Turnip Pie

[dave c]

HEALING SHELTER MINISTRY #138a Re-Written 14APR10

HOSEA 10:12—Part One: Turnip Pie

by rev. dave c

Hosea 10:12 Sow for yourselves righteousness; Reap in mercy; Break up your fallow ground, For it is time to seek the LORD, Till He comes and rains righteousness on you (NKJV).

In 1997 I was feeling frustrated, guilty, and confused. Although I had decided for Christ to be my Savior 15 years before, I had spent most of my life since in a condition of backsliding. Because life was approaching critical mass, I finally, and actually, committed my life to Christ in 1996. Within a few years I began to feel called into some type of service to God and the Church, but I was sure that I was disqualified because of my past attitudes and actions. The fellowship that I was attending was having a guest evangelist preach each evening for a week and I found myself at the altar one of those nights as I wrestled with the issue of calling in light of eligibility. The evangelist approached me with the question, “Brother, may I pray with you?” I told him my situation and his immediate response was, “You’re telling me that you have been planting bad seed and now you’re living with the harvest. So...start planting good seed.” That was it—but it changed my life.

Consider the obvious here: We each eat what we have planted in seasons past...and we will eat in future seasons what we are planting now. For example, I don’t like turnips, but I am up to my eyeballs in them. I am sick unto death of boiled turnips. Mashed turnips. Turnip soup. Turnip pudding. Turnip fried turnips. Turnips diced, pickled, stewed, sautéed, tartar, dried, and/or sugared. “Well, duh...maybe I shouldn’t have planted so many of them in the past. Maybe I should stop planting them now.” Get the picture? The key here is to know that there is a time differential between the planting and the harvesting. Even if I stop planting turnips (my idea of really “bad” seed) today, right now, I’m still going to have to keep eating them for a while before I can ‘turn-up’ my nose at them. Everyday I delay beginning to plant “good” seed, I extend into the future my lack of potatoes, corn, and green beans.

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen (Ep 3:20&21; NIV). My wife and I began to ask Christ and man how we could be of service and we worked at being available. We began to plant good seed and we asked God to make them grow. The resulting harvest has been amazing. Over the next decade we were allowed to serve Christ and His Church in ways and at times that I could never have imagined...and I look forward to increased commitment and opportunities in the future. We do, however, periodically find ourselves again going through seasons of questioning the nature of God’s calling upon our lives. While passing through these wilderness periods may be uncomfortable, I agree with a close friend who once told me, “It’s probably good for you.” As long we are following Christ’s leading.

In response to seeking guidance from the Father for Biblical passages through these deserts, the Holy Spirit brought me to Hosea 10:12 as quoted in the opening. While concise, I find in this verse a lifetime of prayer and contemplation on how to apply its very direct, very specific, instructions for me, for you, and I believe for the Church Universal as the Body and Bride of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Please spend some time reading and re-reading this verse. Ask God to open the eyes of your understanding (and mine) regarding how He wants us to comply with His will as expressed in this Scripture from Hosea.

The sins of some men are obvious, reaching the place of judgment ahead of them; the sins of others trail behind them. In the same way, good deeds are obvious, and even those that are not cannot be hidden (1Ti 5:24&25; NIV). Whether good seed, or bad, evidence of my past is in today’s harvest. Likewise, what I sow today will be revealed tomorrow. Lord, I ask You to make King David’s words my own: Who can discern his errors? Forgive my hidden faults. Keep your servant also from willful sins; may they not rule over me. Then will I be blameless, innocent of great transgression. May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer (Ps 19:9-14; NIV).

The LORD has bared His holy arm In the sight of all the nations, That all the ends of the earth may see The salvation of our God. Depart, depart, go out from there, Touch nothing unclean; Go out of the midst of her, purify yourselves, You who carry the vessels of the LORD. But you will not go out in haste, Nor will you go as fugitives; For the LORD will go before you, And the God of Israel will be your rear guard (Is52:19-12; NAS). Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard (Is 58:8; NIV). Beginning with the issue of calling and eligibility, I am going to prayerfully spend some time examining each aspect of Hosea 10:12. I hope that by the time these discussions are finished, we will have each taken more steps in understanding God’s desire for our lives and that we will have allowed the Holy Spirit to bring us more into alignment with those desires. As I look to the future and as I examine the past, my personal goal is to see Christ’s leading going before me—and behind me, in the wake of my life, I pray there are evidences of God’s love, grace, and mercy. Thank You, Jesus. Amen.

[MacUser]

Hosea 10:12 Sow for yourselves righteousness; Reap in mercy; Break up your fallow ground, For it is time to seek the LORD, Till He comes and rains righteousness on you (NKJV).

Dave,
We are now under the New Covenant and Righteousness is a FREE GIFT.
Just receive it. The way to reign is simply receive.

Romans 5:17 (New International Version)
17. For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God's abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ.

[oletimer]

Dave,
We are now under the New Covenant and Righteousness is a FREE GIFT.
Just receive it. The way to reign is simply receive.

Romans 5:17 (New International Version)
17. For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God's abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ.

MacUser true we are under the New Covenant, but I feel that you are taking the term "Righteousness" as used here a little out of context.


Ro 5:16
And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences unto justification.

As we can see here He is speaking of "justification" and what does justification do, it makes right(eousness).

Ro 5:17
For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.)
Ro 5:18
Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.
Ro 5:19
For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.

Ro 5:20
Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound:
Ro 5:21
That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.

The wriiter of Hebrews wrote:

Heb 6:1
¶ Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God,
Heb 6:2
Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.
Heb 6:3
And this will we do, if God permit.

Those that stay with just basic foundation of salvation are called babes in Christ.
1Co 3:1
¶ And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ.
1Co 3:2
I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able.

Abraham's faith was justified by his works and was counted for his righteousness.

Jas 2:21
Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar?

If ones justification is not cultivated, then they will become as the one where the seeds fell on rocky gound. If one wants to go to heaven then they had better read Revelation.

Re 20:12
And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.

[MacUser]

MacUser true we are under the New Covenant, but I feel that you are taking the term "Righteousness" as used here a little out of context.

Sorry I don't agree. Quickly..
Romans 5:16/18 clearly appears to be talking about Jesus act justifies all mens offenses as Adams offenses doomed us to death.. Jesus justifies all men if they just believe and receive.

Romans 5:19 is again contrasting what was done and not any individual command. The first half is referring to Adam before the comma.. and the second half if referring to Jesus.

Romans 5:17 clearly shows they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ. This FREE GIFT isn't a result of work.. but just simply be received.

Romans 5:21 comes back again and confirms this again that they who receive the free gift will ultimately reign in life having been made righteous.

Beautiful Stuff.. Thank you OT for making me look deeper and review it all over again.. Praise God!!