“Then I will go back to my place until they admit their guilt. And they will seek my face; in their misery they will earnestly seek me.”
~ Hosea 5:15
Hi James and Ellen,
Do you innately think optimistically or pessimistically? Do you inherently react positively or negatively? Do you intrinsically see the good or the evil that is in a guy, gal or kid? Your grandpaa was asked to read a number of months ago a book that was written by Tommy Newberry that he titled The 4:8 Principle. This book’s premise is built on a verse that is found in the Philippians Book. The Philippians Book’s core theme is rejoicing about what God – as God the Son, did when He excruciatingly suffered and sacrificially died while being hung on and nailed to a cross for the guys, gals and kids who God – as God the Father, especially elected to be His adopted children before He positioned planet Earth in the cosmos. This appalling history changing day that took place nearly 2000 years ago when an incarnate man – Who was God – as God the Son or Jesus Christ, was cruelly pummeled and brutally killed is annually remembered in homes throughout planet Earth. There is another day that is annually celebrated in homes throughout planet Earth and that is the marvelous history changing day that took place over 2000 years ago when the incarnate man – Who was God – as God the Son or Jesus Christ, was humbly born in a dank grotto. The season that is known as the Christmas holidays is a time for some guys, gals and kids to joyfully remember the unpretentious birth of God – as God the Son – as Jesus. For the guys and gals who God – as God the Spirit, has not led to and through the faith/grace door to have a personal relationship with God – as God the Son, the season that is known as the Christmas holidays is a time for these guys and gals to try to fill an inner nagging hunger to authentically know joy by having raucous parties that include eating and drinking that ultimately end up draining whatever reservoir of joy these guys and gals may have. Exchanging or giving meaningless gifts is another way that these vapid guys and gals do in a pointless attempt to fill their tank of joy. Because your grandpaa tends towards being a pessimist, leans towards staying muted or quiet and tilts towards noticing evil, your grandpaa – even though he agrees to the book’s general thesis, has struggled reading through the ‘fluffy’, upbeat book that Tommy Newberry wrote.
There is purportedly somewhere around 50,000 guys, gals and kids who attend weekly the church that is in Houston, Texas that is pastored by Joel Osteen. Joel Osteen – through exhortation, encourages the guys, gals and kids who hear him preach and read his books to take the high road through life. Joel Osteen and Tommy Newberry both seem to have an inborn DNA to idealistically speak and candidly write truth in ways that have guys, gals and kids genuinely internalizing their words. Your grandpaa’s self-analysis of himself is that he is a pragmatic realist which means that your grandpaa sees another guy, gal or kid as who he or she is at or in the moment and not what he or she could be if a mindset change is made. Even though your grandpaa enjoyed the opportunities that he has had over the years to discover or uncover the hardwiring of a guy, gal or a kid and then being able to put what he has discovered or uncovered about a guy, gal or kid into a life work/ministry/downtime survival context, your grandpaa is not good at giving passes to guys, gals and kids who refuse to accept and apply absolute truths that are centered on Biblical teachings but who instead futilely go on chasing after financial gains, accomplishing recognition and power positions. Your grandpaa sometimes feels like he is a Hosea. Hosea – in a really blunt way, told the Israelite people group guys and gals what the consequence was about to be because of their ongoing sin filled lifestyle.
As a spokesman for God – as God the Father, Hosea – who was called the prophet of doom, was tasked by God to rail away at His specially chosen guys and gals – who were the Israelite people group guys and gals, who were living in the land area of Israel – as they were spitefully taxing His patience through worshipping manmade wood, stone, clay and metal idols instead of worshipping only Him and willful rebelling against Him by doing such things as moving boundary markers that He had had His specially chosen guys set. Hosea 5 has Hosea telling the Israelite people group priests, leaders and guys and gals that they have been doing an abysmal job of doing what God had clearly mandated them to do as His specially chosen guys and gals. God had had it with the ‘bad apples’ who were among His specially chosen guys and gals who were callously taking advantage of innocent guys, gals and kids. God had had it with guys and gals who were giving credit to an idol god called Baal for kids who were born to them. God had had it with Ephraim – which was another name for Israel’s northern kingdom, for giving Assyria money to not attack them and trying to forge an alliance with Assyria. Verse 15 has God – as God the Spirit, breathing on Hosea to write, “Then I will go back to my place until they admit their guilt. And they will seek my face; in their misery they will earnestly seek me.”” Even though your grandpaa knows that doing a mindset change can lead a guy, gal or kid to having a better Christ-centered life focus and even though a difficult time may seem like a God-driven punishment, it is really God’s merciful directing of a guy, gal or kid to worship only Him and to have an unrestricted mindset to ask for or to claim God’s help is what your grandpaa believes will ultimately lead to joy.
Hosea 5 (963)