ezekiel 27-30

Today’s passage: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=ezekiel%2027-30&version=NIV

“Son of man, say to the prince of Tyre, Thus says the Lord GOD: “Because your heart is proud, and you have said, ‘I am a god, I sit in the seat of the gods, in the heart of the seas,’ yet you are but a man, and no god, though you make your heart like the heart of a god…” Ezekiel 28:2

When I read this passage initially, I thought, “Well that’s a mistake I’ll never have to worry about making. I know I’m not a god.” But as I thought about it further, I realized that isn’t really always true.

• When I take things into my own hands if God doesn’t handle them the way I think he should, I say that I know better than Him.
• When I rush in head first without even consulting Him for guidance, I say that I am in charge of my own life.
• When I celebrate my success without ever giving thanks to the Lord for his gifts, I say that I have created my own success.
• When I judge someone else saying “I can’t believe she did that. I would never do that!”, I say that I have enough strength in and of myself to fight temptation.
• When I try to be someone I’m not, I say that God didn’t do a good job creating me.
• When I worry anxiously about the details of my life, I say that God can’t handle my problems.

It's easier than I thought to forget that I am not a god. Seems silly, because I know I'm not a god, but somehow, I still seem to forget that. There is a God, I am not Him and I would do well to remember that.

todays post submitted by Kelly Coxe

ezekiel 23-26

Today's passage: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=ezekiel%2023-26&version=NIV

Ezekiel’s life as a prophet hasn’t exactly been what you’d call easy, but he has been faithfully obedient to God’s calling. In chapter 24, God reveals the next part of his plan to Ezekiel.
"The word of the LORD came to me: “Son of man, behold, I am about to take the delight of your eyes away from you at a stroke; yet you shall not mourn or weep, nor shall your tears run down. Sigh, but not aloud; make no mourning for the dead. Bind on your turban, and put your shoes on your feet; do not cover your lips, nor eat the bread of men.” Ezekiel 24:15-17

So, not only is God going to take Ezekiel’s wife, the delight of his eyes, but Ezekiel can’t even mourn for her. He has to pretend that nothing has happened. Shove his emotions down into his soul and move on with none of the rituals and ceremonies that bring healing and comfort. Ouch. Ezekiel responded in verse 18 in complete obedience, "So I spoke to the people in the morning, and in the evening my wife died. The next morning I did as I had been commanded."

I can’t help but imagine how I would have responded. “Surely there is another way? Please don’t take my wife, I’d be lost without her. How can you do this? Don’t you love me? This is so unfair!” I’m sure I’d run through the gamut of emotions such as grief, anger, pain, emptiness, denial, shock.

But the reality of it is that at some point, we all leave this earth. And before God lovingly created us, he knew exactly when that time would be. Some say that focusing on God’s sovereignty gets them through the grief of the loss of a loved one. In these times of anguish they focus on the cross. They focus on a God who loves us so much that he gave up his son to die on the cross to pay the price for our sins. They run to the refuge of his loving arms and rest in the knowledge that he has a plan for our lives on this earth – a plan that has a beginning, a middle and an end. But the best news is that the plan doesn’t end with our end here on this earth. He has a plan for an eternity with Him in heaven where there is no suffering, no pain, no grief. He has a plan and it’s a good plan.

God had built a faith in Ezekiel that allowed him to truly believe that God had a good plan. I pray that God continue building that faith in me. I'm 40 years old and I've never lost any one I would call the delight of my eyes. My grandparents have passed away, but they lived far away and I saw them once a year and although they were dear to me, they were distant and our relationship was not that close. I pray that when a time of grief comes my way that my faith will cause me to look to the cross for comfort. And that I will remain an obedient servant to the Lord who gives the gift of eternal life.

Today's post submitted by Kelly Coxe

Exile

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ezekiel%2021-22&version=NIV

Chapter 21 predicts God’s sword of judgment in the form of exile to Babylon and the oppression of King Nebuchadnezzar. This judgment would be devastating and complete and none would escape the effects – not even the righteous. To get an impression of what this exile looked like, I’d like to share information found in my study bible about exile in the Ancient Near East.

When a nation or city suffered a calamitous defeat, it could lead to the near eradication of the defeated people. The scenario often began with the destruction of the conquered city, including the walls. The palace was looted, the religious artifacts carried off and the temple demolished. The deportation of the survivors into exile then began. In some cases, only royalty, government officials and well-educated were initially deported. If the conquered territory remained rebellious, additional mass deportations of the general populace were undertaken.

Assyrian kings attempted to deal with unruly populations through massive deportations. Exiles were often treated with extreme cruelty. Certainly we read about these instances in scripture. There are instances, however, when captives fared well and were able to rise in positions of authority. We will see examples of this when we read the book of Daniel. Genocide was also practiced at times as a means to completely destroy a nation or ethnic group. We see this attempt in the book of Esther.

I wanted to share this because it helps create for us a picture of what God is warning the people is coming to them because of their rebellion. And it helps us understand the context of the books we have yet to read – especially Daniel, which is one of my favorite books.

In all of what we read in the upcoming weeks, note that while God did not protect his righteous ones from the exile, he protected them in the exile. He also uses their faith as a testimony to the very people who hold them in captivity. Sometimes God sends us into tough circumstances – often with the purpose of displaying his glory in those places. But even so, he protects us there, walks with us there, and uses us there. Watch for the way he does this in the upcoming books we read as we continue to read God’s story of his people and faithfulness – the story that is our story and part of our rich heritage.

Today's post was submitted by Carol Bartels

That's Life

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ezekiel%2018-20&version=NIV

Today as we continue through Ezekiel I want to focus on chapter 18, because we find here some important truths that we must walk according to:

Living closely with God is what gives life. (vs. 6-9)
Friends – if you want your life to be as fulfilled, rich, peace-filled, joyful, exciting – you must live, walk, and communicate with God daily. If you want God to guide and protect your steps, if you want to see and feel his presence in his life, walk beside him constantly. If you want to hear from God, put yourself in the position by listening to his word and being still in prayer. If you want to see God move, become involved in the places he is moving. God desires that all have life through him – not just in eternity, but daily. Walk closely with him and experience the vibrant life he offers – it’s a great ride!

The faith of your parents does not give life. (vs. 10-13)
So many people rely on their ‘heritage’ of faith for their salvation. I believe many Christians are just doing what their parents done and ‘practicing’ their faith the way they were taught. But that’s religion, not faith. And unfortunately there are those who rely on the practice of their parents’ religion while they continue to walk in their own sinful ways. There are also those who have rejected God because of their parents very wrong representation of what living with him means. Certainly, your parents faith can help build and develop yours. However, it is essential that you know God personally – that you explore the word, delve down deep, spend time alone with God is prayer, put yourself under the teaching of mentors and participate in serving in Christian community. God gives life according to your own faith and righteousness, not your parents. Know God personally and see the amazing God that he is!

The sin of your parents does not bring death. (vs. 14-20)
So often, those who come from families that are less than ideal and that did not walk with God struggle with their human heritage. Choose today, my precious friend, to not allow Satan to speak lies about coming from such a family that lead you to feel shame. It does not matter who your parents are or whether they believed in God or walked in sin when it comes to your salvation. God knows who your heavenly Father is, and that’s all that matters to him. He has adopted you into his family and you have a rich, rich heritage! That is not to say that God does not want your family to also be saved. Indeed – verse 23 tells us that that God doesn’t want people to parish, but to turn from their ways and live. Is God asking you to be an instrument he will use to change the heart of your family members? Lastly, it is important for you to know that God is so very concerned about the wounds your family might have inflicted on you. He wants so very much to heal your hurts and brokenness that your childhood might have left. Will you release them to him, allow him to walk you through the pain and then allow him to heal? It is part of the life he offers.

Your own past does not bring death. (vs. 21-24)
God is so loving, forgiving, and filled with mercy that he does not hold our past against us. Let me repeat that again – God does not hold your past against you! He does not intent for you to walk in regret of the way you used to live. For God, how you walk from this day forward is all that matters. Your past now only serves as a reminder of the amazing work of God in your life. Do not allow yourself to go into your past before worshipping at the altar of God’s life-changing grace so that you will understand that you simply are not who you where. You are a new creation – the old is gone. Your sin is removed from you as far as the East is from the West. Read Psalm 103 – especially verses 7-12 – as a beautiful reminder of Gods love and compassion for you. God doesn’t say fix what you’ve done (although there might be people you need to humble yourself before and ask for forgiveness). God also does not punish sin beyond its natural consequences. Nor does he ask you to clean yourself up a little before you come to him. He simply asks you to make a choice to ‘rid yourselves of all the offenses you have committed and get a new heart and a new spirit’. It’s that easy. If you’ve made that choice, continue to allow him to build that new heart and let that new spirit take residence in you. If you haven’t made that choice, today is a great day to do just that!


Friends – I believe each of us needs to remember one of more of these truths today. I pray that they would settle in your heart and that you would live, believe, and act accordingly. More than that, I pray that you would know the God who gives life, and draw so near to him that you would experience life the way he intended it to be. He is the creator God who created life. He’s the creator God who designed every intimate detail in you. He is the beginning of life, and the only true life is the one lived with Him.

Love and blessings sweet friends!

Today's post was submitted by Carol Bartels

Ezekiel 16-17

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ezekiel%2016-17&version=ESV

In Ezekiel 16, the Lord uses such strong language again.

I love the picture of verses 6 through 14,

"⁶"And when I passed by you and saw you wallowing in your blood, I said to you in your blood, 'Live!' I said to you in your blood, 'Live!' ⁷ I made you flourish like a plant of the field. And you grew up and became tall and arrived at full adornment. Your breasts were formed, and your hair had grown; yet you were naked and bare. ⁸"When I passed by you again and saw you, behold, you were at the age for love, and I spread the corner of my garment over you and covered your nakedness; I made my vow to you and entered into a covenant with you, declares the Lord GOD, and you became mine. ⁹Then I bathed you with water and washed off your blood from you and anointed you with oil. ¹⁰ I clothed you also with embroidered cloth and shod you with fine leather. I wrapped you in fine linen and covered you with silk. ¹¹ And I adorned you with ornaments and put bracelets on your wrists and a chain on your neck. ¹²And I put a ring on your nose and earrings in your ears and a beautiful crown on your head. ¹³Thus you were adorned with gold and silver, and your clothing was of fine linen and silk and embroidered cloth. You ate fine flour and honey and oil. You grew exceedingly beautiful and advanced to royalty. ¹⁴And your renown went forth among the nations because of your beauty, for it was perfect through the splendor that I had bestowed on you, declares the Lord GOD."

The Lord saw Israel and said live!! The same is true for us today. When the Holy Spirit quickens us, he causes us to live a life as a new creation in Christ. This is the new birth, or regeneration as it is called theologically. (See John 3, Ephesians 2:1-10, and 2 Cor. 5:17)

But after Israel had been called by the Lord to live, and adorned with His love, the people turned from Him.

See verses 15-17,

"¹⁵ "But you trusted in your beauty and played the whore because of your renown and lavished your whorings on any passerby; your beauty became his. ¹⁶You took some of your garments and made for yourself colorful shrines, and on them played the whore. The like has never been, nor ever shall be. ¹⁷You also took your beautiful jewels of my gold and of my silver, which I had given you, and made for yourself images of men, and with them played the whore."

The Lord uses extremely strong language for the people of Israel. He says they are whoring about, and He later says they are worse than whores because men pay for whores whereas they paid for their suitors to come to them.

In this context, the whoring about is not meant to be taken as sexual. The meaning of whoring about in this context is that the people of Israel had become so spiritually depraved that the Lord used the words of whoring about and whores as an analogy to bring home the point of how depraved they had become.

Look again closely at verses 6 to 14. In them you will see that the Lord calls out the people first, and then he adorns them.

So many people today think they need to be right with God by their actions first before they can come to faith to Him. This is so wrong!! You will be never be right with God until you place your trust in Him. Then He will supply you with strength by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit to follow Him and be obedient to Him and to grow in our trust and love for Him.

In fact, even when you place your faith in Christ, your faith is a gift from God. Ephesians 2:8 says,

"For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God"

As Jonah 2:9 says,

"...Salvation belongs to the LORD!"

The only thing we contribute to our salvation is our sins. Our decision to believe, repent of our sins, faith, justification, sanctification, and future glorification, are all from the Lord.

When we place our faith in other things, places, or people, we have become like the people of Israel. We have become spiritual whores, whoring about for what will satisfy us.

Only Jesus satisfies. With a God, who comes after us first and then equips us with what we need, how can we continue to whore about after things that will never satisfy?

I am not intending to insult anyone by calling them a whore. I am using exactly the same imagery that the Lord used. It was applicable to the people of Israel and it is applicable to us today.

I thank God that He did the choosing, that He did the regeneration, that He did the saving, and that He is doing the sanctifying.

You may ask, "What role do I take in my salvation?" Well, even though the Lord is sovereign we are still responsible for the choices we make.

Those that do not go to heaven can not claim that God did not choose them. They will not be in Heaven because they chose not to place their faith in Christ.

Deuteronomy 29:29 is a great verse,

""The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law."

How the sovereignty of God and man's responsibility for his choices work is a mystery even to the keenest theological minds. For me, I take great confidence in the fact that the Lord chose me. And because of this, I want to live a life that will glorify and honor Him.

Ephesians 1:3-10 states this truth much more eloquently than I,

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, ⁴ even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love ⁵ he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, ⁶ to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. ⁷ In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, ⁸which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight ⁹ making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ ¹⁰as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth."

For those who are saved in Christ, praise be to God. For those who have not believed in Christ as their Lord and Savior, I would ask that you study the Scriptures. I would start with the Gospel of John. Read about Jesus, who He was, and what He did for us.

And then, after prayer I would hope that you would ask the question and do as the apostle Paul stated in Acts chapter 16.

^"30Then he brought them out and said, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" ³¹And they said, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household." ³²And they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. ³³And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their wounds; and he was baptized at once, he and all his family. ³⁴Then he brought them up into his house and set food before them. And he rejoiced along with his entire household that he had believed in God."

(Acts 16:30-34)

Soli Deo Gloria.

Today's post was submitted by Russ Shellhamer.

Ezekiel 13-15

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ezekiel%2013-15&version=ESV

In Ezekiel chapter 15, the Lord compares the people of Israel to the wood of the vine.

I must confess, when I first read this, I thought, "Today's blog will be easy. I will just reference these verses and compare them to John chapter 15 where Jesus talks about the vine and the branches, and I'll be good to go."

But on further reflection and analysis, and looking at my trusty ESV Study Bible, we can see that there are definite differences between this "parable of the vine" vs. the "parable of the vine" in John chapter 15.

In John chapter 15, Jesus says He is the vine and we are the branches, and that a branch that does not bear fruit will be burnt up, and that without Him we can do nothing. As an aside, please read John chapter 15 if you have a chance today. It is a great chapter in the Bible.

In Ezekiel chapter 15, God is comparing the people of Israel to the wood of the vine. He says,

"Son of man, how does the wood of the vine surpass any wood, the vine branch that is among the trees of the forest? Is wood taken from it to make anything? Do people take a peg from it to hang any vessel on it? Behold, it is given to the fire for fuel. When the fire has consumed both ends of it, and the middle of it is charred, is it useful for anything? Behold, when it was whole, it was used for nothing. How much less, when the fire has consumed it and it is charred, can it ever be used for anything! Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: Like the wood of the vine among the trees of the forest, which I have given to the fire for fuel, so have I given up the inhabitants of Jerusalem."

(Ezekiel 15:2-6)

What the Lord is saying is that Israel has become so worthless that she is only good enough to be used as a fuel for the fire to be consumed. She has walked so far away from the Lord that this is her condition.

It is sad and frightening that the people of God could wander this far away from the Lord. And the thing is, this is possible still today.

As Jesus said in John 15:5-6, "I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. " (Sorry, I had to quote John chapter 15. :) )

On the above verses from John, we read that we can do nothing apart from Jesus. How that should be our focus each and every day. We should ask Him for help at our work, in our relationships, in our leisure, in all aspects of our lives.

Ezekiel writes straight to the point. Reflect today on what the Lord has done for you. Be thankful you are a branch of His. If you are not, and have not placed your faith in Jesus as your Lord and Savior, then you are one of the branches that will be gathered into the fire and burned.

But it does not have to be this way!!! Those who go to heaven, will give all the glory to God. Those who go to hell will have to bare all the blame because they did not trust in the Lord Jesus Christ for their salvation. A salvation that He freely offers to all.

As Jesus Christ said,

"The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price. "

(Revelation 22:17)

Soli Deo Gloria.

Today's post was submitted by Russ Shellhamer.

Ezekiel 7-12

Today's passage: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=ezekiel%207-12&version=NIV

As a teacher, often when I talk to parents about their students’ attendance or behavior problems, I find that the parent has forgotten that they are, in fact, the parent. They throw their hands up in surrender because they can’t get their child to be obedient. “He won’t do this or she won’t do that”, they tell me and I think, “Who is the parent here, and who is the child?” It seems like children are ruling the household more and more these days and parents have forgotten who is in charge.

The message in Ezekiel is clear. God knows that He is Lord, but it seems that his children have forgotten that. “They shall know that I am the Lord” is used about 70 times in the book of Ezekiel. God not only wants us to know Him, but He wants us to know Him as the Lord. Our Lord. He is the one and only Sovereign Lord, who deserves all glory, respect, praise, honor, obedience, love and worship. He is the Lord who is in control, whose wisdom is fathomless, whose judgments are unsearchable. He is the Lord who desires that we all come to know Him that we may be saved. He is the Lord who desires that we seek Him first, putting Him on the throne of our lives.

Take some time to reflect on your own relationship with the Lord. Do you know Him? Do you know Him as your Lord? Is He sitting in the driver’s seat of your life? What or who drives your thoughts and actions? Is it the Lord? Or have you put something or someone else there? Money? Career? A relationship? Fear? A desire? Ask God to open your heart to Him as your Lord. Ask Him to build a desire in you to know that He is your Lord.

Today's post submitted by Kelly Coxe