Pay day came for Israel and the cost was very high. They were captured and taken into captivity by a ruthless people God used to discipline them. Jerusalem and Israel were destroyed and rubble was all that was left. Prophecies came to pass and the once great people of God were now reduced to a remnant. And Yet! God was still there and in His mercy He reminded them that they would one day return and build again.
12:1 You will say in that day:
“I will give thanks to you, O Lord,
for though you were angry with me,
your anger turned away,
that you might comfort me.
2 “Behold, God is my salvation;
I will trust, and will not be afraid;
for the Lord God is my strength and my song,
and he has become my salvation.”
3With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation. 4And you will say in that day:
“Give thanks to the Lord,
call upon his name,
make known his deeds among the peoples,
proclaim that his name is exalted.
5 “Sing praises to the Lord, for he has done gloriously;
let this be made known in all the earth.
6 Shout, and sing for joy, O inhabitant of Zion,
for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.”
May we as a nation not have to come to destruction before we look to our Salvation! May we even now turn to God our Hope!

Just plain sad! That is my feelings toward what is going on in the book of Hosea but also in our world today. Israel was bought back by God. He had mercy on them. He made them His people again after they had gone after other gods. He loved them deeply. For a while they returned but only for a while and then they left again to pursue their own desires and what they thought provided for them. Oh America is that not us. We know the truth of God’s word and how He loves us and yet we are like Israel, strong willed, weak of flesh, running toward emptiness. Return! That is the message of Hosea. Return to the One who truly loves you. He alone fills your empty places. Truth and rest are found in Him alone. Don’t turn to pleasures or liquor to fill your emptiness. No relationship or physical pleasure will do. It is only when you find deep forgiveness and contentment that you will have the peace you so long for. May we all pray for a return of His people to their God. May our prayers be that God’s people here in America will know the need they have to return to a pure relationship with God, not one tainted with our own traditions or religion but pure worship and sacrifice of ourselves to Him. On this our nations birthday weekend I pray for a return to our God.

6:1″Woe to you who live at ease”, 6:4″4 “Woe to those who lie on beds of ivory
and stretch themselves out on their couches,
and eat lambs from the flock
and calves from the midst of the stall,
5 who sing idle songs to the sound of the harp
and like David invent for themselves instruments of music,
6 who drink wine in bowls
and anoint themselves with the finest oils,
but are not grieved over the ruin of Joseph!
7 Therefore they shall now be the first of those who go into exile,”

When I read these verses I wondered if it might not just describe the church today? We are so driven by our comfort. We will come to worship as long as it is not too hot, not too cold, at a time that is convenient, has my kind of music, isn’t too long, people treat me right, don’t ask for money, pastor doesn’t get too personal about things I think are okay to do, isn’t too loud, the pastor wears a suit and tie, they thank me when I serve… the list could go on and on. We want God and church on our comfort levels. God was not about making Israel happy and conforming to their desires and He isn’t about making us happy. We need God. He doesn’t need us. He loves us, desires for us to follow him, longs to have a relationship, but He is not at our beck and command.
The cost for Israel was heavy, but through their captivity and even through the silence of God they were humbled and once again sought God. What will it take us church to get it? Oh Father, please forgive us and help us to choose humility and selflessness before it is too late.

A few years back many fatal tornados blew through Alabama. As we went to help our neighbors put their lives back together we walked through streets where there would be pieces of their lives all over. Furniture was splintered. Homes were blown apart. Everywhere you looked was destruction. As I read Amos today my mind pictured the destruction. 4:12 “Thus says the Lord: “As the shepherd rescues from the mouth of the lion two legs, or a piece of an ear, so shall the people of Israel who dwell in Samaria be rescued, with the corner of a couch and part of a bed. ” God was telling Israel He was going to tear them apart because of their disobedience.
I cringed when I read that because God has been so gracious to our nation for so long. I wonder how long will He tarry. I fear that too quickly His long suffering heart will get enough and He will allow us to be torn apart as well. I fear He will start with the Church, His people. May we humble ourselves before that day comes and confess our sin so that we can find refuge in Him.

Today’s reading followed the lives of a couple of bad kings. You know they are bad when it says, 21:19 “In the course of time, at the end of two years, his bowels came out because of the disease, and he died in great agony. His people made no fire in his honor, like the fires made for his fathers.” This is so sad and yet again a life wasted that knew better. We choose the path we tread but the results and consequences of our choice are determined by God and the eventual calamity of sin.
May today be filled with good choices and God honoring life!

I have been perplexed by why it seems more and more these days people of the church are doing what Elijah described in 18:21″And Elijah came near to all the people and said, ‘How long will you go limping between two different opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him.’ And the people did not answer him a word.” Elijah was dealing with a people who knew God and knew His ways and what His commands were. They knew they were to be lovers of God with all their hearts and yet they had backed away from their commitment to the Lord and loved the gods around them more. Maybe it was because it was more popular. Maybe it was because their political leaders were pushing it. I am sure there were many reasons, but God had not changed and His desire for His people had not changed. It is the same today. God’s people are to put away the things of this earth. Drunkenness, ungodly speech, anger, gossip, divisiveness, seem to be where so many have decided was okay as long as they go to church or do the church thing every other week. God must just want to throw up! We are just playing games when the end result is eternal. I know I am way too heavy for some, but my heart has been broken as I have seen some who I have known to at one time be super devoted in their relationship with Jesus standing on a fence with one foot in the world and one in the church. Really not sure what to say next other than, I want to be holy, set apart, a woman whose heart is so devoted to her Master that He and only He is seen in me. I want to know how to love my brothers and sisters in Christ in such a way that they long again to be running toward God with all of their might. I am praying today for them and for all who have allowed their love for their Master to take a back seat to their love for the things of this world. He longs for us all to return!

Do you serve God with a whole heart? In our day of mediocrity where doing just enough to get by is the norm, it is very difficult for people to pour themselves into serving someone or something else with their whole heart. Maybe it is because we have been burned by others including the church and we equate God with the church. Bad mistake on our part. God isn’t the church, religious organizations or what we see on television. He is Creator of everything and He holds everything together. In our reading today when the kings trusted God will all their heart and served Him they saw God defeat armies twice the size their armies were. They saw even through trials and tribulations that God took care of them. No the journey wasn’t without challenges, but they prevailed with God’s help. Last night as I was preparing for bed I got a text from someone I care deeply for. They said, “please pray, ugly things going on.” For the next couple of hours I prayed. The song God kept reminding me of as I prayed was Learning to Lean. The words go:
Learning to lean,
Learning to lean, I’m learning to lean on Jesus.
Finding more power than I ever dreamed,
I’m learning to lean on Jesus.
I believe that is what it looks like to have a whole heart dependency on Jesus. Trusting Him to hold you up and rescue you when hard times come. Most of the kings in today’s reading found leaning on God to be their salvation. When they turned to trust other men their kingdom fell. What a great reminder to all of us. (I got a call later on last night that though rocky things worked out. My advice to my friend was Lean on Jesus!) Maybe that is the advice you need today as well. I know I do.

I have just finished a 3 day marathon paint party where a friend and I painted the home of someone who needed our help. Our work day started at 6:00 AM and finished about 10:00 each evening. As I drove home this afternoon I thought, “I feel like when I come home from a mission trip leaving it all on the field.” All I want to do is crawl in a hot bath and go to bed and the sun has not even set yet. Lol

How many of you feel the same way? You have poured your life out this week for the sake of others and you just feel worn out and wearied. It is a good feeling in some ways because you have given your all, but there is a need for rest and renewal.
So how do you renew when time and money is limited?

• Eat a good meal. Fueling back up on something filling will boost your energy
• Turn off your electronic devices. Give yourself a much needed break. You can return call later.
• Take a hot bath or shower washing away the sweat and grime, but also the things you maybe have worried or been concerned about. Let the water relax you.
• Put on fresh comfy clothes that smell good and make you feel peaceful.
• Spend a few minutes thanking God for all He has allowed you to accomplish and for those who have helped you.
• Take a nap or go to bed. Rest is the be source of renewal.

When the Prophet Elijah was worn out after seeing God do miraculous acts and then being chased by the king and his less than lovely bride, he found himself worn out and weary. He ran to a quiet brook and there the ravens fed him and he closed his weary eyes. When he woke he ate again and slept more. When he finally awoke he was ready to hear God’s voice and join in the ministry again. I tell people sometimes the most spiritual thing you can do is take a nap. I am sure that is why God reminded us to keep the Sabbath, He knew we would need the down time to find new energy. It was also a great reminder who is God and who isn’t. Our frailty is a great opportunity to rest in The Lord.

So I guess I will run now. I have just finished a great meal and … well,,, my bath and bed await.

In a crazy way I see Solomon and his wisdom being like so many in our world.
2:10 “And whatever my eyes desired I did not keep from them. I kept my heart from no pleasure, for my heart found pleasure in all my toil, and this was my reward for all my toil.”

Solomon is saying I work hard therefore I deserve to indulge in any pleasure I want. Another way to say it, “I am grown and I can do what I want.”  Solomon came to the conclusion that this was senseless or in his words vanity. Hard work is good, but pleasure will never fill the void that our world longs for. That alone is filled by understanding that this world is not all there is. This is merely the beginning of eternity and what we do here prepares us for forever. Putting up treasure here without planning for what will come after death is vain.

It would be like knowing you are going to Universal or Disney in 3 months and yet spending all of your money today on things that will not be of use then. Solomon was wise but he like many today did not understand that God is above time. He is eternal! What we see now is just a snippet of what is to come.

A true word to the wise, Matthew 6:19-21 “19-21 “Don’t hoard treasure down here where it gets eaten by moths and corroded by rust or—worse!—stolen by burglars. Stockpile treasure in heaven, where it’s safe from moth and rust and burglars.

It’s obvious, isn’t it? The place where your treasure is, is the place you will most want to be, and end up being.” What a great reminder to our world and to us today!