Category: Holy Living

Read through the Bible in 2 Years: Psalm 127, Hosea 13-14.

Return, O Israel, to the LORD your God, for you have stumbled because of your iniquity.

Take with you words and return to the LORD; say to him, “Take away all iniquity; accept what is good, and we will pay with bulls the vows of our lips. Assyria shall not save us; we will not ride on horses; and we will say no more, ‘Our God,’ to the work of our hands. In you the orphan finds mercy.”

I will heal their apostasy; I will love them freely, for my anger has turned from them.

Hosea 14:1-4 ESV

Return. Return. Return. It’s the call of God to His bride, Israel. It’s a call for repentance, doing an about-face, a 180, forsaking idols in favor of Yahweh, the Almighty One.

Israel will return to the Lord when she finally sees her sin for what it is, and so will we. We must recognize our rebellion against God and return to Him. The next step, as we see here, is to confess our sin to God and ask for His forgiveness. And then immediately we will commit to changing our behavior. Like Israel, “We will say no more, ‘Our God,’ to the work of our hands.”

True repentance looks like this.

True repentance is more than just feeling sorry or saying you’re sorry. True repentance is more than grieving the consequences of our sin. True repentance is a change of heart leading to a change in action. If your life doesn’t begin shifting away from your sin and back towards God, then you haven’t actually repented.

Heavenly Father, Bring us back to You. Turn us back to You. Heal us and bind up our wounds that we might worship You again. Wash us thoroughly. Cleanse us of our sin. Make us ready for the return of Your Son. He is coming soon, Father. We want to be ready. In the Name of Jesus Christ we pray. Amen.

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet went to him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba.

Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions.

Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin!

For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me.

Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment.

Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.

Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me.

Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit.

O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise.

For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; you will not be pleased with a burnt offering.

The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.

Psalm 51:1-4, 10-12, 15-17

Read through the Bible in 2 Years: Psalm 123-124, Hosea 7-8

Any of you like pancakes? 🥞 🙋🏼‍♀️🙋🏽‍♂️🙋🏻‍♀️🙋🏾‍♀️🙋🏻🙋‍♀️

I can’t think of anything I’d rather have for breakfast on Saturday mornings than pancakes baked with a few mini chocolate chips, topped with vanilla yogurt and sliced fresh strawberries, and a few slices of crispy bacon on the side. 😋

But, what if instead of mixing chocolate chips into the batter, I stirred in a spoonful of sawdust? Not so appealing anymore?

What if instead of flipping the pancakes over halfway through the baking time I decided to serve them to you after they were only cooked on one side? Anyone like their pancakes a little raw? 🤢 😝

Well, that’s what was happening in Israel. They were mixing themselves with the surrounding nations. They were like an unturned cake, half burnt, half raw.

Is that us? Is that our nation? Is that me?

Heavenly Father, show me where my heart is tainted. Show me where I have sprinkled the world’s sawdust into my heart and mind and life. Strain it out, Lord, that it will not pollute my life and my family. Father, I need the fire of Your Holy Spirit to burn up all that is unholy in me – on both sides. I need Your Sunlight to shine in every corner of my life that I might be made pure. Here I am, Lord. Have Your way with me. In the name of Jesus Christ, my Savior and Lord, I pray. Amen.