
I feel like a copycat just posting the bold text in my bible to you, but today’s bold text is really interesting. Psalm 125:1-2 says: “Those who trust in the Lord are as secure as Mount Zion; they will not be defeated but will endure forever. Just as the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds his people, both now and forever.” Keep in mind throughout today and the days to come that, despite the trials and temptations and stresses and situations around you, you are surrounded and secure.
God bless,
-Zachariah