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&
Brooksyne Weber
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Thursday,
February 23, 2023
"Forgetting
God"
Note:
All this week
we are
considering
gems from the
book of Hosea
who prophesied
to the
northern
kingdom just
prior to its
destruction by
the Assyrians
about 2,700
years ago.
Message
summary: Today
we consider
the worst kind
of
forgetfulness,
these words
spoken by God
that paint
such a sad,
ungrateful
picture, "Then
they forgot
Me".
Listen
to our message
on your audio
player.
Yesterday
I heard a
story about a
man who had
forgotten
where he had
placed his
wallet. He had
a frustrating
but fruitless
search for it
and had to
leave for work
without it.
Only after
getting to
work did he
discover it
had been in
his pocket all
along. I've
little doubt
that some of
our female
readers can
relate to that
with trying to
find their
wallet in
their
"organizer"
purses (at
least that's
what Brooksyne
commented.)
Today let us consider the saddest type of forgetfulness, our Scripture portion ending with these most grievous words, "Then they forgot me". Although specifically dealing with the children of Israel, it is also a descriptive profile of people from every generation, including our own.
"When
I fed them,
they were
satisfied."
He is speaking
of God's
provision of
manna, a
reminder that
God cares for
us and has
abundantly fed
us
(spiritually
and
physically).
Daily
prayer:
Loving
Father, from
Your generous
hands flows
every good and
precious gift.
We receive
physical,
material,
relational,
and spiritual
blessings that
far surpass
our daily
needs. We
acknowledge
that You are
the one and
only true God,
and the only
way to the
Father is
through Jesus
Christ Your
Son and our
Savior. We
give You glory
for all that
we are and all
that we hope
to be. We must
always focus
upward, not
inward nor
around us,
lest we forget
You or the
prize for
which You have
called us
heavenward in
Christ Jesus.
Be glorified
in and through
us so that we
walk in
humility and
express
thanksgiving
to You. In
Jesus' name we
pray. Amen.
"But
I have been
the Lord your
God ever since
you came out
of Egypt. You
shall
acknowledge no
God but Me, no
Savior except
Me. I cared
for you in the
desert, in the
land of
burning heat.
When I fed
them, they
were
satisfied;
when they were
satisfied,
they became
proud; then
they forgot
me" (Hosea
13:4-6).
Yesterday
I heard a
story about a
man who had
forgotten
where he had
placed his
wallet. He had
a frustrating
but fruitless
search for it
and had to
leave for work
without it.
Only after
getting to
work did he
discover it
had been in
his pocket all
along. I've
little doubt
that some of
our female
readers can
relate to that
with trying to
find their
wallet in
their
"organizer"
purses (at
least that's
what Brooksyne
commented.)However,
I recall times
I have
searched for
my sunglasses
and then
realized they
had been on
top of my head
all along!
Forgetfulness
is frustrating
but it happens
to people at
all ages and
for different
reasons. Some
contributing
reasons would
be
carelessness,
inattentiveness,
busyness,
memory
weakness and
of course the
aging process,
those "senior
moments".
Bible teacher Stuart Strachan observes,
Bible teacher Stuart Strachan observes,
"One
of humanity’s
problems is
forgetfulness.
Forgetfulness
can happen at
multiple
levels, from a
simple problem
of recall to a
posture of
hard-heartedness
and
disobedience
toward the
command-giver.
When God deals
with the
people of
Israel
throughout the
Old Testament,
God does not
merely say,
“This is God.”
Rather, we
often read, “This
is the Lord
your God who
brought you
out of Egypt.”
It is a
reminder, to a
forgetful
people (which
we all are),
what it is
that God has
done for us.
God
gives us a
variety of
practices to
remember.
Sabbath, the
sacraments of
baptism and
the Lord’s
Supper. Each
exists to
remind us of
some
significant
aspect of our
faith and the
God who
created,
redeemed, and
sustains us
each day. So
the question
for us to
answer is, will
we remember?"
Today let us consider the saddest type of forgetfulness, our Scripture portion ending with these most grievous words, "Then they forgot me". Although specifically dealing with the children of Israel, it is also a descriptive profile of people from every generation, including our own.
God
spoke these
familiar
commands
through Hosea:
"You shall acknowledge no God but Me." We have this foundational commandment consistently asserted through Scripture. The first of the Ten Commandments states, “You shall have no other gods before me" (Exodus 20:3).
"You shall acknowledge no God but Me." We have this foundational commandment consistently asserted through Scripture. The first of the Ten Commandments states, “You shall have no other gods before me" (Exodus 20:3).
"No Savior
except me."
God alone is
our Savior, a
fundamental
teaching of
Christianity
but also a
stumbling
block in this
age where many
wrongly
believe there
are many ways
to God. I
consider a
loved one we
are seeking to
bring to
Christ who
just cannot
accept this.
But Jesus
said, “I
am the way and
the truth and
the life. No
one comes
to the Father
except through
me" (John
14:6). Peter
expressed this
exclusivity in
Acts 4:10, "Salvation
is found in no
one else, for
there is no
other name
under heaven
given to
mankind by
which we must
be saved."
In the
epistles Paul
wrote, "For
there is one
God and one
mediator
between God
and mankind,
the man Christ
Jesus"
(1 Timothy
2:5).
"I
cared for you
in the desert,
in the land of
burning heat."
Some
700 years
after the 40
year wandering
period in the
desert Hosea
alludes to
this formative
experience.
These people
had their
history
drilled into
them. How much
do we know
about what
happened to
our ancestors
700 years
ago!
"When
I fed them,
they were
satisfied."
He is speaking
of God's
provision of
manna, a
reminder that
God cares for
us and has
abundantly fed
us
(spiritually
and
physically).Satisfaction
is generally a
blessing
related to
contentedness
but but we
must always
remember
the Source of
all good
things and
continue to
"praise God
from whom all
blessings
flow".
"When
they were
satisfied,
they became
proud." This
satisfaction
leads to pride
when the
source of
blessing is
centered on
self rather
than God. And
such pride
leads to the
worst kind of
forgetfulness.
"Then
they forgot
me."
These words
spoken by God
paint such a
sorrowful,
ungrateful
picture, "Then
they forgot
Me".
This is sure a
caution for
believers in
our own
generation
isn't it!
Wherever you've come from, whatever you've received or accomplished, give all the glory to God. Never forget – anything that we are and anything that we receive is because of God's abundant goodness and His amazing grace!
Wherever you've come from, whatever you've received or accomplished, give all the glory to God. Never forget – anything that we are and anything that we receive is because of God's abundant goodness and His amazing grace!
Stephen
and Brooksyne
Weber
Daily
prayer:
Loving
Father, from
Your generous
hands flows
every good and
precious gift.
We receive
physical,
material,
relational,
and spiritual
blessings that
far surpass
our daily
needs. We
acknowledge
that You are
the one and
only true God,
and the only
way to the
Father is
through Jesus
Christ Your
Son and our
Savior. We
give You glory
for all that
we are and all
that we hope
to be. We must
always focus
upward, not
inward nor
around us,
lest we forget
You or the
prize for
which You have
called us
heavenward in
Christ Jesus.
Be glorified
in and through
us so that we
walk in
humility and
express
thanksgiving
to You. In
Jesus' name we
pray. Amen.Today's
Suggested
Music and Supplemental
Resources
"To
God be The
Glory"
Video
Reawaken Hymns
"This
Is My Song"
Video
Church on the
Move
Brooksyne's
Note:
On the way to
choir last
night this
song was
playing on the
radio, and I
wish I could
have just
pulled over
and listened
to it because
it is truly a
song of
worship, the
kind you gotta
close your
eyes, raise
your hands and
shut out
everything
around you. It
stirred such
memories of
that first
love with
Christ as it
alludes to
many of the
old songs of
the faith we
sang as
children. The
hymns I had
sung for years
suddenly came
alive because
I sang the
lyrics in a
personal way.
You will enjoy
hearing this
wonderful,
thoughtful
song that will
help you
remember that
which you may
forget along
the way.
Here's a
challenge
for old-timers
or should I
say
long-timers:
See how many
hymn lines or
titles you can
count in this
song. I will
do the same
later today
and we'll
compare the
number we come
up with. If
you wanna have
fun submit
your total
number with
the lines
you've
selected. I
won't cheat by
looking at
yours first!
I
remember those
melodies
Those words we sang
When I first believed
Songs of redemption
Stories of hope
Heaven awakened
Inside my soul
In Christ alone
My solid
ground
Amazing grace
How sweet the sound
On that rugged cross
Jesus paid it all
Because He lives
This is my song
Peace like a river
Love so divine
Those words kept singing
Through the darkest nights
Sweet hymns of freedom
Anthems of praise
Remind my heart
To trust His name
This is my story
This is my song
Praising my savior
all the day long
Blessed assurance
Glory divine
Hallelujah
Jesus is mine
Those words we sang
When I first believed
Songs of redemption
Stories of hope
Heaven awakened
Inside my soul
In Christ alone
My solid
ground
Amazing grace
How sweet the sound
On that rugged cross
Jesus paid it all
Because He lives
This is my song
Peace like a river
Love so divine
Those words kept singing
Through the darkest nights
Sweet hymns of freedom
Anthems of praise
Remind my heart
To trust His name
This is my story
This is my song
Praising my savior
all the day long
Blessed assurance
Glory divine
Hallelujah
Jesus is mine
"Thank
You Jesus for
the Blood"
Video
Charity
Gayle A
very moving
song we sang
in our church
service this
last Lord's
Day! A great
reminder at
Communion.
Phil,
a friend of
ours, share
this insight
based on yesterday's
message:
A
farmer friend
made a few
points
regarding
sowing &
reaping many
years ago that
I will always
remember:
- We reap what we sow
- We reap more than we sow
- We reap later than we sow
A
point on this
that I always
make. We reap
based on what
we sow and get
it later. So
when we decide
to do right,
we will still
be reaping
from the bad
that we sowed.
Therefore it
may look like
nothing will
change and we
could get
discouraged.
If we decide
to sow
wickedness, we
will still be
reaping some
from our good
and it may
look like
there was no
harm in my
poor decision
and be
deceived.
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iHeart
radioPermissions: Please feel free to pass on, reproduce and distribute any material on Daily Encouragement Net, in part or in whole, in any format, provided that you do not alter the wording in any way or charge a fee beyond the cost of reproduction. It is our desire to spread this material, not protect or restrict it. We do request that you keep the contact, copyright and subscription information intact.
Scripture references are from The Holy Bible: New International Version. © 1984 by International Bible Society; NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, New King James Version (NKJV) Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. and the King James Version.
Personal Mission Statement: "I am created by God to bring Him glory. Through God's Son Jesus Christ I have been redeemed and make it my life's goal to please the Lord. My mission in life is to honor God through my faith and obedience and prepare myself and all whom I may influence for eternity."
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