“Though Ephraim built many altars for sin offerings,
these have become altars for sinning.
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“Though Ephraim built many altars for sin offerings,
these have become altars for sinning.
one verse, one week 
This verse has so much in it… sin, altars, sacrifice, building something that’s “Christian” in name only. Mostly what I wonder about is to not ever forget the blessing of being IN the house of God, to never take it for granted or even worse, to despise the position with which I’ve been blessed. Because that’s what the people of Ephraim seemed to have lost or never had… gratefulness for their position in the kingdom. I know it’s more than that, but think if Eli’s sons were grateful to be the sons of the prophet of God, to be serving in the house of God… imagine if the Prodigal Son’s older brother stayed to serve his father in gratefulness instead of duty and resentment. So the question for the church is, am I going to church and doing Christian activities out of duty or am I working in gratefulness?
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Amen Kimberly!!! I can tell you the truth what I have learned is we can play church or be the church. Sometimes we get weary while doing good and we just go through the motions. Which too me that is normal way we get off track a little bit and God gets us back. But there is another part to what you say is it becomes a job that we feel we have to do like you say a duty. This reminds me of the parable in Matthew 21:28-31 man called his two sons to work in his vineyard one refused to work but went anyway and one said he would go but did not go. Sometimes our flesh gets in the way but in the end it is all about obedience, God knows the heart. And other times there are people that go to church but are not the church, they have never gave their hearts to the Lord but will go as a show of being a good person it is religion not relationship.
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Yes, obedience. I agree : ) Romans 1:5 “obedience from faith” is the ticket. This was reminding me of my personal salvation experience, because after Jesus revealed the truth that day, I wanted to obey Him because I knew about him now and wanted to please Him. But this verse seems to be pointing out that people that are supposedly “God’s people” were absolutely NOT His people. That’s why it reminds me of the prodigal son’s older brother… he’s obedient outwardly but he’s not obedient out of love and faithfulness to his father. That’s why in the end of the parable in Luke 15, the older brother who never “left” his father, is lost… while the prodigal son is found.
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I don’t mean to harp on people who are in church but have no relationship with Jesus — I want to think about what this verse has for me. Which, I think, is never lose sight of God and don’t slip into the routine of Christian culture and then don’t slip further into sin… to put it simply : ) And if it ever happens, repent and return to God. I want to be a better repenter : )
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Yeah I like what you said about the older brother in the Parable of the Prodigal Son, so true he was trying to work for his Father’s approval. As a Christian we can never out do what Jesus has already done. Yes I want to please my Heavenly Father but I know that it is Him in me that is good 🙂
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