Hosea 13
The Lord 's Anger Against Israel 1 When Ephraim spoke, men trembled; he was exalted in Israel. But he became guilty of Baal worship and died.
2 Now they sin more and more; they make idols for themselves from their silver, cleverly fashioned images, all of them the work of craftsmen. It is said of these people, "They offer human sacrifice and kiss [a] the calf-idols."
3 Therefore they will be like the morning mist, like the early dew that disappears, like chaff swirling from a threshing floor, like smoke escaping through a window.
4 "But I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of [b] Egypt. You shall acknowledge no God but me, no Savior except me.
5 I cared for you in the desert, in the land of burning heat.
6 When I fed them, they were satisfied; when they were satisfied, they became proud; then they forgot me.
7 So I will come upon them like a lion, like a leopard I will lurk by the path.
8 Like a bear robbed of her cubs, I will attack them and rip them open. Like a lion I will devour them; a wild animal will tear them apart.
9 "You are destroyed, O Israel, because you are against me, against your helper.
10 Where is your king, that he may save you? Where are your rulers in all your towns, of whom you said, 'Give me a king and princes'?
11 So in my anger I gave you a king, and in my wrath I took him away.
12 The guilt of Ephraim is stored up, his sins are kept on record.
13 Pains as of a woman in childbirth come to him, but he is a child without wisdom; when the time arrives, he does not come to the opening of the womb.
14 "I will ransom them from the power of the grave [c] ; I will redeem them from death. Where, O death, are your plagues? Where, O grave, [d] is your destruction? "I will have no compassion,
15 even though he thrives among his brothers. An east wind from the LORD will come, blowing in from the desert; his spring will fail and his well dry up. His storehouse will be plundered of all its treasures.
16 The people of Samaria must bear their guilt, because they have rebelled against their God. They will fall by the sword; their little ones will be dashed to the ground, their pregnant women ripped open."
1 Peter 3:8-17 (New International Version)New International Version (NIV)Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society
Suffering for Doing Good 8Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble. 9Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing. 10For, "Whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from deceitful speech. 11He must turn from evil and do good; he must seek peace and pursue it. 12For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil."[a] 13Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good? 14But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. "Do not fear what they fear[b]; do not be frightened."[c] 15But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, 16keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander. 17It is better, if it is God's will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.
December 20, 2007
Doing Good
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READ: 1 Peter 3:8-17
It is better, if it is the will of God, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil. —1 Peter 3:17 About this cover Joseph (not his real name) was the model of a trusted military officer, rising in his nation’s army to the rank of colonel in the special forces. With this came great opportunity, both for good and bad.
Deployed into a region racked with drug trafficking, Joseph was intent on bringing justice to that plagued area. He and his troops began dealing with the criminals to protect the people. Some of his superiors, who were corrupt and took bribes from the drug runners, ordered him to turn his head to let them move their drugs. He repeatedly refused until he was finally arrested and imprisoned for 8 years—for doing good.
Sadly, we live in a world where at times doing good brings suffering. This was true for Joseph; his payment for serving his people was unjust imprisonment.
The apostle Peter, having also been jailed for doing good, understood that kind of heartache. He gave us this perspective: “It is better, if it is the will of God, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil” (1 Peter 3:17).
As Joseph shared the stories of what God taught him in prison, I learned that the justice of God is not hampered by the evil of men. Doing good is still pleasing in His sight—even when we’re mistreated by the world for it. —Bill Crowder
From the example of Jesus,Who went about doing good,We are to honor our SaviorBy helping wherever He would. —Hess
The joy of doing good may be the only reward we receive—but it’s worth it!
December 20, 2007
The Right Kind of HelpLISTEN: READ:
And I, if I am lifted up . . . will draw all peoples to Myself —John 12:32 About this cover Very few of us have any understanding of the reason why Jesus Christ died. If sympathy is all that human beings need, then the Cross of Christ is an absurdity and there is absolutely no need for it. What the world needs is not "a little bit of love," but major surgery.
When you find yourself face to face with a person who is spiritually lost, remind yourself of Jesus Christ on the cross. If that person can get to God in any other way, then the Cross of Christ is unnecessary. If you think you are helping lost people with your sympathy and understanding, you are a traitor to Jesus Christ. You must have a right-standing relationship with Him yourself, and pour your life out in helping others in His way— not in a human way that ignores God. The theme of the world’s religion today is to serve in a pleasant, non-confrontational manner.
But our only priority must be to present Jesus Christ crucified— to lift Him up all the time (see 1 Corinthians 2:2 ). Every belief that is not firmly rooted in the Cross of Christ will lead people astray. If the worker himself believes in Jesus Christ and is trusting in the reality of redemption, his words will be compelling to others. What is extremely important is for the worker’s simple relationship with Jesus Christ to be strong and growing. His usefulness to God depends on that, and that alone.
The calling of a New Testament worker is to expose sin and to reveal Jesus Christ as Savior. Consequently, he cannot always be charming and friendly, but must be willing to be stern to accomplish major surgery. We are sent by God to lift up Jesus Christ, not to give wonderfully beautiful speeches. We must be willing to examine others as deeply as God has examined us. We must also be sharply intent on sensing those Scripture passages that will drive the truth home, and then not be afraid to apply them.
Changing Hands - #5464 Thursday, December 20, 2007
Our good friends were visiting us with their precious 3-year-old daughter. She has captivating dark eyes, a winsome smile, a high-energy personality, and a mind of her own. Her Dad was crossing a very busy street with his daughter and he said, "Now hold Daddy's hand." She apparently didn't like that idea. She looked up at him with those big eyes and said, "That's OK, Daddy. I'll hold my own hand." Not a good idea. I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A WORD WITH YOU today about "Changing Hands." Our Heavenly Father looks at the road ahead and He knows exactly where we should go and when we should go. He reaches our direction and He says, "Hold Daddy's hand." Maybe you've got a mind of your own, and you have got that independent spirit. And you respond, "That's OK Daddy. I'll hold my own hand." Not a good idea. Tucked away in the drama of the first Christmas is a better idea. Our word for today from the Word of God begins in Luke 1:26, "In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph. The virgin's name was Mary ... The angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus.'" Now, God comes to Mary and says, in essence, "Take My hand - I'm leading you into something amazing." Now if Mary had insisted on holding her own hand, she would never have gone. God is leading her into a situation where she will suddenly be mysteriously pregnant. And who's going to believe that God is doing it? She has a lot to lose if she takes God's hand and goes where He wants to take her. She will probably lose her reputation as the "nice girl of Nazareth." She stands to lose the man she loves when he hears she is expecting and he knows he is not the father. The wedding she has dreamed of will probably never happen. And since, in the Jewish culture of that day, they stoned women for sexual sin, obedience could even cost Mary her life. But listen to her response to God's plan. "I am the Lord's servant." Those five words change everything. If Mary's identity is "I'm Joseph's girl," there's no way she's going to do what God wants. If her image as the "nice girl of Nazareth" is her identity, she won't do this. But Mary bases her identity on one thing and one thing alone. With open hands, open arms, face looking up, she declares, "I am the Lord's servant. May it be to me as You have said." And because of that surrendered spirit and surrendered future, Mary carries God's only Son in her body, nurses the Son of God, teaches the Son of God. See, God's most special assignments are for those who will let go of their own hand; who will grab God's hand and say, "Lord, I'll go where You want me to go." In fact, there's a hymn that says that. "Lord, I'll go where you want me to go, dear Lord' O'er mountain or plain or sea. I'll say what You want me to day, dear Lord. I'll be what You want me to be." As we approach this Christmas, look at what God gave because He loves you so much. He sacrificed His only Son to pay the death penalty for the sinning you did. That should remove any doubt of whether you can trust Him with the things that matter most to you. Anyone who loved you enough to die for you will never do you wrong. It's a good day to ask yourself, though you may know all about Jesus, though you may go to His meetings, though you may agree with Him, do you belong to Him? You might believe in Him but not belong to Him because you have never really reached out to Him and made yours what He died to give you - this greatest gift in the world - eternal life and forgiveness and heaven, and a relationship with your Creator made possible only one way; by Him taking your place, dying for your sin. Why don't you let this be the day you say, "Jesus, I'm Yours."
