Walking not stumbling

Hosea 14:9b The ways of the Lord are right; the righteous walk in them but the rebellious stumble in them.

It seems almost ironic, in a sense, that the same way of living (walking in the ways of the Lord) affects the believer (the righteous) so differently from the unbeliever (the rebellious).  We see evidence of this almost daily in the responses people have to living according to God’s principles.  As a believer made righteous through Christ, I find following God a joy, a freedom-fulfilling, a peace-creating way of life.  Others find following that same road to be stressful, intimidating, and restrictive.  My faith in Christ and my commitment to live for Him and my love for Him is what separates me from the world.  My salvation and new life in Christ is what makes my response to God’s demands so different, and I would not be able to understand that difference aside from a mind that has been renewed by Christ.  I want to walk, not stumble along in what is left of my live.

Press on

Hosea 6:3 Let us acknowledge the Lord; let us press on the acknowledge him.  As surely as the sun rises, he will appear; he will come to us like the winter rains, like the spring rains that water the earth.

Even if we do not see the benefit right away, if we put God in His rightful place in our lives, we will eventually find it was worth the effort of having done so.  The rain during the cold months does not cause the grass to grow right away, but the seeds in the soil need that water in order to germinate for the next season, when the warmer spring rain actually brings about the growth we can see.  There are times in our lives when we have to “hang on” in anticipation of blessing (growth) even if we cannot see it or experience it yet.  Something is happening, though, because God is preparing us for our next step of growth.  So we press on to acknowledge Him anyway, because “as surely as the sun rises,” that growth will come and we will reap the blessing of it, no matter how long or slow that process seems to be taking.