✝ Daily Encouragement (2/23/23) "Forgetting God"
Published: Thu, 02/23/23
A daily, Bible-based perspective of hope, encouragement and exhortation. The online Bible teaching ministry of Stephen & Brooksyne Weber.
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Thursday, February 23, 2023
On our walk west of our home we enjoy strolling the grounds of the stately Cameron Estate Mansion and Inn on Donegal Springs
Road.
"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.
"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,
"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).
"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!
Be encouraged today, (
Hebrews
3:13)
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
"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:
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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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." © Copyright 2023 Stephen C. & Brooksyne Weber - All Rights Reserved
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Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
717-823-0592
Daily Encouragement Net
https://www.dailyencouragement.net
Mail service provider is aweber.com
495 Kraybill Church Rd
Mount Joy PA 17552
USA
Unsubscribe | Change Subscriber Options