But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.
M.O.M.: Ephesians 4:31
31 Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.(English Standard Version)
Today's reading: HOSEA 12-14 REVELATION 4
Kissing calves
There are depths of riches in this life of the believer that God will, in time, reveal to us. The Spirit's encouragement to us is always the same. All through scripture the message is the same. It is said in different ways but God always says the same things to us.
In Hosea, chapter 12, the word, breathed by God, says to us thousands of years after it was originally written,
6 “So you, by the help of your God, return,
hold fast to love and justice,
and wait continually for your God.”
God always says, "Come back to me-return to me". He says it all the time. He says it in the scripture, but also says it through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. He says, "Hold fast to me". He says, "Hold fast to love and justice" and, "Wait continually".
Every minute of everyday, God says to come back and to hold fast because He knows our nature and knows how quickly we become involved in this world of activity and worldly wonder.
He repeats in Hosea 13 His feeling on our idolatry and says the idolatrous, "Kiss calves" when we become full with our hearts lifted.
The underlying warning is always there. He warns us to not get too comfortable in our spiritual well-being and "Therefore, forget Me". God knows that when we get comfortable with our faith that our human nature will let down our guards. Down in Mexico, they sing a song that says,
"We've hung our harps in the willow trees" as it says in Psalms 137:2. The Israelites were in Babylonian captivity and had 'hung their harps up' in grief refusing to play for their captors or themselves. This also looks forward to the time when, in restoration and victory, the harps will be brought down in praise to God.
When we get so full and comfortable and fall, it is time for us to hang our harps in grief over our own sin until we get right with God and stop 'kissing calves'.
It is there all the way through scripture. The warnings of God to not get too big for our spiritual britches are spread all the way through the Bible. The call for our return to Him constantly echo in our readings-operative word here is 'readings'-our readings. It took me twenty-five years to finally understand how to make myself read a lot of scripture everyday and why this is so very important.
God calls us to find our way back to Him continually in scripture. Human nature calls us to 'kiss calves' throughout everyday. The enemy tempts us to get comfortable with our spiritual place and lay down our weapons all the time.
In this war over our righteousness, the enemy knows how little it takes to get us to look any direction except God's.
God saw it all before He started our clocks. He knew every fall we would make. He breathed life into the word just as He breathed life into us so the word would call us back all the time. The Spirit calls us back.
It is our choice. How many calves will you and I kiss today, or, how much will we concentrate on God and His righteousness?
Answer thoughtfully...
...because He loves us...
Father in Heaven,
Forgive me for letting down my guard and letting the 'calves' come in. Teach me to hang my harp in grief over my sin and then bring it to you so I can then praise with the free heart You have forgiven.
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