Hosea 14:9 (KJV) The Wise and The Prudent

Hosea 14:9 (KJV)
Who is wise, and he shall understand these things? prudent, and he shall know them? for the ways of the LORD are right, and the just shall walk in them: but the transgressors shall fall therein.

This is the final verse of the prophecy of Hosea. It is a “hard” prophecy in that it pronounces judgments upon both Judah and Israel, especially Israel. 

Still, it ends with a promise 
The wise shall understand these things 
Having an understanding of both God’s judgments and His promises

gives a man direction in life. The promises are a blessing, but they cannot be taken for granted. The judgments are indeed hard, but they are not harsh. As Eve overstated the command of God and fell into the serpent’s trap because of it, the wise will shall understand and avoid the same trouble. 

The prudent shall know them
Prudence has to do with vision, awareness, being alert, and watchful. Those who watch are less likely to miss the hand of God in both promises and judgments. Transgressors are not watchful, and they get trapped. Being unwise and not prudent, they do not understand the why’s of their judgment. They then cannot be corrected through them. 

To my readers:
First of all, thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. Secondly, I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

Donate to Bible Baptist Church every time you make an Amazon purchase through this link, https://smile.amazon.com/ch/91-1265824

For this and more than 5100 earlier Daily Visits with God visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

For more resources from Pastor Marvin McKenzie visit http://puyallupbaptistchurch.com.

My books are available at:
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Hosea 14:9 (KJV) The Wise and The Prudent

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Hosea 12:13 (KJV) By A Prophet

Hosea 12:13 (KJV)

And by a prophet the LORD brought Israel out of Egypt, and by a prophet was he preserved.

This prophet is Moses (some say, Moses and Joshua). 

• Moses being led of God first led Israel out of Egypt and then
• Joshua, being led of God, led Israel to their safe haven in the Promised Land. 

God uses those who will hear Him, obey Him and speak to the people for Him. 

It is the prophet our world is in need of today. 

It is the preacher who first listens to God and then speaks for God (and who is himself obedient to God) who will lead the people out of captivity and into safety. 

To my readers:
First of all, thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. Secondly, I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

Donate to Bible Baptist Church every time you make an Amazon purchase through this link, https://smile.amazon.com/ch/91-1265824

For this and more than 5100 earlier Daily Visits with God visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

For more resources from Pastor Marvin McKenzie visit http://puyallupbaptistchurch.com.

My books are available at:
https://marvinmckenzie.org

Hosea 12:13 (KJV) By A Prophet

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Romans 4:7 (KJV) This Is A Blessing

Romans 4:7 (KJV)
Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered.

What blessings belong to those who by faith are saved. In this verse, I see two separate effects of that saving faith,
Whose iniquities are forgiven
The word means, “violation of the law.” The unsaved soul stands in violation of the law of God. Through faith, that violation is forgiven. It has been sent away as far as the east is from the west. It is gone, removed, put past us, and never to be remembered again. 

Whose sins are covered
The word means, “to miss the mark, to be less than we were created to

be, to err.” The passage says sins and not just sin. We have missed the mark in so many ways that it is an aggregate of offense. Those sins are covered, concealed. We have been hidden in Christ who became sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made to the righteousness of God in Him. Therefore, our sins are covered in Christ. God only sees the righteousness of Jesus when He sees us. So covered, we cannot sin in the eyes of God any more than Jesus can.

To my readers:
First of all, thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. Secondly, I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

Donate to Bible Baptist Church every time you make an Amazon purchase through this link, https://smile.amazon.com/ch/91-1265824

For this and more than 5100 earlier Daily Visits with God visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

For more resources from Pastor Marvin McKenzie visit http://puyallupbaptistchurch.com.

My books are available at:
https://marvinmckenzie.org

Romans 4:7 (KJV) This Is A Blessing

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Romans 3:3 (KJV) What If?

Romans 3:3 (KJV)

For what if some did not believe? shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect?

This passage clearly concerns the Jews, the nation of Israel. They had the oracles of God and a great advantage because of them. 

But some did not believe. 
I would say a huge number of them did not believe. 

What about it? Does the fact that so many of those to whom God Himself gave the Word of God do not believe the Word make null the Word?  Not at all. 

What if some did not believe?
What if people today, most people today don’t believe?

Does the majority opinion make God ungodly? Can the majority overrule the power of God? Do unbelievers hinder the profitability of the Scriptures in the hearts of believers?

Not at all. 

The only one negatively affected by unbelief is the unbeliever. 

To my readers:
First of all, thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. Secondly, I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

Donate to Bible Baptist Church every time you make an Amazon purchase through this link, https://smile.amazon.com/ch/91-1265824

For this and more than 5100 earlier Daily Visits with God visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

For more resources from Pastor Marvin McKenzie visit http://puyallupbaptistchurch.com.

My books are available at:
https://marvinmckenzie.org

Romans 3:3 (KJV) What If?

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Romans 2:10 (KJV) Glory, Honor and Peace

Romans 2:10 (KJV)
But glory, honour, and peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile:

Salvation is always by grace and not of works lest any man should boast. But true salvation always produces a man of good works. 

Whether that man is a Jew or a Gentile, when he has come to Christ, he is a new creature. What used to be true of him will pass away. New things will become true of him. 

Those new things will result in glory, honor, and peace. He will give glory, and honor, and peace where it is due. He will be known among others as a man of glory, honor, and peace. He will live a life that is rich in glory, and honor, and peace.[1]

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[1] If not peace in his circumstances, then that peace which passeth understanding.

To my readers:
First of all, thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. Secondly, I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

Donate to Bible Baptist Church every time you make an Amazon purchase through this link, https://smile.amazon.com/ch/91-1265824

For this and more than 5100 earlier Daily Visits with God visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

For more resources from Pastor Marvin McKenzie visit http://puyallupbaptistchurch.com.

My books are available at:
https://marvinmckenzie.org

Romans 2:10 (KJV) Glory, Honor and Peace

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Hosea 8:12 (KJV) No Strange Thing

Hosea 8:12 (KJV)
I have written to him the great things of my law, but they were counted as a strange thing.

Immediately noticeable is,
God is the author of His Word
Not men. God used penmen, but it was His writing, He is the author.

Therefore, it is His Law
Not man’s. The word of God is not the concoction of men, is not the possession of men. Is not to be tampered with by men.

These Words are great things
The Bible is more than good, more than admirable. The things

contained in the Bible are of the greatest character, of the greatest profit and it is the greatest urgency that we learn and obey it.

But they were counted as a strange thing
If that doesn’t describe the way common men take the Bible, nothing does. As great as the Word of God is, most reject it. 

They do so to their own destruction. 

To my readers:
First of all, thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. Secondly, I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

Donate to Bible Baptist Church every time you make an Amazon purchase through this link, https://smile.amazon.com/ch/91-1265824

For this and more than 5100 earlier Daily Visits with God visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

For more resources from Pastor Marvin McKenzie visit http://puyallupbaptistchurch.com.

My books are available at:
https://marvinmckenzie.org

Hosea 8:12 (KJV) No Strange Thing

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Acts 28:6 (KJV) Deflect It All To God

Acts 28:6 (KJV)
Howbeit they looked when he should have swollen, or fallen down dead suddenly: but after they had looked a great while, and saw no harm come to him, they changed their minds, and said that he was a god.

Though the people of Melita were very kind, they were just like people always are, suspicious of those they did not know, especially the prisoners. 

We see almost no compassion when Paul got snake bit. He was one of the prisoners and they determined he must have been one of the worst ones. At first, they judged him. Then they just watched him, waiting to see the effects of the venom work its horror on the man. They believed gods had gotten him for his crimes. But then, when he didn’t die or even get sick, they changed their minds. He must be, they reasoned, a god himself. It wasn’t the first time such a claim had been made.[1] That the Bible does not describe Paul’s denial of deity is of little concern. We have the other case to assure us he did. 

One lesson I see in the passage is the ease with which a person’s faith can transfer from God to the man of God. It isn’t always necessary to get in the face of those who place such faith in the pastor, evangelist, missionary, or godly believer. What is necessary is that we do not begin to do the same for ourselves. 

Deflect all worship, praise, and faith to God. 

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[1] Acts 14:11-15 (KJV)
And when the people saw what Paul had done, they lifted up their voices, saying in the speech of Lycaonia, The gods are come down to us in the likeness of men.
And they called Barnabas, Jupiter; and Paul, Mercurius, because he was the chief speaker.
Then the priest of Jupiter, which was before their city, brought oxen and garlands unto the gates, and would have done sacrifice with the people.
Which when the apostles, Barnabas and Paul, heard of, they rent their clothes, and ran in among the people, crying out,
And saying, Sirs, why do ye these things? We also are men of like passions with you, and preach unto you that ye should turn from these vanities unto the living God, which made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all things that are therein:

To my readers:
First of all, thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. Secondly, I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

Donate to Bible Baptist Church every time you make an Amazon purchase through this link, https://smile.amazon.com/ch/91-1265824

For this and more than 5100 earlier Daily Visits with God visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

For more resources from Pastor Marvin McKenzie visit http://puyallupbaptistchurch.com.

My books are available at:
https://marvinmckenzie.org

Acts 28:6 (KJV) Deflect It All To God

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Acts 27:11 (KJV) How To Shipwreck a Life

Acts 27:11 (KJV)
Nevertheless the centurion believed the master and the owner of the ship, more than those things which were spoken by Paul.

How to shipwreck your life…

Trust the experts instead of the preacher
The centurion had a choice. He could heed the warning of the preacher or accept the advice of the master of the ship. It seemed like a clear choice. The one was a prisoner on his way to sentencing. The other was an able and experienced seaman. But the preacher was right.

Trust the majority instead of the preacher
The more part wanted to push on. Our world is filled with the idea of majority rule. It almost never works out well. Republican or representative rule is both the wisest and the Biblical model. The preacher would have made the right choice over the majority.

Trust comfort instead of the preacher
The place was not commodious to winter in. It would have been the most comfortable. Seeking comfort as convenience is a sure way to make shipwreck. The preacher was right. 

Trust circumstances instead of the preacher
When the winds began to blow softly, they thought they had an out. It was merely the calm before the storm. The preacher was right. 

We don’t trust the preacher just because he is the preacher. I know that some who claim to be preachers are wacko and crazy. We trust a man who listens to God through His Word. He isn’t expert on sailing. He isn’t generally expert on many earthly skills. But if he has his mind in God’s Word and his heart upon the Lord, he can likely perceive things the experts cannot. 

To ignore him is a sure way to make life a shipwreck. 

To my readers:
First of all, thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. Secondly, I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

Donate to Bible Baptist Church every time you make an Amazon purchase through this link, https://smile.amazon.com/ch/91-1265824

For this and more than 5100 earlier Daily Visits with God visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

For more resources from Pastor Marvin McKenzie visit http://puyallupbaptistchurch.com.

My books are available at:
https://marvinmckenzie.org

Acts 27:11 (KJV) How To Shipwreck a Life

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Acts 26:8 (KJV) Would to God

Acts 26:8 (KJV)
Why should it be thought a thing incredible with you, that God should raise the dead?

I don’t think in this case that Paul was asking the question. The Athenians may have thought this an incredible thing. The Sadducees would have considered it incredible. But Agrippa must certainly have believed in some parts of the Jewish doctrine. Paul was speaking to a man whose foundation, though crumbled, did come from the Word of God. 

I see much of the same as the case for people in the United States. The foundation is crumbled, useless for all practical purposes. It is neither a saving faith nor does it provide valid direction in life. But it does have a historic basis in the Word of God. Except for those allowed into the United States from middle eastern religious faiths, the average American at least knows that America has a Christian heritage. They may hate that heritage and wish to overturn it, but somewhere down inside, they know it is there. 

Paul appealed to this foundation in His message to Agrippa. Agrippa did not become a Christian, but he was almost persuaded. 

Would to God more souls in America were not only almost but altogether persuaded to become Christians. 

To my readers:
First of all, thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. Secondly, I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

Donate to Bible Baptist Church every time you make an Amazon purchase through this link, https://smile.amazon.com/ch/91-1265824

For this and more than 5100 earlier Daily Visits with God visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

For more resources from Pastor Marvin McKenzie visit http://puyallupbaptistchurch.com.

My books are available at:
https://marvinmckenzie.org

Acts 26:8 (KJV) Would to God

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