Cup of Coffee With Pastor 2-14-08

Another picture perfect day in Sunriver, Oregon.  The ice cycles are hanging down a foot or more, the sun is shining on the snow.  It is a great day.  I started reading in Daniel chapter 3 and read through Hosea chapter 10.  This gives me the twenty chapters a day so I can read the Bible through every two months.  Daniel is so good, I've preached out of Daniel for many months before, so there is no way to highlight the great truths and verses with any justice. So many great things about this man Daniel.  Here is a man who stood for God in his youth, and stood for God in his old age, and kept this up for a lifetime.  What a role model.  I was saved at a young age, and my plan is to live for God all of my life as well.  The Word says several times "O Daniel, greatly beloved".  Not only did Daniel love God, but God loved Daniel.  God thought a lot of Daniel.  Over and over you will find that in Daniel, there was "an excellent spirit".  Even heathen kings noticed it.  Daniel not only stood for God, but he influenced kingdoms.  He was taken away from his home as a captive of the Babylonian Kingdom, and lived to influence kings in the Persian Kingdom.  In both kingdoms, he was placed over all of the wise men of the kingdom.  He taught the wise men throughout these kingdoms.  No wonder the wise men came from the east to the star of Bethlehem.  They were taught by men who were taught by men who were taught by Daniel, chief of the wise men of Babylon and Persia.  Hosea is a book of redemption.  Hosea is told by God to marry a certain lady, Gomer, who bore him children but was unfaithful to him.  Even the names of the children imply that they were not Hosea's children.  Gomer chases after lovers to her own destruction, and finally is on the auction block to be sold as a slave, and low and behold, Hosea shows up and buys her.  What is all of this you ask?  It is the story of Israel!  God married Israel, and Israel was unfaithful to her own destruction, God in His tender mercies, bought her back.  It is a love story of a fallen nation.  It is the same story of mankind.  God loves us, we are fallen, and God bought us back to Himself.  What a story!  Read it with this in mind and you will enjoy it.  Well, I've had three cups of coffee and some oatmeal.  See you tomorrow.      Pastor Mike Mutchler

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