Time to Seek the Lord

(Hosea 10:12)
By: Keith McNeely

            In our fast paced world time and the use of it is an important topic.  For a few minutes consider first your own life, and second, consider seeking the Lord. Hosea (an Old Testament prophet) wrote of a people that were seeking “fruit unto” themselves rather than fruit unto God (Hosea 10:1).  Further, Hosea calls them “an empty vine”; evidently they were not being fruitful toward God.

            Later Hosea advises them “Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the lord, till he come and rain righteousness upon you.” (Hosea 10:12, emphasis added kmc). Hosea reminds us that our sowing, or planting, in our lives needs to be in accordance with righteousness. He further advises that we “break up our fallow ground”.  Fallow ground is that which every few seasons would be left unplanted, thus giving the ground a chance to recover its natural fertility. It is possible that your Christian life has been left fallow; that is you have not been striving to be productive. We to can be encouraged to break up our fallow ground by returning to our “first love” (Revelation 2:4).

            Finally, Hosea advises “it is time to seek the Lord” (Hosea 10:12). Everyone has various seasons of life. For example, our society often speaks of different groups such as teenagers, those in midlife and senior citizens; thus, it is fair to ask, “What season are you in?”  The point being - is it time for you to “seek the Lord”?  Some good times to seek the Lord include: (1) when you want to be part of the great harvest of souls (Matthew 9:37); that is you finally have decided to become a Christian; (2) or further, when you are ready to enjoy the leadership of the Lord in your life (Joel 2:13), turn unto the Lord your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness”, and finally, (3) when you are ready to live life abundantly (Amos 5:4). Jesus said He came to give life abundantly (John 10:10).

            Paul said “behold, now is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:2). He here expresses the necessity of turning to God today. What are you waiting for?

4 Groups in Every Crowd

 By: Bill McFarland

            One of the remarkable events in the Bible is when Paul was given a hearing before the Court of the Areopagus in Athens. What a scene it must have been! There at Mars Hill, before the supposed philosophical and intellectual leaders of his day, Paul set forth the nature of the living God in a wonderful way. As he described every person’s obligation to God, he declared that the time will come when He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has raised from the dead (Acts 17:30-31).

            The reaction of those who heard him is almost as revealing and instructive as the address itself. At least four kinds of responses to what Paul said may be identified, and they have been represented in almost every crowd who has heard of Christ since.

            Some mocked (Acts 17:32). They had gathered to hear something new from a babbler (v. 18, 21). When they heard of the resurrection of the dead, they did not think seriously about what Paul said, nor examine the truthfulness of it, nor investigate the historical facts. Instead, they sneered and ridiculed the very idea. It is not uncommon for the Word of God to be met with the smirks and jeers of the world. But please notice that this is not the result of intellectual superiority or unbiased thought. It is the knee-jerk reaction of proud and irreverent people who scoff at anything which might challenge their own behavior.      

            Others said they would hear another talk about this matter (Acts 17:32). They had come to hear how interesting a talker this fellow was, not to make any life-changing commitments. But if what he said was true, their lives obviously could not just go on in the same old way. Not having the will to be for it or against it, the convenient thing to do was to put off any decision until later. There are still, of course, numbers of people who wander through life telling themselves they will do something about their relationship with God “sometime” – a day which never seems to come.

            But some believed (Acts 17:34). We should not overlook this. Even in Athens at the Areopagus with unfavorable philosophers present, some believed. Thank the Lord for them! The gospel has the power to cause people to believe even in a worldly environment. God’s Word does not return to Him empty.

            Unmentioned, but no doubt also present that day, were those who heard the sound of the words but gave little thought to their meaning. They made no active response to the news that God has raised up one who will ultimately be the judge of us all. There always have been many who are indifferent to the important.

            “Take care then how you hear…” (Luke 8:18).

The Sacrifice

By: Kevin Rutherford

            When man sinned against God his relationship with God was severed. Sin separates us from God because God is light and in Him there is no darkness at all (Isaiah 59:2; 1 John 1:5). In order for man to come back into a proper relationship with God sin has to be removed and without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sins (Hebrews 9:22). A blood sacrifice became necessary so that God could redeem mankind (Romans 5:6-11). Though the sacrifice of animals pointed toward a better sacrifice, the blood of bulls and goats was not enough (Hebrews 10:4). God sent His Son to become the Sacrifice for the sins of mankind (John 3:16; 1 John 3:16).

            God planned, and therefore predicted this sacrifice through prophecy (Isaiah 53). Jesus Christ came into this world for the express purpose of dying for the sins of the world (Hebrews 10:5-10). The sacrifice which Jesus Christ made was a heavy one (Matthew 26, 27). He suffered the emotional pain of betrayal by a friend, denial by another, and abandonment by the rest. He endured the stress of facing the rigged trial, a false accusation and conviction, and humiliation by angry mobs. He pushed on through an intense physical trial of terrible torture and deep disgrace. He was scourged, and then crucified; flesh torn from his back, thorns piercing the flesh on His skull, nails ripping through skin, muscles, and tendons.

            In this sacrifice, Jesus Christ, the perfect Son of God, shed His blood. In His blood there is the power of forgiveness. In His blood there is remission of sins. In His blood there is washing, cleansing, and purifying (Colossians 1:14; Revelation 1:5). “Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your fain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.” (1 Peter 1:18, 19).

            Each Lord’s Day we have the opportunity to proclaim the Lord’s death to the world (Acts 20:7). We have the blessing of communing around the Lord’s table for the purpose of commemorating His death. The elements of the Lord’s supper represent the sinless body of Christ, and the powerful blood which washes our sins away (Matthew 26:26-29). In this honorable act of worship we proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes (1 Corinthians 11:23-26).

            A greater understanding of the impact and significance of the sacrifice of the Son of God should increase our desire to assemble with the saints and remember His death. We should look forward to all acts of worship including the Lord’s supper. It should be a great thrill and delight for us to remember what Jesus has done, because if He had not done it, we would be lost eternally in sin and without hope.