All Or Nothing

 

 

Ezekiel 20:38-39 - I will purge you of those who revolt and rebel against me. Although I will bring them out of the land where they are living, yet they will not enter the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the LORD.  " 'As for you, O house of Israel, this is what the Sovereign LORD says: Go and serve your idols, every one of you! But afterward you will surely listen to me and no longer profane my holy name with your gifts and idols.

 

God had Ezekiel recount the history of Israel’s rebellious heart to the elders that came to inquire of God. God was so angry that they had come to ask his help because they were also worshiping the gods of the people where they were living. 

 

These verses are a great example of the free choice that God gives us to believe or not believe. He knew from their behavior in the past that they would finally come to their senses and realize the damage they were doing to the nation trying to blend all those others gods into their culture.

 

It is also a vivid reminder that God wants all of our hearts or nothing.  He will never allow us to ride the fence and blend his commands with any other beliefs.  John recorded these words of God in Revelation 3:15 ….. “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other!” It goes on to say how he would spit us out of his mouth for not making a choice to follow him.

 

I admit that I am lukewarm more than I am hot….and some days I even let myself become cold. I need to let God power me from within so my heart stays hot more of the time.  For it is when I am hot that his love pours out more easily to others…..and the cares of this crazy world are easier to bear.

 

Father…thank you for the reminder that you want all of my heart.  Forgive me for allowing the world around me to cool off my heart and let my passion for you become lukewarm.  Ignite a new fire in my soul this morning to stay connected to you…and keep the fire in my heart completely fueled. Amen.

Stay Connected To The Source Of Life

 

 

Ezekiel 19:10-12 -  " 'Your mother was like a vine in your vineyard planted by the water; it was fruitful and full of branches because of abundant water.  Its branches were strong, fit for a ruler's scepter. It towered high above the thick foliage, conspicuous for its height and for its many branches. But it was uprooted in fury and thrown to the ground. The east wind made it shrivel, it was stripped of its fruit; its strong branches withered and fire consumed them.

 

Ezekiel was given this word for Israel.  It was called a lament….a word of mourning over the future of its people. He used the analogy of a vine planted near water to describe how strong they had once been.  It had purpose and strength as long as it was planted near the source of water that fed it. The problem was that they wandered away from the source of strength. …and God in his anger uprooted the whole nation to punish them for their sins.

 

King David understood how this separation felt when he wrote Psalm 42. He used the picture of a sweet deer….searching desperately for a drink of water to describe how much he needed God in his life.  His soul longed for God the way the deer searched for that life giving water.

 

It is the sin in our life that separates us from that source of life.  Ezekiel used the phrase….decays from within….in verse 14.  It helps me see that the problem is that I wander away from God….I let life and its busy schedule….greed….selfishness…and general impatience send me walking away from my source of strength and life.   And before you know it…I am so far away I don’t realize just how sinful my life has become.

 

It is a great reminder to me this morning to stay connected no matter what it takes…to open that Bible every day and try to drink from its wisdom.  I need to spend some time talking with God every day…and make sure part of that time is just listening to what he has to say to me.

 

Father…thank you for the reminder that I need to stay close to the source of my strength and life.  Forgive me for the times that I have let life entice me too far away from you to see how it is damaging my walk with you. Help me to stay so hungry for your love and care….so thankful for your touch of comfort and mercy…that I can’t stand even one minute away from your presence.  Amen.

Natural Consequences....Not Punishment

 

 

Ezekiel 18:30-32 -  "Therefore, O house of Israel, I will judge you, each one according to his ways, declares the Sovereign LORD. Repent! Turn away from all your offenses; then sin will not be your downfall.  Rid yourselves of all the offenses you have committed, and get a new heart and a new spirit. Why will you die, O house of Israel?  For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Sovereign LORD. Repent and live!

 

God gave Ezekiel a word to settle the belief that others were punished for the sins of their ancestors.  They falsely held on to the belief and even quoted verses form Exodus 34:6-7 to support their belief. God told Ezekiel to tell them that this belief was wrong…and all proverbs containing that concept should be destroyed.

 

We are all judged for our own sin….each one accountable to God.  Every sin we commit must be confessed and we must turn from it….rid our lives of anything that might cause us to fall back into it. God washes it away and gives us a new heart …..a new spirit that contains his power and goodness to love others as his son modeled for us.

 

The problem is we can’t always erase the natural consequences that come from the sin that was committed.  We sometimes suffer the effects of someone’s past sin….we feel pain from their choices. Even after we have confessed our sin….the effects of it continue forever in the lives of others.

 

That makes it even more important for me to try and make the right choices from now on. I can’t take back the hurt I have caused others for any sins I have committed. All I can do is own up to my mistakes….make amends to those that I have hurt….and ask God to help me forgive myself.  That way I don’t have to backtrack and repeat the process for sinning again.

 

One last thought.  It is even more important to let your heart remember that God doesn’t want us to wallow in the hurt others have caused us. He expects us to offer the same forgiveness that he offers us. It isn’t always easy….but it can be a powerful tool of peace in your own life that will power you to love others more deeply.

 

Father…thank you for the reminder that I am responsible for my sin only.  Forgive me for the hurt I have caused others…and continue to let those people cross my path so I can make amends to them.  Help me to not make excuses for the hurt others have caused me….but allow you to flood me with the power and love to forgive them…so healing and restoration can begin in our troubled world.  Amen.

The Best Present Ever

 

Ezekiel 17:22-23 -   'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I myself will take a shoot from the very top of a cedar and plant it; I will break off a tender sprig from its topmost shoots and plant it on a high and lofty mountain. On the mountain heights of Israel I will plant it; it will produce branches and bear fruit and become a splendid cedar. Birds of every kind will nest in it; they will find shelter in the shade of its branches.

 

God gave Ezekiel a word for the people in riddle form. It used eagles and cedar shoots to explain what had happened in Jerusalem and Israel. It explained how man had tried to do things on their own power and failed.  It explained how man had tried to get out of the punishment God intended…but all they did was make their life worse.

 

These verses foretold the coming of the Messiah…the plan of God that would end the need for any more blood sacrifices.  God was planning to allow his son to come to earth as a baby….and grow up to show the world what his father’s love should look like.  His love for us would be so great he would die for all our sins….mine and anyone else ever born.

 

Isaiah spoke of Jesus’ coming too.  He said in Isaiah 11:1-3 ….. A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.  The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him-- the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD--  and he will delight in the fear of the LORD. He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with his ears;

 

I can’t help but think that it is the best present anyone ever gave me for my birthday. I turn 56 this morning. I just can’t imagine living the last 42 years without this precious gift of salvation. I haven’t got the full meaning of it yet….cause God’s still working on me.  I am still learning how to do it Jesus style…to listen with my heart….to see with his love…to fear God above all else.

 

Thank you for waking me up to begin yet one more year of life this morning. Thank you for the reminder that I got the best present for my birthday 42 years ago….and you are still teaching me how to use it to its fullest.  Forgive me for not reading the directions to your precious gift with more rigor…and help me to spend even more time understanding how to use the gift of love you gave me.  Teach me how to use my heart to hear and see the needs around me each day…so I can pass on the great gift you gave me to others.  Amen.

Maturity Is Not Independence From God

 

 

Ezekiel 16:59-60  -  " 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I will deal with you as you deserve, because you have despised my oath by breaking the covenant.  Yet I will remember the covenant I made with you in the days of your youth, and I will establish an everlasting covenant with you.

 

Ezekiel was given another message about their sins.  It was a long message….written in the form of a love letter to the people God had chosen.  He said they had not kept their promise to him. They had grown up and left him to prostitute themselves to other gods….and peoples.

 

God was going to punish them for the sins they had committed…but he was not going to break his promise to them. He wanted them to remember the promise they made in their youth...and return to serve him with their whole heart.

 

Growing up means growing closer to God …not further away.  Maturity is defined by how much we let God’s love move us…not how independent we become. Sins have to be identified and removed from our lives if we are to have a deeper relationship with God. …if we are to keep our side of the promise we made to follow him.

 

The world doesn’t make it easy on us.  We live in a land that has made religious freedom the standard…and that means we have to respect the ones who believe in other things. It is that respect that gives us the freedom to worship God. It is that respect that gives us the strength to walk in love among so many different beliefs and not be swayed.

 

Father…thank you for the reminder that I need to strive for maturity….not independence.  Draw me closer to you and help me walk completely in love when I am confronted with different beliefs.  Forgive me for demanding my own way too much…and letting my brain be tricked into thinking that independence is the same thing.  Show me how to be strong and love others.   Help me keep the promise I made to you when I was 14…to love and follow you …no matter what.  Amen.

Useless....Or.....Useful?

 

 

Ezekiel 15:1-4 - The word of the LORD came to me:  "Son of man, how is the wood of a vine better than that of a branch on any of the trees in the forest?  Is wood ever taken from it to make anything useful? Do they make pegs from it to hang things on?  And after it is thrown on the fire as fuel and the fire burns both ends and chars the middle, is it then useful for anything?

 

God gave Ezekiel a word for the people of Jerusalem. He called them useless vines...charred on both ends from what they had been through…but still useless because they had learned nothing. The captivity they had suffered did not teach them anything about following God…it was nothing but the passing of time…while they continued to do what they wanted.

 

The hardships that God allows in our lives should teach us more about how to follow his ways.  They should bring us closer to his will. They should teach us how to lay all that we have in his hands and let him have total control.

 

When Jesus came…he talked about the vine in a different context.  He said that he was the vine…and we should be connected to him so that we could bear fruit. John 15:5 says…."I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”

 

I admit that don’t stay connected 24/7 like I should.  I let life…busy schedules…tiredness…and even selfishness interrupt my time with God.  I am the charred vine from Ezekiel’s time…burned more than once so God can teach me something…but so hardheaded I don’t get it even then. I need to stay connected to him…so he can help me learn what he needs me to learn to be useful to him.

 

Father…thank you for the reminder that I need to stay connected to you so I can become a useful branch on your vine.  Forgive me for the times that I have let the world distract me…and let the world char me for no real purpose.  Take all my scars and wounds from life and help me see the lessons you needed me to learn…so I can be a branch that bears fruit for your kingdom. Amen.

The Outside Has To Match The Inside

 

 

Ezekiel 14:3-5 -"Son of man, these men have set up idols in their hearts and put wicked stumbling blocks before their faces. Should I let them inquire of me at all?  Therefore speak to them and tell them, 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: When any Israelite sets up idols in his heart and puts a wicked stumbling block before his face and then goes to a prophet, I the LORD will answer him myself in keeping with his great idolatry.  I will do this to recapture the hearts of the people of Israel, who have all deserted me for their idols.'

 

Some of the elders had gone to ask Ezekiel to ask God to send them a message. God was so angry that they had become so double minded…worshiping idols in their hearts….but still wanting God to help them as well. Gods answer to them was harsh…full of judgment….disease…famine…war….wild beast attacks….and plagues.

 

The Ten Commandments tell us to have no other gods before the Lord…but we don’t always see the shopping…the bigger pay check…or the other things we do as other gods.  Anything that shoves God into second place in our lives is technically an idol to God.

 

Jesus quoted this law in Matthew 22:37.  It says…. ‘Jesus replied: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' If we truly do that…our outside matches the heart inside…and God truly comes first.

 

Father…thank you for the reminder to keep God first.  Forgive me for letting anything in my life become a stumbling block or idol.  Help me to uncover the things in my life that I still need to let go of so you can have complete control of my heart…and mind…and soul. Amen.