Necessity of Study Part 2

Hosea 4:7-9 "As they were increased, so they sinned against me: therefore will I change their glory to shame. They eat up the sin of my people, and they set their heart on their inquity. And there shall be, like people, like prriest: and I will punish them for their way, and reward them for their doings."

In these verses the word that came to my mind was the Necessity for Structure. Given the text and the warnings that are given it is in a negative tone for their actions. Through them forgetting the law of God there was nothing positive to be seen. Though whhen we see the steadfastness in verse six will build structure in our life from verses seven through nine.

There are three thoughts that are found in these verses. I want us to see that without Structure there is no stability to stand.

1. Structure for Personal Holiness.
v. 7 "As they were increased, so they sinned against me"

There shying away from the Word of God will lead to ungodliness. So then if we dedicate our lives built around the Word of God will put the precepts that are hid in the Book will be produced in our lives. The desire of our heart should be to be as much like Jesus as a redeemed sinner could be. That purpose will let our holiness which is imputed from God in our salvation can only be put into practice the holiness that is found in the Bible itself. This is the structure that first must be laid.

2. Structure for Practicing Humility
v. 8 "They eat up the sin of my people and they set their heart on their iniquity."

Man that is in rebellion to the Word of God he will automatically build up his own self. The benefits of  a personal holiness is that you will always take yourself out of the way and fall down that no you but Him is seen in all of your life. Isn't it funny that a person who apologizes for wrong or asks for forgiveness is called the "bigger" man. There has to be a willful lowering of yourself to the purpose God so that you can accomplish all that He has for you.

3. Structure for Producing Honor
v. 9 "I will punish them for their ways, and reward them for their doings."

We bear down and focus on the judgment of God. God will judge and chastise will His children for their wrong doing and sins. He is also a God that will reward faithfulness. The structure if honor is simply this, as we honor God He will bring honor in our lives. My life is to bring glory to Christ and bring honor to the working of His grace in our lives. This is the work of honor that brings God glory and makes us want to praise Him for who He is and not for what He does for us.

Within this structure it adds the stability to our steadfastness. Praise His name for the wonderful Word of God.

Necessity of Study Part 1

Hosea 4:6 "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge:because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten my law, I will also forget thy children."

In the sixth verse we see three major thoughts that proves that the Study of the Bible is Necessary. The purpose that is in this verse is found in one word Steadfastness. There is a Necessity for Steadfastness. In uncerain times there is more of a demand for men to stay holy and steady within the truths of God's Word. These truths are here to help us pattern our lives after the example of men through the Word of God.

The Necessity for Steadfastness is for the following:

1. To End the Peril.
"My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge"
Destroyed implies that they were destroying themselves.

The truth that people will only endanger their Spiritual lives when they do not take advantage of the Word of God. You will only only believe God for what you know He can do. The lack of Knowledge in your life will hinder your faith in all aspects of your life. You will always just believe what you have confidence

2. To Enlighten the People
"Thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee"
Rejected implies that you draw or pull away

We see this many times when a truth may hit closer to home than you would want. We would never just discard the entire Bible we just shy away from the part that we don't want to acknowledge as truth. This is the most simple mode of compromise anyone can do. They will only apply the parts that they believe and live as though the other parts do not exsist.

3. To Encourage the Principles
"Seeing that thou hast forgotten the law of God."
Forgotten implies that they lived their lives without the law of God.

Here is where it becomes hard for me to talk. How many days have I acted and/or reacted without the precepts of the Word being by stability. To live your life as though the Word of God is effective to you is a step away from idolatry. When we cope without His Word we will find ways to replace them. How often do I realize after the fact how un-Biblical my life really is.

The truth is that for the sake of me standing for the truth I must always be in the Word of Truth. To be honest this is the burden of my heart, If I want to be Christ-like I can only do that by being what His Word requires of me.

My prayer is that maybe some help was received and possibly a desire to want to have better stability within your life

Bible Study

I believe that the most important and the most neglected part of every Christian's life is time spent studying the Word of God. I caught myself just studying to prepare an outline to either preach or teach. That is important but I never knew the joy of diving into the Word to just see what it says. The truths that you find were never accidentally found. Truths are like gold nuggets, they must be dug out.

I love preaching the Word. Love hearing the Word preached and taught. In all honesty the only thing that I love even more than teaching and preaching the Word is the opportunity I get to study the Word of God. Study to me is when I get to simply focus on what the Lord has for me to learn.

I understand that the Bible is not all that God knows but it is all that He wants us to know. That being said I know within my lifetime I will never scratch the surface of the truths that is hid in the Bible. There is no better life that I know worth living. The Word of God being put to work in my life is the joy that motivates me daily.

Over the next few weeks I am wanting to share some thoughts and outlines on this subject. The Lord has given me some thought, which I will never say are original neither deep. Just want to help some that might want more knowledge or understanding on this subject.

Thanks for reading and hope you received help and encouragement

Purpose

Anything that has any worth in life has purpose. There are many reasons that people start working on a blog. Many want a place to rant and rave or start a political upheaval. Many want to revolutionize anything they want. The purpose for this blog is given in its title.

Bro. Michael's Thoughts is my attempt to let you know what thoughts the Lord has given me. I am wanting to use this to post both teaching and preaching outlines. Give you some insights that He has given me. I hope that this will be a tool to help any and everyone that finds their way to my blog.