DONNIE DAILY GEMS FOR TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 19:
WORD OF WISDOM
Some people use the Bible as medicine: some use it as poison.
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DAILY DEVOTION
The Only Source of Meaning
"So I was great, and increased more than all that were before me in
Jerusalem: also my wisdom remained with me. And whatsoever mine eyes desired
I kept not from them, I withheld not my heart from any joy; for my heart
rejoiced in all my labour: and this was my portion of all my labour. Then I
looked on all the works that my hands had wrought, and on the labour that I
had laboured to do: and, behold, all was vanity and vexation of spirit, and
there was no profit under the sun."
Ecclesiastes 2:9-11
The comedian Jay Leno is an avid car buff. For many years he has built up a
collection that now numbers nearly 250 cars and motorcycles. Some of them
are more than 100 years old, while others are the latest modern
technological marvels. He has amphibious cars that can drive into water and
motorcycles in every shape and size. The total value of his collection is
estimated to be more than $50 million. Yet, not one of those cars will last
forever.
Every one of us has one lifetime-and none of us know how long that life will
be. No matter how carefully we watch our diet, exercise, and take care of
our health, there are no guarantees of tomorrow for any of us. We have one
opportunity to accomplish the things God has placed before us. Every day
that we spend without doing anything to advance His kingdom is a day without
eternal benefit.
There is nothing wrong with working hard and enjoying the fruits of our
labor in this life. But ultimately, all the things of earth will be
destroyed and vanish. The only things that will remain are the things that
are eternal. This places a responsibility on us to use our time and
resources to accomplish as much for Christ as we can. God is not opposed to
us having nice things, but He wants our focus to remain on what is truly
meaningful.
No amount of earthly achievement in any field can provide lasting and
eternal rewards.
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DAILY BIBLE READING
Hosea 4-6New King James Version (NKJV)
God's Charge Against Israel
4 Hear the word of the Lord,
You children of Israel,
For the Lord brings a charge against the inhabitants of the land:
"There is no truth or mercy
Or knowledge of God in the land.
2
By swearing and lying,
Killing and stealing and committing adultery,
They break all restraint,
With bloodshed upon bloodshed.
3
Therefore the land will mourn;
And everyone who dwells there will waste away
With the beasts of the field
And the birds of the air;
Even the fish of the sea will be taken away.
4
"Now let no man contend, or rebuke another;
For your people are like those who contend with the priest.
5
Therefore you shall stumble in the day;
The prophet also shall stumble with you in the night;
And I will destroy your mother.
6
My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.
Because you have rejected knowledge,
I also will reject you from being priest for Me;
Because you have forgotten the law of your God,
I also will forget your children.
7
"The more they increased,
The more they sinned against Me;
I will change[a] their glory[b] into shame.
8
They eat up the sin of My people;
They set their heart on their iniquity.
9
And it shall be: like people, like priest.
So I will punish them for their ways,
And reward them for their deeds.
10
For they shall eat, but not have enough;
They shall commit harlotry, but not increase;
Because they have ceased obeying the Lord.
The Idolatry of Israel
11
"Harlotry, wine, and new wine enslave the heart.
12
My people ask counsel from their wooden idols,
And their staff informs them.
For the spirit of harlotry has caused them to stray,
And they have played the harlot against their God.
13
They offer sacrifices on the mountaintops,
And burn incense on the hills,
Under oaks, poplars, and terebinths,
Because their shade is good.
Therefore your daughters commit harlotry,
And your brides commit adultery.
14
"I will not punish your daughters when they commit harlotry,
Nor your brides when they commit adultery;
For the men themselves go apart with harlots,
And offer sacrifices with a ritual harlot.[c]
Therefore people who do not understand will be trampled.
15
"Though you, Israel, play the harlot,
Let not Judah offend.
Do not come up to Gilgal,
Nor go up to Beth Aven,
Nor swear an oath, saying, 'As the Lord lives'-
16
"For Israel is stubborn
Like a stubborn calf;
Now the Lord will let them forage
Like a lamb in open country.
17
"Ephraim is joined to idols,
Let him alone.
18
Their drink is rebellion,
They commit harlotry continually.
Her rulers dearly[d] love dishonor.
19
The wind has wrapped her up in its wings,
And they shall be ashamed because of their sacrifices.
Impending Judgment on Israel and Judah
5 "Hear this, O priests!
Take heed, O house of Israel!
Give ear, O house of the king!
For yours is the judgment,
Because you have been a snare to Mizpah
And a net spread on Tabor.
2
The revolters are deeply involved in slaughter,
Though I rebuke them all.
3
I know Ephraim,
And Israel is not hidden from Me;
For now, O Ephraim, you commit harlotry;
Israel is defiled.
4
"They do not direct their deeds
Toward turning to their God,
For the spirit of harlotry is in their midst,
And they do not know the Lord.
5
The pride of Israel testifies to his face;
Therefore Israel and Ephraim stumble in their iniquity;
Judah also stumbles with them.
6
"With their flocks and herds
They shall go to seek the Lord,
But they will not find Him;
He has withdrawn Himself from them.
7
They have dealt treacherously with the Lord,
For they have begotten pagan children.
Now a New Moon shall devour them and their heritage.
8
"Blow the ram's horn in Gibeah,
The trumpet in Ramah!
Cry aloud at Beth Aven,
'Look behind you, O Benjamin!'
9
Ephraim shall be desolate in the day of rebuke;
Among the tribes of Israel I make known what is sure.
10
"The princes of Judah are like those who remove a landmark;
I will pour out My wrath on them like water.
11
Ephraim is oppressed and broken in judgment,
Because he willingly walked by human precept.
12
Therefore I will be to Ephraim like a moth,
And to the house of Judah like rottenness.
13
"When Ephraim saw his sickness,
And Judah saw his wound,
Then Ephraim went to Assyria
And sent to King Jareb;
Yet he cannot cure you,
Nor heal you of your wound.
14
For I will be like a lion to Ephraim,
And like a young lion to the house of Judah.
I, even I, will tear them and go away;
I will take them away, and no one shall rescue.
15
I will return again to My place
Till they acknowledge their offense.
Then they will seek My face;
In their affliction they will earnestly seek Me."
A Call to Repentance
6 Come, and let us return to the Lord;
For He has torn, but He will heal us;
He has stricken, but He will bind us up.
2
After two days He will revive us;
On the third day He will raise us up,
That we may live in His sight.
3
Let us know,
Let us pursue the knowledge of the Lord.
His going forth is established as the morning;
He will come to us like the rain,
Like the latter and former rain to the earth.
Impenitence of Israel and Judah
4
"O Ephraim, what shall I do to you?
O Judah, what shall I do to you?
For your faithfulness is like a morning cloud,
And like the early dew it goes away.
5
Therefore I have hewn them by the prophets,
I have slain them by the words of My mouth;
And your judgments are like light that goes forth.
6
For I desire mercy and not sacrifice,
And the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.
7
"But like men[e] they transgressed the covenant;
There they dealt treacherously with Me.
8
Gilead is a city of evildoers
And defiled with blood.
9
As bands of robbers lie in wait for a man,
So the company of priests murder on the way to Shechem;
Surely they commit lewdness.
10
I have seen a horrible thing in the house of Israel:
There is the harlotry of Ephraim;
Israel is defiled.
11
Also, O Judah, a harvest is appointed for you,
When I return the captives of My people.
Footnotes:
a.Hosea 4:7 Following Masoretic Text, Septuagint, and Vulgate; scribal
tradition, Syriac, and Targum read They will change.
b.Hosea 4:7 Following Masoretic Text, Septuagint, Syriac, Targum, and
Vulgate; scribal tradition reads My glory.
c.Hosea 4:14 Compare Deuteronomy 23:18
d.Hosea 4:18 Hebrew is difficult; a Jewish tradition reads Her rulers
shamefully love, 'Give!'
e.Hosea 6:7 Or like Adam
New King James Version (NKJV)
Scripture taken from the New King James VersionR. Copyright C 1982 by Thomas
Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
