Anglican Daily Fountain 26 September 2023 (Devotional Today)
Welcome to Today’s Daily Fountain Devotional of the Anglican Church of Nigeria. Daily Fountain is a daily reading devotional for all Anglicans and Non-Anglicans to read, study, share and discuss the Word of God on a daily basis.
TOPIC: DANGER OF NEGLECTING THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD
TEXT: Hosea 4:1-13(KJV)
4:1. Hear the word of the LORD, ye children of Israel: for the LORD hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land, because there is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land.
4:2. By swearing, and lying, and killing, and stealing, and committing adultery, they break out, and blood toucheth blood.
4:3. Therefore shall the land mourn, and every one that dwelleth therein shall languish, with the beasts of the field, and with the fowls of heaven; yea, the fishes of the sea also shall be taken away.
4:4. Yet let no man strive, nor reprove another: for thy people are as they that strive with the priest.
4:5. Therefore shalt thou fall in the day, and the prophet also shall fall with thee in the night, and I will destroy thy mother.
4:6. My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.
4:7. As they were increased, so they sinned against me: therefore will I change their glory into shame.
4:8. They eat up the sin of my people, and they set their heart on their iniquity.
4:9. And there shall be, like people, like priest: and I will punish them for their ways, and reward them their doings.
4:10. For they shall eat, and not have enough: they shall commit whoredom, and shall not increase: because they have left off to take heed to the LORD.
4:11. Whoredom and wine and new wine take away the heart.
4:12. My people ask counsel at their stocks, and their staff declareth unto them: for the spirit of whoredoms hath caused them to err, and they have gone a whoring from under their God.
4:13. They sacrifice upon the tops of the mountains, and burn incense upon the hills, under oaks and poplars and elms, because the shadow thereof is good: therefore your daughters shall commit whoredom, and your spouses shall commit adultery.
Anglican Daily Fountain 26 September 2023 STUDY:
Our text this morning centres on God’s warning to the nation of Israel to amend their ways and to imbibe His fear – which is the beginning of wisdom – in order to avoid the impending judgment on the land and the inhabitants thereof. In verse three of our text, the bible says that the land shall mourn and every one that dwells therein shall languish, both the prophets and men and women of status, because they neglected the knowledge ofGod(v.6).
This warning applies to us and our nation today. Our glory as a people is changed into shame. The immoral and abnormal has become the new normal. Is it not surprising how people live their lives in deceit, pleasures of sin and corruption of the highest order? Killings and wasting of innocent lives have almost become a daily routine in Nigeria. Stealing of government money without sympathy on the suffering masses is rife in governance. One hardly gets encouraging news from the media. Some churches have been converted to business enterprises.
People have neglected the word of God and live not by the commandments of God. Beloved, God is not happy with these happenings in our nation. Our glory is changed into shame by greed and pervasion. The time to turn and cry unto God is now.
PRAYER: Have mercy on us, O Lord and rain your righteousness on us. Save us from our sins and bless your people. Amen.