Apples appear in many religious traditions, often as a mystical or forbidden fruit. In the development of language, the word "apple" was used as a generic term for all fruit. For instance, in Europe, tomatoes were first called "love apples,” and cucumbers and potatoes were fist called "earth-apples.” In some languages, oranges are called "golden apples" or "Chinese apples.” To this day, many uneducated persons refer to the forbidden fruit on the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil as an apple.
The proverb “a bad apple spoils the bunch,” means a bad person who can have a negative influence on those around him or her. It occurs to me that our negative thoughts can be like ‘bad apples.” A basic premise of the therapeutic approach, called “cognitive restructuring,” is that there are “lies” or wrong beliefs that drive our unwanted behaviors. Think of your mind like like the "produce" department at Safeway, and the fruits representing our many thoughts: the ‘bad apples’ are spoiling everything. I wonder, was Hosea referring to ‘bad apples,’ when he said, “You have eaten the fruit of lies” (10:15). To get rid of the bad apples, we must eat a diet of God’s thoughts (the Word) in order to recognize our bad ones. Without the Bible’s renewing affect on our minds, we will continue "eating the fruit of lies [those bad apples].”
Showing posts with label hosea. Show all posts
Showing posts with label hosea. Show all posts
Monday, November 21, 2011
Thursday, May 14, 2009
The Lord is Longing for You
The Lord has longings. Our longings are a reflection of His: we are created in His image.
People long for things they don’t have.
Question:
So, what does the Lord God of the Universe long for? What does He not have?
Answer:
Our hearts: our love; our loyalty; our obedience; our complete attention!
Listen to the words of the Lord through the prophet Isaiah (30:18):
Therefore the LORD longs to be gracious to you, and therefore He waits on high to have compassion on you…How blessed are all those who long for Him.
And listen to the agonizing words of the Lord spoken through Hosea (11:1-4; 8), as He longs for Israel’s repentance and return.
"When Israel was a youth I loved him, ... The more I called him, the more he went from Me; He kept sacrificing to the Baals, and burning incense to idols. Yet it is I who taught [him] to walk, I took him in My arms; but he did not know that I healed him. I led him with cords of a man, with bonds of love... How can I give you up? ... How can I surrender you, O Israel? … My heart is turned over within Me, All My compassions are kindled."
Stop for a minute and reflect on how much the Lord loves you and longs for you. Until you freely give it to Him, He doesn't have your heart...He is waiting.
People long for things they don’t have.
Question:
So, what does the Lord God of the Universe long for? What does He not have?
Answer:
Our hearts: our love; our loyalty; our obedience; our complete attention!
Listen to the words of the Lord through the prophet Isaiah (30:18):
Therefore the LORD longs to be gracious to you, and therefore He waits on high to have compassion on you…How blessed are all those who long for Him.
And listen to the agonizing words of the Lord spoken through Hosea (11:1-4; 8), as He longs for Israel’s repentance and return.
"When Israel was a youth I loved him, ... The more I called him, the more he went from Me; He kept sacrificing to the Baals, and burning incense to idols. Yet it is I who taught [him] to walk, I took him in My arms; but he did not know that I healed him. I led him with cords of a man, with bonds of love... How can I give you up? ... How can I surrender you, O Israel? … My heart is turned over within Me, All My compassions are kindled."
Stop for a minute and reflect on how much the Lord loves you and longs for you. Until you freely give it to Him, He doesn't have your heart...He is waiting.
Friday, April 24, 2009
The World is Too Much with Us
The title of this blog posting is the name of a sonnet by William Wordsworth. It was written in 1807, expressing his view that people were too caught up in “making it” to pay attention to the beautiful things in nature. We can easily use the same words to express our concern that Christians not allow the affairs of everyday life, careers, family, and even church activities to monopolize their time and attention and miss seeing the things that God is doing.
Even as our nation and the world seem to be ‘breaking’ apart, so also God will use these anxious times to break us, His children, from the world’s attraction, and in this process, we will see how much we still love this world. During a time of material prosperity and spiritual bankruptcy, the prophet Hosea warned Israel they need to “break up your fallow ground, for it is time to seek the Lord” (10:12).
Trials and tribulations—and all sufferings—are meant to break us, detaching us from earthly things. But it is very difficult to detach yourself from this world when you are prospering and things are going well. But when we are suddenly deprived of the “things that are seen”, we realize how tenuous is our hold on them, reminding us we are but “strangers and aliens” here—just passing through! And then our attachment begins to loosen.
And conversely, the deprivation provokes us to think more about the glory which is waiting for us. And our ‘groaning’ increases, as we eagerly await the revealing of our sonship in Christ, and the redemption of these mortal bodies. (See yesterday’s blog posting: “Are You Groaning?”)
Even as our nation and the world seem to be ‘breaking’ apart, so also God will use these anxious times to break us, His children, from the world’s attraction, and in this process, we will see how much we still love this world. During a time of material prosperity and spiritual bankruptcy, the prophet Hosea warned Israel they need to “break up your fallow ground, for it is time to seek the Lord” (10:12).
Trials and tribulations—and all sufferings—are meant to break us, detaching us from earthly things. But it is very difficult to detach yourself from this world when you are prospering and things are going well. But when we are suddenly deprived of the “things that are seen”, we realize how tenuous is our hold on them, reminding us we are but “strangers and aliens” here—just passing through! And then our attachment begins to loosen.
And conversely, the deprivation provokes us to think more about the glory which is waiting for us. And our ‘groaning’ increases, as we eagerly await the revealing of our sonship in Christ, and the redemption of these mortal bodies. (See yesterday’s blog posting: “Are You Groaning?”)
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