"Ephraim is a cake not turned" said Hosea (7 : 8) thus diagnosing in one terse utterance the malady of this dominant tribe.
A simple bedouin cooking range consisted of flat stones made very hot by building a fire over them. The ashes were then raked aside and the thin wafers of dough laid on the stones. After this brief exposure to the heat the cakes were turned over to be cooked on the other side. If they were not turned, the cakes would be "burned to a coal at the bottom, raw dough at the top", as Bishop Horsley puts it . Half baked! Unpalatable! Spoiled!
Like a cake, Christian service is two-sided: it is manward and Godward. Just as monastic seclusion lacks the ingredient of saving contact with men, so absorption in social involvement lacks the vital spiritual element of contact with God. The two must go together. Ephraim failed in that they fraternised too freely with the heathen around them, adopting their ways, accepting their idolatory, approving their ideals. They failed in their witness. They were over-exposed to the world : under-exposed to God - unpalatable both to God and men.
Over-exposed to the world We cannot avoid contact with unbelievers, "for then ye must needs go out of the world", but we can reduce our exposure to their influence. Our companions should be carefully chosen, our reading selected with wisdom, our hobbies and holidays decided upon with an eye to spiritual benefit. Our visual use of television, magazines, or newspapers must be guarded, our aural intake of radio, audio tape, c.d. - and even conversation - must be watched. We must all pass the treble seive of an alert conscience, a balanced rationality, and a discerning heart.
Under exposure to God The greatest safeguard against world exposure is forthright spirituality, fervant prayer, frequent fellowship with fellow Christians, and functional bible reading. These are the means of exposing ourselves to God - methods of heavenly sunbathing that induce healthy souls. Add to these control of aural and visual intake and one is well on the way to countering the effects of world exposure.
A space module is preserved from disintegration on re-entry into the earth's atmosphere by a heat shield. Unbroken fellowship with Jesus will prove an effectual shield against all impiety, and worldliness.
O let me feel thee near me, the world is ever near.
I see the sights that dazzle, the tempting sounds I hear.
My foes are ever near me, around me and within;
But Jesus draw thou nearer, and shield my soul from sin.
Amen........nothing worse than "half baked" Christians.
Not that we have any on the 'talkjesus' forums, perish the thought.
A simple bedouin cooking range consisted of flat stones made very hot by building a fire over them. The ashes were then raked aside and the thin wafers of dough laid on the stones. After this brief exposure to the heat the cakes were turned over to be cooked on the other side. If they were not turned, the cakes would be "burned to a coal at the bottom, raw dough at the top", as Bishop Horsley puts it . Half baked! Unpalatable! Spoiled!
Like a cake, Christian service is two-sided: it is manward and Godward. Just as monastic seclusion lacks the ingredient of saving contact with men, so absorption in social involvement lacks the vital spiritual element of contact with God. The two must go together. Ephraim failed in that they fraternised too freely with the heathen around them, adopting their ways, accepting their idolatory, approving their ideals. They failed in their witness. They were over-exposed to the world : under-exposed to God - unpalatable both to God and men.
Over-exposed to the world We cannot avoid contact with unbelievers, "for then ye must needs go out of the world", but we can reduce our exposure to their influence. Our companions should be carefully chosen, our reading selected with wisdom, our hobbies and holidays decided upon with an eye to spiritual benefit. Our visual use of television, magazines, or newspapers must be guarded, our aural intake of radio, audio tape, c.d. - and even conversation - must be watched. We must all pass the treble seive of an alert conscience, a balanced rationality, and a discerning heart.
Under exposure to God The greatest safeguard against world exposure is forthright spirituality, fervant prayer, frequent fellowship with fellow Christians, and functional bible reading. These are the means of exposing ourselves to God - methods of heavenly sunbathing that induce healthy souls. Add to these control of aural and visual intake and one is well on the way to countering the effects of world exposure.
A space module is preserved from disintegration on re-entry into the earth's atmosphere by a heat shield. Unbroken fellowship with Jesus will prove an effectual shield against all impiety, and worldliness.
O let me feel thee near me, the world is ever near.
I see the sights that dazzle, the tempting sounds I hear.
My foes are ever near me, around me and within;
But Jesus draw thou nearer, and shield my soul from sin.
Amen........nothing worse than "half baked" Christians.
Not that we have any on the 'talkjesus' forums, perish the thought.
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