Ezekiel

       I have spent the past few weeks reading Ezekiel. Up to the chapter that I am at now, it has been filled with prophecies foretelling God's judgement on Jerusalem and surrounding nations. There are headings for various sections of the chapters that speak of the condemnation; such as "Jerusalem will be destroyed" (chp 5), "Judgement against idolatry" (chp 6), "False prophets condemned" (chp 13) etc.  Chapter 34 starts, as the commentary describes it, the final division of the book, where instead of condemnation, Ezekiel's prophecies speak of the restoration of Israel that will come through God! How beautiful it is that the restoration begins with God searching for his sheep and seeking them out. He (God) will then place His shepherd (Jesus) over them! How wonderful! I leave you with Ezekiel 34: 11-31 (ESV). I pray that you will see Jesus, and how great out Shepherd will be to us! 

          "For thus says the Lord God; Behold, I, I myself will search for my sheep and will seek them out. As a shepherd seeks out his flock when he is among his sheep that have been scattered, so will I seek out my sheep, and I will rescue them from all places there they have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness. And I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries, and will brig them into their own land. And I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, by the ravines, and in all the inhabited places of the country. I will feed them with good pasture, and on the mountain heights of Israel shall be their grazing land. There they shall lie down in good grazing land, and on rich pasture they shall feed on the mountains of Israel. I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I myself will make them lie down, declares the Lord God. I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak, and the far and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them in justice. 

            "As for you, my flock, thus says the Lord God: Behold, I judge between sheep and sheep, between rams and male goats. Is it not enough for you to feed on the good pasture, that you must read down with your feet the rest of your pasture; and to drink of clear water, that you must muddy the rest of the water with your feet? And must my sheep eat what you have trodden with your feet, and drink what you have muddled with your feet? 

               "Therefore, thus says the Lord God to them: Behold, I, I myself will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep. Because you push with side and shoulder, and thrust at all the weak with your horns, till you have scattered them abroad, I will rescue my flock; they shall no longer by a prey. And I will judge between sheep and sheep. And I will set up over them on shepherd, my servant David, and he shall feed them: he shall feed them and be their shepherd. And I, the Lord, will be their God, and my servant David shall be prince among them. I am the Lord; I have spoken. 

                "I will make with them a covenant of peace and banish wild beasts from the land, so they may dwell securely in the wilderness and sleep in the woods. And I will make them and the places all around my hill a blessing, and I will send down the showers in their season; they shall be showers of blessing. and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit, and the earth shall yield its increase, and they shall be secure in their land. And they shall know that I am the Lord, when I break the bars of their yoke, and deliver them from the hand of those who enslaved them. They shall no more be a prey to the nations, no more shall the beasts of the land devour them. They shall dwell securely, and none shall make them afraid. And I will provide for them renowned plantations so that they shall no more be consumed with hunger in the land, and no longer suffer the reproach of the nations. And they shall know that I am the Lord their God with them, and that they, the house of Israel, are my people, declares the Lord god. And you are my sheep, human sheep of my pasture, and I am your God, declares the Lord God."

Confession

"Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. 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. 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. Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit. My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins."

-- James 5: 13 - 20

              There was a period of time that I truly wrestled with God over whether I needed to confess a certain sin to other believers in my life. A sin that I had confessed to God and knew that I had received forgiveness for, but still remained a consistent struggle in my life. What would be the advantage of me sharing that sin? It would only show people how sinful I am (there's some good old pride for ya)! What are people going to think if I confess it to them? They are going to want nothing to do with me (still more pride)! Meanwhile, at home, at Kroger's, and various other places, the sin was almost mocking me with how often it would appear and plague me! 

              Finally, after months of praying and seeking God's wisdom on the matter, the moment came for me to open up. A friend shared the set of verses from James. I read it realizing how foolish I was in not seeking the prayer, the aid, the strength from loved ones in fighting this sin. Yes, the Lord has already won the victory for me, but others needed to know to hold me accountable. Others needed to know so that they could pray for me. Others needed to join me in this fight. Ultimately though, God needed to receive the glory for how He was and is cleansing and giving me a new heart. 

              So over the course of a few months I entered this period of confession, where, to brothers in various numbers, I became transparent confessing my past, the struggles I face, and how others could pray for me. I confessed the sins and how from it other sins arose in the form of lies and deception, but glory be to God that He still chose to use me despite it! After each confession we prayed and I instantaneously felt deeper strength in the Lord. As the stronghold from the enemy was weakened, the "rock" that I was standing on became wider and sturdier. The Lord revealed to me how much progress He had made in cleansing me; how I was a son of His, never to return to the sin that used to corrupt and deteriorate me. 
              The period has essentially ended with my girl friend and I confessing our brokenness to one another. We felt that it was important for our relationship if we were transparent with one another. After the confessing, Christ looked so much more beautiful and our relationship was strengthened as Christ serves as the basis of it. We will grow stronger together, and be able to glorify our Lord more, as we become more saturated in His truth and spirit! 

              The verses from James really came to life during this time. There is strength in confessing our sins not only to God, but to others in the faith who will earnestly join us in the battle. It is safe to say that what remains of the sin that haunted me is just dust. Even though there are still memories and other aspects of the sin remaining, I know that it does not affect me in the way it used to. My eyes are fixed upon the cross where even before I was born, Jesus, my savior, died for this sin. There is no longer a stronghold. The enemy has been shamed and defeated! 

           

How Great is Our God

Ok, so if you know me, you probably know that right now I am obsessed with this video. The song itself is by Chris Tomlin and this particular version is on his "How Great is Our God: The Essential Collection" album. This video comes from the 2012 Passion conference in Georgia. To quote a dear friend; "So good!"

Peace above all else

              When I was younger, Thanksgiving always brought child-like resentment. Here I was with a week off from school and the last thing that I wanted to do was pack my bags drive three hours over 6 mountains to Harrisonburg, VA, where what awaited my elementary eyes was a culture shock. I went from as much of a city as my hometown can be (which is not very much) to farmland, horse and buggies, and cows. Who, I thought, in their right 8-9 year old mind, would want to leave their TV, and Nintendo system, for no entertainment of any kind. (Remember, I was eight and did not know any better). You see, my family on my dad's side are Mennonites, and if you want to go learn more about them, I would suggest Googling them.
               So each Thanksgiving was filled with trips to the homes of distant relatives, conversations (me merely listening) of tractors and things associated with farming, news from the "valley" which encompassed who married who, who moved into who's house, etc. and other things boring to an eight-year-old. Everything culminated on Thanksgiving Day when my aunts, uncles, and their children brought their horse and buggies, bicycles, and few cars to my grandparents and the feast was underway. As family came in I did my best to shake hands, answer any questions about school, and stay as close as I could to my dad. When the blessing was said and a hymn was sung, (in beautiful 4-part harmony I might add) my dad went off with my mom to the "adult" table and I found a spot amongst cousins.
               At that point in time I had little in common with my cousins. We lived different lives and our priorities were different. As we got older, cousins got married, great grandchildren started joining and conversations got easier. Some cousins started incorporating electronics into their lifestyle and that eased my self centered mindset. Along with being selfish, I was very naive with a little of the naivete stemming from my age.
               The past few Thanksgivings have been vastly different. I look forward to going to see my family. The 3 hour drive (which becomes 2 1/2 depending dad's caffeine intake) is an opportunity to talk with my dad. Our conversations are steadily growing deeper, and I am blessed for that. I enjoy the absence of electronics as it allows me to draw closer to God. Ah, God, the first time our Creator hs been mentioned in this blog for purposeful reasons. It was not until the last few years of college and into adult hood that my mindset has changed,  and I have gained an identity now solely in Christ.  This has caused me to notice how God is the center of my family's life. It is evident in the way they live their lives.

              "Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him."

-- Colossians 3: 12-17

"For Whoever desires to love life and see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit; let him turn away from evil and do good; let him seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil."

-- 1 Peter 3:11

"Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
-- Philippians 4:4-7

Are you catching a theme? 

                   In watching the way my grandmother tirelessly moves through out the house, in hearing the joyful hums from my aunts as they prepare the meal, and in hearing my cousins and uncles speak about getting up and milking cows I am overwhelmed by seeing the peace in their lives. It is the peace in Philippians which "surpasses all understanding" and frees them from any stress or anxiety. It is the "peace of Christ" in Colossians, that rules in their hearts from their daily obedience to the Lord and denial to their earthly bodies. It is the peace that comes from living in reverence to the Lord. Peace the comes from loving all of God's creation here on earth! The list could go on, but, finally, it is the peace that for 21 years I could not see because I only saw what I felt they were "missing," because sin had blinded my eyes and I was transfixed on earthly matters. 

                   To me, these three sets of verses speak about the role peace should play in our lives. It is peace that is given as a gift from God as Christ reigns in our hearts. It smoothes out each of our steps so we are never rushed between places. It comes from faith in our Father and belief in the promises He has made for us. As His children, He has promised to protect us. My grandmother never takes this for granted, but lives everyday knowing her day is given to God and He will provide all she needs for the day. 

                   My grandmother, aunts, and uncles are living examples of Colossians 3: 12-17. They have been "clothed...with garments of salvation" (Isaiah 61:10) and their lives are governed by the Lord. I love them, but I love and praise the Lord even more for blessing me with them. 

Valley of Dry Bones

I came across Ezekiel 37: 1-14 a few weeks ago in a small group study about being born again. Upon reading this set of verses, my heart just sang out to the Lord. What was gathered was that the verses depict life before Christ, when we were dead to sin, vs when Christ enters our lives and we are born again.

              "The hand of the Lord was upon me, and he brought me out in the Spirit of the Lord and set me down in the middle of the valley; it was full of bones. And he led me around among them, and behold, there were very many on the surface of the valley, and behold, they were very dry. And he said to me, "Son of man, can these bones live?" And I answered, "O Lord God, you know." Then he said to me, "Prophesy over these bones, and say to them, " O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. Thus says the Lord God to these bones: Behold, I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. And I will lay sinews upon you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live, and you will know that I am the Lord."

               So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I prophesied, there was a sound, and behold, a rattling, and the bones came together, bone to its bone. And I looked, and behold, there were sinews on them, and flesh had come upon them, and skin had covered them. But there was no breath in them. Then he said to me, "Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath; Thus says the Lord God: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live." So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived and stood on their feet, an exceedingly great army. 

               The he said to me, "Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. Behold, they say, 'Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are indeed cut off.' Therefore prophesy, and say to them, Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I will open your graves and raise you from your graves, O my people. And I will bring you into the land of Israel. And you shall know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves, and raise you from your graves, I my people. And I will put my Spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I am the Lord; I have spoken, and I will do it, declares the Lord."

Grace be with you! 

"No More My God"

"No more, my God, I boast no more 

Of all the duties I have done;

I quit the hopes I held before, 

To trust the merits of Thy Son.

Now, for the loss I bear His name,

What was my gain I count my loss;

My former pride I call my shame, 

And nail my glory to His cross. 

Yes, and I must and will esteem

All things but loss for Jesus' sake;

O may my soul be found in Him, 

And of His Righteousness partake! 

The best obedience of my hands

Dares not appear before Thy Throne;

But faith can answer Thy demands, 

By pleading what my Lord has done."

-- Isaac Watts

Musically speaking

Here are three songs that have been pertinent to my life recently. 

"Able"

NEEDTOBREATHE

"Like a Lion"

Kristian Stanfill

"Take My Hand"

Shawn McDonald

Warning!

(Back Story) Solomon has succeeded David as king. It says in chapter 3 of 1 Kings that 

"Solomon loved the Lord, walking in the statues of David his father, only he sacrificed and made offerings at the high places." The Lord comes to Solomon saying ""Ask what I shall give you." And Solomon said, "You have shown great and steadfast love to your servant David my father, because he walked before you in faithfulness, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart toward you. And you have kept for him this great and steadfast love and have given him a son to sit on his throne this day... Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, that I may discern between good and evil, for who is able to govern this your great people?" It pleased the Lord that Solomon asked this." 

Continue reading in the Bible to get full details. 

All seems well with the reign of Solomon underway. Solomon is following the Lord like his father did there is peace in the land, a temple is being built, and there is solid trust in the God ordained wisdom that King Solomon has. Well, now our story turns to a darker side (pun intended, you'll see why), but first let me preface with this:

The title of this post is "warning," which the reason for that name will be given soon. While we look at the part of 1 Kings that I want to examine, I want it to be clear that there is a lot  which can be extracted from this set of scripture, let alone all scripture. What I am choosing to focus on is not the most poignant point, it is what has placed a spark in my mind ultimately resulting in this post. With that said, let's continue. 

We are now in 1 Kings 9, and the Lord says, starting in verse 4, 

"And as for you, if you will walk before me, as David your father walked, with integrity of heart and uprightness, doing according to all that I have commanded you, and keeping my statues and my rules, then I will establish your royal throne over Israel forever, as I promised David your father, saying ' You shall not lack a man on the throne of Israel.' But if you turn aside from following me, you or your children and do not keep my commandments and my statues that I have set before you, but go and serve other gods and worship them, then I will cut off Israel form the land that I have given them, and the house that I have consecrated for my name I will cast out of my sight, and Israel will become a proverb and a byword among all peoples."

In these verses, I see a promise but also a warning. First, God promises to Solomon that by following the Lord and all that He has commanded, that his line shall always rule over Israel. Then, comes the warning that if Solomon chooses to turn aside from Lord, then Israel will be cut off. 

If we turn to chapter 11, the heading reveals that 'Solomon turns from the Lord.' Essentially, thanks to "700 wives, princesses and 300 concubines," Solomon's heart is "turned away...after other Gods" (v. 4). The Lord becomes angry in verse 9 and says in verse 11 "Since this has been your practice and you have not kept my covenant and my statues that i have commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom from you and will give it to your servant." The Lord's warning became truth. 

God, with the infinite wisdom He has, knew what would happen to Solomon's heart. Yet, out of His loving nature, He warned Solomon to guard his heart. It makes me think of the own warnings I receive. 

Driving home from a get together at a friend's house one night, this thought was instilled in me that I needed to go straight to bed; that if I found myself on my computer at the late hour that it was, that temptations would lead to a fall; without a doubt. Thankfully, on that particular night, the warning prevented sin and I praise God for that. 

For me, warnings seem to come with a "still, small voice." As my mind wanders it suddenly becomes fixed on a thought that typically involves an action. Whether it is going straight to bed, restraining from a certain TV show, or even choosing the right activity to occupy my time I am always faced with a command. Then comes the moment when I am faced with the choice; i.e. having walked into my apartment at 11:30 PM do I "check facebook" or grab my Bible and head to bed? In the same way, somewhere between chapters 9 and 11 Solomon had a choice; will he continue to add more wives and recognize that he is not keeping the commandments, or recognize the law that he pledged to follow? Somehow, he lost the warning of God, his heart was pulled away from the Lord and the consequences the Lord warned of came to pass.