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| "Then the Lord said to me, “Go again, love a woman who is loved by her husband, yet an adulteress, even as the Lord loves the sons of Israel, though they turn to other gods and love raisin cakes.” So I bought her for myself for fifteen shekels of silver and a homer and a half of barley. Then I said to her, “You shall stay with me for many days. You shall not play the harlot, nor shall you have a man; so I will also be toward you.” For the sons of Israel will remain for many days without king or prince, without sacrifice or sacred pillar and without ephod or household idols. Afterward the sons of Israel will return and seek the Lord their God and David their king; and they will come trembling to the Lord and to His goodness in the last days." Hosea 3:1-5 |
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FNF is back!
We will meet tomorrow night at Birmingham 1st SDA @ 7pm.
The address is 3520 Lorna Road, Birmingham, AL 35226
We'll have a breakfast supper-- I'm thinking healthy pancakes, maple syrup, scrambled tofu and fruit and veggie meat & OJ. That sounds amazing, right?
Let's make it happen! Please help me by bringing fruit for a fruit salad (strawberries, grapes, apples, mangoes, kiwi, etc) and by bringing juice/ almond milk and veggie sausage. I'm going to aim to get there by 6:20 or so to start making the pancakes & tofu and could definitely use help if you want to come early:)
My friend had to back out on leading out so since I'm doing the study, we'll most likely study something OT.
Looking forward to seeing all of you! Hope you have a productive yet easy Friday! God Bless!
(In case it's wrong, I totally made up that zip code:)
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Here's a little devotional to go along with the verse above. It's good so read all of it when you have time.
"Several years ago, at a women’s retreat where the theme was “Experiencing the Joy!” I remember telling them that “real joy is knowing the depth of your sin and the extent of your idolatry.” Until you believe with your whole being that, given the right set of circumstances, you are capable of committing any sin, and until you know that apart from Christ there is nothing that’s naturally good in you, then you will never know real joy.
Real joy is knowing how bad I am and then comparing it to how much I have been forgiven. Jesus said it himself: Those who have been forgiven much, love much. Their gratitude spills over, and they find themselves crazy in love with God, falling at his feet, worshiping with abandon. They find themselves loving others extravagantly and forgiving others from the heart. For not only do those who have been forgiven much love much, but they forgive much too (see Luke 7:41–48). As the Bible instructs, we are to “be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you” (Ephesians 4:32).
Although some sins are more heinous than others—murder is more detrimental to society than entertaining lustful thoughts or stealing a packet of Sweet ‘N Low—all sin is grievous to God. All sin separates us from him. All sin is serious . . .
Whenever my heart starts to grow cold, when I take comfort in being “not so bad” and seek satisfaction in feeling superior to others, all I need is to look at the cross of Christ. Then, once I see clearly that it was me who put Jesus there, I remember his words to another sinful woman: “Your sins are forgiven . . . Your faith has saved you; go in peace” (Luke 7:48, 50).
Read More......—Nancy Kennedy
