As a Christian man I tend to see God operating in both
arenas, both Christian and Secular. God is accomplishing His purposes in spite of
our best intentions. He has a plan and
purpose that will not be thwarted by the reason or desire of man. This leaves me with a question, am I responding
to the voice of the Lord in a way that is in harmony with His will? Or, am I an obstacle which blocks and hinders
the plan of God, and the purposes for which I was called to obey? I find myself constantly asking these types
of questions of the Lord. …”So am I humbly obeying you and responding to
your voice?” …”Or am I just getting in
your way?” These are the questions that
have plagued me for a long time.
Hosea 11: 1-9 describes how God loves his nation Israel and
pours out his heart to them even though they are rebellious and callous toward
Him. We can also take comfort from this passage
knowing that His call of love to us as individuals is the same.
Hosea 11:1-9 (GWT)
1
“When Israel was a child, I loved him,
and I called my son out of Egypt.
2
The more I called them, the farther they went away.
They sacrificed to other gods—the Baals,
and they burned incense to idols.
3
I was the one who taught the people of Ephraim to walk.
I took them by the hand.
But they didn’t realize that I had
healed them.
4
I led them with cords of human kindness, with ropes of love.
I removed the yokes from their necks.
I bent down and fed them.
5
“They will not return to Egypt.
Instead, Assyria will rule them
because they have refused to return to
me.
6
War will sweep through their cities,
demolish their city gates,
and put an end to their plans.
7
My people are determined to turn away from me.
Even if they call to the Most High,
he will not pardon them.
8
“How can I give you up, Ephraim?
How can I hand you over, Israel?
How can I make you like Admah?
How can I treat you like Zeboim?
I have changed my mind.
I am deeply moved.
9
I will not act on my burning anger.
I will not destroy Ephraim again.
I am God, not a human.
I am the Holy One among you,
and I will not come to you in anger.
Note: Easton’s bible dictionary defines Admah and Zeboim as 2 of the”
five cities of the plain” of Sodom which were destroyed by God.
Considering
the social condition of Israel at that time, God inspired the Prophet Hosea to
pen these words above. It is easy to see
that there isn’t much difference from our nation’s social condition presently
as compared to then. God’s heart is still
moved toward us …not to destroy us, but to save and restore us. Also, in reading this scripture it is also
easy to say that this message was for the nation and not the individual, but in
reality it takes many individuals to make up a nation state such as Israel as
well as the United States.
God speaks
to nations as well as individuals. I
have seen many Godly men who have had an international focus on their ministries
which have helped millions of people worldwide. When these men of God have been caught in a web of
indiscretion, I have seen God dismantle
and sacrifice their ministries just to speak to the heart of the man of
God and restore him.
God’s sovereignty is over nations as well as individuals. The best definition of God’s sovereignty I
have found in the bible doesn't come from Paul or Peter in the New Testament or
even King David, Solomon or even the prophets like Jeremiah or Isaiah. It comes from King Nebuchadnezzar in the book
of Daniel.
Daniel 4:34-35 (NIRV)
34
At the end of that time I, Nebuchadnezzar, looked up toward heaven. My mind became
clear again. Then I praised the Most High God. I gave honor and glory to the
One who lives forever.
with the powers of heaven.
His rule will last forever.
His kingdom will never end.
35 He considers all of the nations on earth
to be nothing.
He does as he pleases
He does what he wants
with the nations of the
earth.
No one can hold his hand back.
No one can say to him,
“What have you done?”
This must
mean that God is sovereign over the decisions of the President of the United
States, over the laws passed by Congress, and even over the decisions reached
by the Supreme Court. God is even sovereign over the Internal Revenue Service.
God is sovereign over kings and kingdoms. If this is true, then we need to
believe that every king, every person in a position of political power, is
there by divine appointment.
Romans 13:1-3 (NIRV)
1
All of you must be willing to obey completely those who rule over you. There
are no authorities except the ones God has chosen. Those who now rule have been
chosen by God. 2 So when you oppose the authorities, you are
opposing those whom God has appointed. Those who do that will be judged.
3
If you do what is right, you won’t need to be afraid of your rulers. But watch
out if you do what is wrong! You don’t want to be afraid of those in authority,
do you? Then do what is right. The one in authority will praise you.
The
sovereignty of God is a truth not quickly or easily learned. God’s sovereignty
is clearly revealed in the Scriptures, but it often takes a sequence of adverse
circumstances before it becomes a part of the fabric of our thinking and
behavior.
Click the red & white arrow below ↓to listen to the song
Take My Life
(Scott
Underwood)
Holiness, holiness is what I long for
Holiness is what I need
Holiness, holiness is what You want from me
Faithfulness, faithfulness is what I long for
Faithfulness is what I need
Faithfulness, faithfulness is what You want from me
(So) Take my heart and form it
Take my mind, transform it
Take my will, conform it
To Yours, to Yours, Oh Lord
Righteousness, righteousness is what I long for
Righteousness is what I need
Righteousness, righteousness is what you want from me
Brokenness, brokenness
is what I long for
Brokenness is what I
need
Brokenness, brokenness
is what you want from me
Copyright ©
1995 Mercy/Vineyard Publishing.
The music above is copyrighted by the respective artists, and is demonstrated here for educational purposes only.
The music above is copyrighted by the respective artists, and is demonstrated here for educational purposes only.
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