Friday – Prophets

Reading – Hosea 7-8

Highlight Verse:

““The people of Israel mingle with godless foreigners, making themselves as worthless as a half-baked cake!”
‭‭Hosea‬ ‭7‬:‭8‬ ‭NLT‬‬

There was a movie theater with in-theater dining near us. One of my favorite selections there was their “half-baked cookies.” They were gooey and delicious.

That’s not what Hosea is talking about here.

Half-baked cake doesn’t sound nearly as good as those cookies.

I dare say it wasn’t something Israel should have been striving for.

The people of Israel were well instructed in the Law of Moses.

They even went through most of the religious motions in keeping with their culture.

But that didn’t keep them from indulging in the carnal practices of the peoples around them.

They dove so deep into the cesspool of sin that any remnant of love for God was left behind.

All they had was an empty shell of religion.

If you’ve known me for longer than a couple weeks, you know that I am far from legalistic, but I am passionate.

I love God enough to trust Him to lead me in the right way.

I know I’m far from perfect, but I strive to live a better life each day.

For me, among other things, that means trying to avoid media that will take me down a dark path.

For you it might mean something different.

For everyone, we need to avoid that which can drag us away from trusting God.

It’s not a legalistic thing; it is a heart for God thing.

What is it that you need to avoid to keep your heart right toward Jesus?
What are you doing to avoid it?