Humility

Matt 23: 11 & 12

But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant. And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.

Rom 12: 16-17

Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion. Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men.

Let us RETURN to the Lord

Some verses followed by some of my thoughts.

Hosea
5: 4
They do not direct their deeds Toward turning to their God, For the spirit of harlotry is in their midst, And they do not know the LORD.

6: 1-3
Come, and let us return to the LORD; For He has torn, but He will heal us; He has stricken, but He will bind us up. After two days He will revive us; On the third day He will raise us up, That we may live in His sight. Let us know, Let us pursue the knowledge of the LORD. His going forth is established as the morning; He will come to us like the rain, Like the latter and former rain to the earth.

7:13-16Woe to them, for they have fled from Me! Destruction to them, Because they have transgressed against Me! Though I redeemed them, Yet they have spoken lies against Me. They did not cry out to Me with their heart When they wailed upon their beds. They assemble together for grain and new wine, They rebel against Me; Though I disciplined and strengthened their arms, Yet they devise evil against Me; They return, but not to the Most High; They are like a treacherous bow. Their princes shall fall by the sword For the cursings of their tongue. This shall be their derision in the land of Egypt.

8:7
They sow the wind, And reap the whirlwind. The stalk has no bud; It shall never produce meal. If it should produce, Aliens would swallow it up.


10:13
You have plowed wickedness; You have reaped iniquity. You have eaten the fruit of lies, Because you trusted in your own way, In the multitude of your mighty men.

12:1
Ephraim feeds on the wind, And pursues the east wind; He daily increases lies and desolation. Also they make a covenant with the Assyrians, And oil is carried to Egypt.
14:9
Who is wise? Let him understand these things. Who is prudent? Let him know them. For the ways of the LORD are right; The righteous walk in them, But transgressors stumble in them.

I read through the book of Hosea just now and pulled out some highlights. I do not mean to quote Scripture out of context -- please go read the whole book as soon as you can.

I see here that the Lord's people have turned from the Lord & they have fled & they have rebelled. They even devised evil against the Lord. They have lied about the Lord.

They have sown the wind, they have plowed the wickedness, they have eaten the fruit of lies.

I want to point out the "positive" parts too. The Lord is capable of
Healing
Binding wounds
Reviving
Raising up

and

His ways are right!!

Keep oneself unspotted from the World

Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does. If anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one’s religion is useless. Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.

James 1:21-27

Forgiveness

If You, LORD, should mark iniquities,

O Lord, who could stand? But there is forgiveness with You,

That You may be feared.

I wait for the LORD, my soul waits,

And in His word I do hope. Ps 103:3-5

From Psalm 68

Let God arise, Let His enemies be scattered;

Let those also who hate Him flee before Him.

As smoke is driven away, So drive them away;

As wax melts before the fire,

So let the wicked perish at the presence of God.

But let the righteous be glad; Let them rejoice before God;

Yes, let them rejoice exceedingly.

Sing to God, sing praises to His name;

Extol Him who rides on the clouds,

By His name YAH,

And rejoice before Him.

A father of the fatherless, a defender of widows,

Is God in His holy habitation.

God sets the solitary in families;

He brings out those who are bound into prosperity;

But the rebellious dwell in a dry land.

your fellow servant

Then he said to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!’” And he said to me, “These are the true sayings of God.” And I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, “See that you do not do that! I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren who have the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”

Rev 19:9-10

The Lord has created

I am the Lord, and there is no other; I form the light and create darkness, I make peace and create calamity;

I, the Lord, do all these things.

Rain down, you heavens, from above, and let the skies pour down righteousness; Let the earth open, let them bring forth salvation, and let righteousness spring up together.

I, the Lord, have created it.

Isaiah 45:6b-8

Priorities

"This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success."

Joshua 1:8

This verse is on my kitchen wall

"If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’

If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also. But all these things they will do to you for My name’s sake, because they do not know Him who sent Me."
John 15:19-21

Is it a LOUD world?

"Better a handful with quietness

Than both hands full, together with toil

and grasping for the wind." Ecc 4:6

Ecc 5:1-6

"Walk prudently when you go to the house of God;

and draw near to hear

rather than to give the sacrifice of fools,

for they do not know that they do evil.

Do not be rash with your mouth,

And let not your heart utter anything hastily before God.

For God is in heaven, and you on earth;

Therefore let your words be few.

For a dream comes through much activity,

And a fool’s voice is known by his many words.

When you make a vow to God, do not delay to pay it;

For He has no pleasure in fools.

Pay what you have vowed—

Better not to vow than to vow and not pay.
Do not let your mouth cause your flesh to sin,

nor say before the messenger of God that it was an error."

Who can find a virtuous wife?

For her worth is far above rubies.

The heart of her husband safely trusts her;

So he will have no lack of gain.

Prov. 31:10-11

My other blog:

http://360.yahoo.com/clevsea

a peaceable life

"Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus"

I Tim 2:1-5