DAY 334

FROM RIGOR MORTIS TO RESURRECTION

Ezekiel 37, 38 & 39 and 2 Peter 2

Today we come to a rather famous chapter of Ezekiel and the Valley of the Dry Bones. I say famous because it has been put to music a few times, them bones them bones, them dry bones—you can listen to one version here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YlMUVErOwk8

As we read the chapter we read that Ezekiel had a vision and saw bones, and there were very many and they were very dry. The sight must have been terrifying. And then the Lord asks him, “Can these bones live.” In a moment of brilliance Ezekiel responds, “O Lord GOD you know. And God does. The scene unfolds, with bones rattling together, and sinews and muscle and skin growing right before his eyes—it is something out of a Sci-Fi movie. Next the very breath of God, the ruach, that we read about back on day one or two is breathed into these lifeless yet now skin covered corpses…and they come to life.

We must remember that the image is meant as a metaphor. In verse 11 we explicitly are told that these bones are the whole House of Israel—and into this House, God will put his very Spirit upon them (verse 14).

The text then moves in verses 15-28 to speak of unity. The prophecy then is about the restoration of Israel through the Promise of the Father.

So who are these Spirit infused people? The answer is those who are following the Son of God…it is clear that in Jesus Christ we have been grafted into Abraham’s family, i.e. the House of Israel. And, we who follow Christ have the very Spirit of God within us for no one can say Jesus is Lord except by the Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:3). So the resurrected bodies from the Valley of Bones…one of those skeletons is, metaphorically speaking,YOU!

DAY 333

ETERNALLY VALUABLE

Ezekiel 35 & 36 and 2 Peter 1

And we have something more sure, the prophetic word, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit…2 Peter 1:19-21

The above quote from the New Testament is fairly interesting. Here we read Peter speaking of prophecy and how it is something “more sure” and something “we would do well to pay attention to.” Now he writes earlier that they (the apostles) were eye witnesses to Jesus. And yet he makes the point that Jesus connects back to the prophecies…Jesus is part of the plan.

Know you and I have been reading prophecy and it has been hard. We have had to keep in view history and what was going on when. And we have had to sort out prophecy for the people of the day (as it were) as compared to prophecies that speak to the a longer view of the world. Today we have one of those “longer view” prophecies. In Ezekiel 36:25/26 a prophecy about how God will “put new hearts in us” by His Holy Spirit. I have written about this before, it is one of the prophecies that make up the Promise of the Father.

My main thought for today is the value of prophecy: it was valuable to the apostles and it is valuable to us. 

DAY 332

SHEEP, LAMBS & SHEPHERDS – 

NOT JUST FOR THANKSGIVING!

Ezekiel 33 & 34 and 1 Peter 5

I return to Ezekiel today and as happens every now and then, the New Testament lesson lines up with the Old.

In Ezekiel 33 we read a pretty basic message:

·         If I, God, tell you a message, and you tell that message to my people (my sheep), and they ignore the message, then it IS NOT on you, you were obedient and did what you should have done.

·         If I, God tell you a message, and you DO NOT tell that message to my people (my sheep), then whatever happens to them IS on you.

This seems like a pretty straightforward message: Ezekiel is the Watchman, he is watching for the Lord—in many ways he is a Shepherd. Shepherd is the theme of chapter 34. The Israelites would immediately understand this analogy for the image of Shepherd is planted deeply in their DNA. So deeply that it is used some 500 years later by Peter. This Jewish Disciple/Apostle of Jesus draws on this imagery as he writes to the persecuted church in Rome—shepherd the flock that is under your care…we read in 5:2.

It can be hard to shepherd a flock. First of all sheep are not the brightest animals in the world…and I wonder where the analogy breaks down…but the point is that it is hard and important work. The cares and concerns of being a shepherd can be high. It is why God instructs those in that position to cast all their anxieties on Him. We all should do that casting, but no one more so than the shepherds.

As I write this I cannot help but think of Jesus, He said, I am the Good Shepherd in John 10. He taught a parable in Luke 15 about how the shepherd, when his has lost one, leaves the 99 and goes and looks. In Ezekiel 33:11 we read, I myself will shepherd them and further in 33:16, I will seek the lost.

For centuries the people have been waiting for the good, trustworthy shepherd who puts the concerns of his flock before his own concerns…Jesus is this Good Shepherd.

Pretty straightforward…Happy Thanksgiving.

DAY 331

HAPPILY EVER AFTER…REALLY?

Ezekiel 30, 31 & 32 and 1 Peter 4

As I read Ezekiel cry out in lament over Egypt, and the other nations, I need to remind myself that this is prophecy…it has not yet happened, but it will…and that is different than what we read in 1^st Peter—since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh…1^st Peter brings me back to the reality that “it is finished” and that “it is finished” is a lot different than “happily ever after.”

If you “had arrived” and accomplished all you set out to in a certain area of your life, or if you had completed some great masterpiece, or if you finished some project that you had wanted to finish…might you enjoy it…might you live a bit differently? The person who has run a marathon is different than the person who has not yet done so. The person who has finished a detailed woodworking project is more confident than one who has never put his hand to the plane. The person who has made the soufflé is a little less fearful of it “falling.” The one who has faced the difficulties of a task, any task, knows that there a difficulties and challenges that await them. Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you.

These are the two points that I want to merge—first being that “it is finished,” God has won the victory in Christ Jesus, there is nothing more than to live as one who knows what it is like to live as a person who has run their first marathon, made their first/second piece of furniture, or…you create your own metaphor. I want to encourage you to have a sense of confidence that Christ has finished this for you and LINK that with the idea that you have more running to do, more furniture to make, more LIVING FOR GOD IN CHRIST to do. And in that living for God in Christ…Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. There is a misperception out in the world that if a person loves God, or loves Jesus, then they will live happily ever after! To that I say, really? That is Disney© that is not real life. Real life is way richer, and therefore more challenging, than “happily ever after.”

Of course a big key in all this is that we are not the ones who finished it—no, no, that was God on the Cross. 1 Peter 4 holds up to us encouragement and a question. The encouragement is what I have tried to capture above, the question is…”Will we try and live this way…confident of and in God…obedient to God…will we try and live this way among the trials…or will we give into the pressure and culture of the day chasing some “happily ever after” mirage?” The Fall of Jerusalem and the judgment of the nations around her stand as testimony to what happens in real life when people chase “happily ever after” rather than walk with God.

DAY 330

STAY STRONG

Ezekiel 27, 28 & 29 and 1 Peter 3

STAY STRONG—it sounds like some kind of modern day “power of positive thinking speak” or locker room pep talk, but consider the following introduction about 1 Peter from my Study Bible. “The readers of the Apostle Peter’s letter were confused and discouraged by the persecution they were experiencing because of their faith. Peter exhorted them to stand strong, repeatedly reminding them of Christ’s example, the riches of their inheritance in him, and the hope of his returning again to take them to heaven. Peter explained how Christians should respond when they suffer because of their beliefs. Called the “apostle of hope,” Peter’s primary message is to trust the Lord, live obediently no matter what your circumstances and keep your hope fixed on God’s ultimate promise of deliverance. Suffering is to be expected, but it is temporary and yields great blessings for those who remain steadfast. Peter probably wrote this letter in the mid-60’s AD.”

This letter is addressed to the “aliens, scattered.” These were Christians, who like the Israelites we have been reading about, were scattered throughout the world—in fact if you skip ahead to 5:13 the label “Babylon” is used…I pray you are seeing the connection to all the Old Testament reading we have been doing. The style of writing leads most to believe that the Apostle Peter is the author (they do this by comparing this letter to Peter’s speeches in Acts). It is believed to be written during the time of Nero’s persecution of Christians in Rome circa 64 AD—and his persecution was brutal. You can see a summary here:
 http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/christians.htm

With that introduction consider the words we have been reading the last few days. I have found them both encouraging and challenging. Then when I get to the words about wives and husbands, I tend to tighten up a bit. But when I consider that these folks are being burned alive in Nero’s garden, literally being used as torches, you might understand why Peter is writing a strong encouraging letter. 

Put yourself in their shoes; think of some of your best friends at church, and then try and picture that they are tortured and killed. You get a letter from Peter…one of the BIG guys…what does he tell you to do? “Do not return evil for evil.” Really? They, or he, are killing your friends and Peter is saying “turn the other cheek.” I seem to recall someone else saying that! I seem to recall someone else suffering.

The point of this letter is not to glorify suffering. Sometimes people will teach that we “should embrace suffering, maybe even welcome it, because Christ suffered.” Embrace is a strong word and welcome is even worse. I do not think we should welcome suffering, but the point is that when we suffer, or those we love suffer, for the Gospel, then our behavior should be that of Christ’s…in order that we would demonstrate our great belief in that which is our destiny…because we are all aliens—our home is with God in eternity.

DAY 329

POTS & STONE

Ezekiel 24, 25 & 26 and 1 Peter 2

Today in Ezekiel 24 we are given two graphic scenes—the first seems like a rather innocent boiling pot and the second the terrible death of Ezekiel’s wife. The chapter starts with a rather sweet sounding story of making a nice stew, but in verse 6 we read, “Woe to the bloody city, to the post whose corrosion is in it.” I am told the Hebrew in parts of this chapter are challenging; an older version reads the pot whose scum is still in it. The allegory is that the people are the pot and the meat. The meat is randomly taken out of the pot (instead of being carefully chosen) and then the wood is piled on the pot to destroy it…the siege of Jerusalem. We do not know if Ezekiel is acting out this scene…we do know the next scene is real…the death of Ezekiel’s wife.

Ezekiel’s wife: we read only a few short verses regarding the delight of his eyes. We do not know if this happened the day after the scene above, but it was probably in close proximity…but here is the point and it is a tough point…the death of Ezekiel’s wife is not some historical tidbit thrust into the text…it is a prophecy. How do we know that? Because God gives Ezekiel some rather unusual instructions. Ezekiel is not to follow the patterns of traditional mourning; rather he is to go about his day as normal. Why? To reveal a prophecy: the delight of the eyes of those who live in Jerusalem was Jerusalem—and quite specifically the Temple—and it will be destroyed—it will lay dead in their midst—and they will not be allowed to mourn—rather they will put on their shoes and be marched off to Babylon. If the people whom God has sent Ezekiel to cannot hear this prophecy, then they are certainly doomed.

Which brings us to 1 Peter, it is a little bit like the “positive-negative” idea that I wrote about yesterday. In 1 Peter we read about being Living Stones vice un-cleaned pots. To understand about “stones” I want to take you back to some of the big moments in the Old Testament that we have read about. Do you remember when the Israelites crossed the Jordan—how God stopped the flow of the river? It is in Joshua 3. God had the people dig up stones from the now dry river bed and stand them up on the shore as monuments. When other people would walk by they would see the stones and ask, “What happened here?” Then the answer would be given, how God did a great thing!

The point is somewhat straightforward…you and I are to be Living Stones. When people see us they are to ask, “What the heck happened to you?” Our answer is to tell people about what God has done in our life!

So are you and I un-cleaned pots or a living stones?

DAY 328

POSITIVE OR NEGATIVE?

Ezekiel 22 & 23 and 1 Peter 1

Today’s readings are like the positive and negative of the same picture. Ezekiel describes the un-holiest of situations and 1 Peter says “be holy for I am holy.” Many people over the years have concluded that God will only love us, or be nice to us, or help us…if we are perfect…and of course we never are. Some wonder if that is what Ezekiel, or Jeremiah, or Isaiah, or the whole Bible is about—all our “imperfectness” and God’s punishing reaction. By now I pray you have figured out this is not what the Bible is about.

So how would you describe what the Bible is about…at this point you are 90% of the way through it! Many people would say it is about violence, and blood, and God being angry. What do you say it is about? I think one of the results of your spending a year reading the Bible is so that you can have your own opinion of what you have read.

You might be thinking, “Yeah but Ezekiel seems to by revealing an angry God.” Ezekiel is revealing and saying something very different…Ezekiel is trying to get them to look into the mirror and look at their history…he is trying to get them to look at a very simple fact that we have read about since Genesis chapter 3 (that was 325 days ago)…what is that fact? That we run away from God…we not only run away from him, but we run after all those things that are bad for us. The prophets use strong and graphic language…they say things like we “whore after” them. They also remind us of all the times God has immediately responded to those who repent.

So I would describe how the Bible is story of God chasing after his creation…human beings…inviting them to live the best way possible.

Look at 1 Peter 1 again: "You shall be holy, for I am holy." 17 And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one's deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile, 18 knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. 

I wrote earlier that “Many people over the years have concluded that God will only love us, or be nice to us, or help us…if we are perfect.” “If we are perfect” implies something in the future. The text we read says…You were ransomed…past tense…it is done…God has taken the action. God is not waiting for you or me to be perfect: he has already done all that is needed. We are invited to respond to the love God has shown on us—God has invited us to live into the positive.

DAY 327

THE PRAYER OF THE FAITH

Ezekiel 20 & 21 and James 5

13 Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. 

This is one of my favorite verses from James—before we get to it chapter 20 and 21 of Ezekiel are, as always strong. Ezekiel 20 is has the prophet inviting the people to reconsider their history. They have a picture of history in their minds, but Ezekiel asks them to consider another. We all have pictures in our mind of our story with God. Then of course there is this chapter, chapter 21, on the sword—pretty violent stuff. And then of course the beginning of James is pretty tough as well. But then we get to verse 13.

We just had calling hours for a parishioner, it was held as the Cathedral with over 700 people coming through the doors. Before this person passed away I spent more than a few days praying for this person, visiting and anointing this person…and I was there at their passing. So how is it that the prayer of the faith will save? Simply that death is not the end…for the Lord has raised him up.

DAY 326

DOING THE RIGHT THINGS

Ezekiel 18 & 19 and James 4

In Ezekiel 18, you may be saying, “Not again!” Ezekiel is telling us an old message, a message of how serious God is about “right living”…but there is also another message, a message of how quick God is to respond to those who turn to him. In verse 18:21 God says, “but if a person turns back…then He will forgive.” Amazing! Are you and I that quick to forgive? I am not—but God is! Why? For a very simple reason that we find in verse 32: God desire no one to die. So he says, “turn and live.”

Ezekiel 19 is very much like Ezekiel 17, it is a lament, but we don’t exactly know who and when—the lioness is a reference to Judah—Judah is referred to as a lion (Genesis 49:4) and scholars have some pretty good estimates—but the point of a lament is that God, through Ezekiel, is lamenting over His people—He is not enjoying all that is happening, but as we read yesterday, in 16:41, “He will make Judah stop sinning.”

James 4 is somewhat similar, and maybe more to the point. The people of Judah have fallen in love with the world, they are often more interested in other nations gods and ceremonies, they are interested in maximizing their own interests, even at the expense of the poor. The same happens in every day and age—in Ezekiel’s, in Jame’s, and in ours—so therefore let us do the right things.

Don’t forget the message of grace—for it is by the grace of the Cross that we are made right with God—the point of course is that we live as people of God—to be people of godly character--you and I do not have to earn God’s love—rather we are to live into it!

DAY 325

KEEP A STEADY HAND ON YOUR RUDDER

Ezekiel 16 & 17 and James 3

If chapter 15 was a fairly straightforward prophecy using a vine as a metaphor, chapter 16 is similarly straightforward…the unfaithful bride. It is a long chapter. Verses 1-5 point out that as a bride, Israel does not come by her grandeur naturally; in fact she was “abhorred on the day she was born.” Then in verses 6-14 there is a rather tender section about how God “adorned” and raised the woman into a beautiful bride. Unfortunately, verses 15-35 tell how the bride trusted in her own beauty. In verse 20 the phrase,”you sacrificed your own children” is not a metaphor, they indeed sacrificed their children and the balance of this section replays Israel’s faithlessness and so in verse 35 God says He will judge Israel as a woman who commits adultery. Remarkably God says two more things: in verse 41 God says, “I will make you stop playing the whore” and then in verse 60, “Yet I will remember my covenant.” As I said the other day, God never gives up.

In chapter 17 we read an interesting parable about two eagles. It is a specifically constructed allegory designed to highlight two events. The allegory is set out in verses 3-10, the explanation in verses 11-21, and then a smaller allegory in 22-24 pointing to a brighter future. The events referred to are the first exile in 597 when Nebuchadnezzar takes Jehoichin to Babylon and installs Zedekiah as the regent. The first eagle refers to Nebuchadnezzar and the exiles in Babylon, and the seed of the land refers to Zedekiah. Like a “low spreading vine” Zedekiah professed loyalty to Babylon, but secretly reached out to the second great eagle, Egypt—the result is that the vine withered—you have read all this history…the point of course is the Ezekiel prophesized this beforehand.

Which brings us to James 3, I had a boss that once copied this text and put it on the desk of a co-worker. My co-worker put it under his the glass covering of his desk so he could always have it in view. A tongue—like a rudder and like a bit—small things that control large things—so how is your tongue? In Ezekiel we are immersed in heady big things, things at a national and international level—but then James brings us to the root—each man and each woman—we have choices to how we live—how we speak and act—and the tongue, like a rudder, can guide the ship that is us! So, in a nautical moment, let me encourage you to keep a firm hand on yours.

DAY 324

HOW DO YOU SPELL “LOVE”?

Ezekiel 14 & 15 and James 2

What do you carry in your heart? I carry my wife, my children, my family, my congregation, and more. I think you can tell by my list that by my answer to the question, “What do I carry in my heart?” I am meaning those things that are of tremendous importance to me…dare I say the answer is “that which I love.” Love is one of those funny words: I love my wife…and I love pizza. I am told that children spell “love” “T-I-M-E.

In chapter 14 and 15 of Ezekiel we see God challenging the people through his prophet with regards to what/whom they are carrying in their hearts. In 14 the phrase “taken idols into their hearts” (v.3/4) grabs my attention. We then read that Jerusalem will not be saved, in vv. 12-23 God makes that clear. Part of the issue is that the people in Jerusalem believe that the city, and therefore by extension they the people, are so important to God that they are somehow beyond reach. Ezekiel, vividly as we have read, is trying to convince them otherwise—not even Noah, Daniel and Job can save them.

And so these “carrying idols in their heart’s” people are doomed. In chapter 15 the metaphor shifts, but the point is the same. The people of God have often been described as a vineyard. The point is that the wood of the vine isn’t of much use—it exists to serve a singular purpose of bearing fruit—good fruit. When it does not the vineyard owner just burns it up as it can serve no other purpose. I have written many times this year that Israel’s purpose (and now ours) is to “bear fruit” or to “shine light”—to let people know of the love of God. We are chosen, not so that we might enjoy some privileged status, we are chosen to lead others to God.

Remarkably, God does not abandon. In 14:5 we read that God is going to “answer” all those who come to Him bearing idols—His answer will be to show how useless idols really are. Now why is God going to “answer?” Certainly God does not need to waste his time. God tells us in the balance of the verse: that I may lay hold of the hearts of the House of Israel. There is it again—hearts. God wants to be in our hearts—God wants us to spend TIME with him.

James 2 is written in a similar vein. In vv. 1-13 we are instructed to not show partiality, but to welcome and witness God’s love to all (that does not mean bless sinful behavior—it means welcome them). Then in vv. 14-25 we get this wonderful teaching about how faith and works are linked—which brings me back to love. If I say I “love someone” but then never spend time, or effort, or energy to show it—then do I really love them, or is it just some thought I have in my head? If I say I have faith, but never spend the time, energy, or effort to live into that faith—do I have it? Might it just be some romantic notion? Worse, if I am not spending time on that which I say I love, then what am I really spending my time on?

In the end the “theory/theology” really is not very hard to understand – love God with all your heart, your mind, your soul, and your strength…not to earn His love—He has already poured that out upon you because He loves you with all His heart, mind, soul and strength—the Cross shows us that love.

DAY 323 ½

COUNT IT ALL JOY – REALLY?

James 1

This is the second of two posts for November 19

I love the Letter to James. People debate whether it was written before or after Paul’s letters. We know that Origen, a person who lived between 184/185-253/254 directly quoted it, and there is evidence the Irenaeus (an even earlier Church father) quoted it.

Over the next several days I will point out some of the things I love. The first is James straight talk about how we make mistakes—how we miss the mark—how we sin:

13 Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am being tempted by God," for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. 14 But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. 15 Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.

Ever heard people say “God is tempting me?” James would say, “No He is not!” I love the straight talk of James and the progression to sin that he shows—I find it true. James says, it is not God tempting us but: first we have some desire and linger on it. This lingering is shown by this idea of when it is conceived it gives birth—it takes awhile from conception to birth and so the point is, do not linger. Do you remember the story of David and Bathsheba? David was walking on the roof and looked in a window and saw Bathsheba. Now I can understand that he might have innocently looked in the window and saw a beautiful woman bathing. He should have turned away, but he did not, he lingered…and that lingering led to all sorts of trouble—how about you—ever linger? I have and it is not good.

James goes on from there, not leaving us with the negative, but pointing out:

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. 18 Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures… 22 But be doers of the word,

There is more, but I must circle back to the beginning where we read:

2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

“Count it all joy”—really—even when terrible things happen? What does this phrase mean? I am divorced and it pained many people, including my children. Do I count that joy? I am burying someone this week—way too early in their life. Do I count that joy? I really believe the Bible, but these are the kind of phrases that we have to spend some time on, or we end up (as I have said before) picking and choosing and in the end not really being people who follow the Bible.

I am not the first who has tried to understand this specific text, and I pray that you won’t think me creating some logic that resembles a pretzel. When the Bible says “Count it all joy” I do not believe it is saying, “Gee, that really bad thing that happened was OK” nor do I think it means “God is not interested in your pain.” Now why do I say these things? Because I believe the Bible has to be consistent—it has one author, God, and if He is the author, then we should expect a consistent voice. God is not in the business of saying bad things are OK. We have been reading the Old Testament, people in those passages are doing really bad things—God certainly is not saying it is OK. Further God is interested in your pain and understands. Jesus says, “Come to me all you who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest…” He cares. Plus He has felt, in fact born our pain.

So what does “count it all joy” mean? I think there are two parts. First is the “all.” I do not believe God is saying each of the individual bad things that happen to us are to be joyful. I think it means that when we view our life in total, the “all of it” that we have a choice on how to view it. That choice is the second part. I think we need to choose whether we go through life mad and angry about “all” that has happened to us, or we go through life and we choose to not let “all of it” own us and have power over us. I do not think it means that the moment something bad happens that you immediately say, “It’s OK, I will just count it joy.” That would be nutty. I do think that over time you need to get to the place where you are looking forward. An author I have read a lot, Max Lucado, of says it this way:

It's quiet. It's early. My coffee is hot.

The sky is still black. The world is still asleep. The day is coming.

In a few moments, the day will arrive.

It will roar down the track with the rising of the sun. The stillness of the dawn will be exchanged for the noise of the day. The calm of solitude will be replaced by the pounding of the human race. The refuge of the early morning will be invaded by decisions to be made and deadlines to be met. For the next twelve hours I will be exposed to the day's demands. it is now I must make a choice. Because of Calvary, I am free to choose.

And so I choose.

Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

To these I commit my day.

If I succeed, I will give thanks.

If I fail, I will seek His grace.

And then, when this day is done, I will place my head on my pillow and rest.

I think to be able to make that choice is to somehow count the sum total of your life a joy that lets you look forward—the only way I know how to do that is by drinking in God and His love and grace.

DAY 323

GOD DOES NOT GIVE UP

Ezekiel 11, 12 & 13 and James 1

This is one of those days of reading when I want to talk about a lot of things—but I just don’t have the space to do so. Let me try and get organized a bit. Yesterday I spent time looking circling back on Ezekiel to get our bearings, and then moving forward to where Ezekiel sees in a vision all sorts of things which culminate in the glory of God leaving the Temple—pretty dramatic stuff. That scene continues in the first half of chapter 11:1-14, and in chapter 12 and 13 (I want to circle back to 11:15-25 and in a separate post cover James).

We do not have a date on chapter 12, but there are two scenes: hastily packing and trembling while eating—both are prophesies regarding going into exile. At this point it seems as if Ezekiel’s actions are constantly being watched, and so God uses the attention shown the prophet to present more skits/scenes to the onlookers. Chapter 13 seems to me to be a straight on attack against those who are telling the people all is well, not to worry—and those who practice all sorts of evil religion.

Which brings me back to Ezekiel 11:15-25: in it we see tremendous hope. Ezekiel prophesizes that there is coming a day which will be amazing. You may remember in Jeremiah there was a prophecy where God says He will write his Law on the people’s hearts. The problem is their hearts are too hard, too stony. For the God the solution is simple—just give people new soft hearts. And I will give them one heart, and a new spirit I will put within them. I will remove the heart of stone from their flesh and give them a heart of flesh, 20that they may walk in my statutes and keep my rules and obey them. And they shall be my people, and I will be their God. What a wonderful promise—you have heard me write about it two other times—the Promise of the Father.

What is remarkable is that in the midst of the people completely ignoring God and doing all sorts of evil, He, God does not give up on us. I know you might think that this stuff in Ezekiel reveals an angry God. I don’t necessarily see an “angry God” but instead a God who has to discipline those whom He loves…because if He did not love us, then He would never promise a new heart…He would just walk away from this experiment called the “human project”—but He doesn’t, He does not give up on us.

How do you feel about God right now, do you think He is angry or patient? It is an important question. In prayer ask God to speak with you, to show you His love.