Ezekiel 15 – short but sweet

This is a short chapter, but it packs a powerful punch.  God simply says that Israel will not escape His wrath.  Too often we foolishly think we can get away with things, but we can’t.  God sees all and knows our hearts.  We need to be honest with God, others, and ourselves.

On another note, I came in second today in a disc golf tournament!  I played in the same tournament last year and did horribly – this year I finished on the top (#2 out of over 60 people!).

I had a thought: maybe I did well because I’ve been investing in God’s Word more!  Do you think God works this way?  Do you think He blesses us when we are obedient to Him?  I’d love to hear your thoughts…

Ezekiel 12 – a second chance for the few…

God asks Ezekiel to act out a symbolic sketch of what is to come.  He wants Israel to see what is going to happen to them – that they are going to be sent into exile.  He also wants them to know that most will die – only a few will be spared.

“They will know that I am the LORD, when I disperse them among the nations and scatter them through the countries.  But I will spare a few of them from the sword, famine and plague, so that in the nations where they go they may acknowledge all their detestable practices.  Then they will know that I am the LORD.” (vv. 15-16)

I am one of the few.  I am in a sort of exile, and I am finally acknowledging my detestable practices.

As you can see from the date of my last entry and the date of this one, I haven’t been in God’s Word.  I have been doing the very things I warned against in past posts.

“I know that I will be blessed if I’m obedient… I need to be.”

“Too often I’m quick to shower myself with God’s grace.  When I sin, I tell myself that it’s ok and that God will forgive me.”

“I shouldn’t take my sin so lightly.”

“How much will it take for you to really understand God?  Do you know how serious He is about sin?  Do you know He wants your whole life?  Or are you just playing the game because you know how to act ‘Christian?’”

“How repentant am I over sin?  Do I grieve over my mistakes, or do I simply let them slide?”

“DO NOT TAKE ADVANTAGE OF GOD’S GRACE!”

Through a friend, I’ve been brought back to the place I need to be – repentant and in His Word.  I am thankful that I am one of the spared, and I am praying that I will remain in God’s Word where I so desperately need to be.  I’m a pastor.  An example.  I need to be leading others to Jesus.  How can I do that if I myself am not in tune with Him?

God, forgive me.  I repent.  Continue to bring my repentant heart to You.  Amen.

Ezekiel 9 – to mark or not to mark?

God is still showing Ezekiel around “Christmas Carol” style, and this time, Ezekiel sees the death of what seems like most of Israel.  God has a guy go out and put a mark on everyone who is grieving over their sin.  God also has six other guys follow the marking guy.  These six are told to kill everyone that doesn’t get a mark.

As Ezekiel sees the massive bloodshed, he weeps over the dead, wondering if any will be spared.  God simply replies, “…I will not look on them with pity or spare them, but will bring down on their own heads what they have done” (v. 10).

This is one more reminder of how serious God is about sin, but this time there is a new side of God we see.  God honors and protects the repentant heart.  He sees those who truly mourn over their sin and has compassion on them.

This ties in exactly to what we’re going to be talking about on Sunday!  We’re talking about the Last Supper when Jesus foretells   the sins of Peter and Judas.  One of the big differences in these stories is the aftermath of their sin.  Peter realizes his mistake, repents, and becomes a cornerstone of the church.  Judas realizes his mistake and thinks so little of himself that he commits suicide.

How repentant am I over sin?  Do I grieve over my mistakes, or do I simply let them slide?  God, break my heart over my sin.  Give me a heart that grieves and aches.  Amen.

Ezekiel 8 – the ghost of Christmas… Israel?

After Ezekiel’s year-plus of lying on his side, God shows him another vision.  In this vision, he is taken around Jerusalem and shown detestable things that Israelites are doing.  Each time he is shown something, God tells him that he will see something even more detestable.  At the end of the journey, God tells Ezekiel that He will not listen to them and will deal with them in anger.

This is just another reminder of how seriously God views sin.  Each of the detestable things these people are doing are focused around worshipping false gods or idols.  God has no patience with people that worship things other than Him.  In this day and age, it is too easy to slip into idol worship – putting something before God.

God, please don’t help me fall into this trap.  Help me to put you first today and every day.  Amen.

Ezekiel 6-7 – Punishment is here!

God has already made it clear that sin is no laughing matter with Him.  In this passage, He talks about Israel receiving their punishment for the things they have done (their punishment being death).  He talks in detail of how they will die and that they will be repaid for their conduct.  But…

The one thing that struck me in this passage was the repetition of the phrase, “Then you/they will know that I am the LORD.”  This phrase always followed a detailed description of the punishment that was going to befall the Israelites, and every time I read it, I thought to myself, “It took that much for them to figure out who God is?”

How much will it take for you to really understand God?  Do you know how serious He is about sin?  Do you know He wants your whole life?  Or are you just playing the game because you know how to act “Christian?”  I played the game for a long time.  I still catch myself playing the game every now and then.  This was a good reminder that I don’t want to need a wake up call like the one the Israelites got.

God, help me know You.  Help me be passionate for You.  Help me remember to pursue You with my whole heart so I may not fall away like the Israelites of Ezekiel’s day.  Amen.

Ezekiel 4-5 – God shows Ezekiel how He will punish their sin

God uses Ezekiel to symbolically show Israel’s destruction.  He has Ezekiel lie on his side a day for every year of Israel and Judah’s sin – 40 days/years for Judah, and 390 days/years for Israel!  Not only did Ezekiel have to lie on his side for over a year for Israel’s sin, but Israel was living in rebellion for almost 400 years!  God also has Ezekiel build a mini-Jerusalem, play out a mini-siege, and use his hair (off of his now-shaved head) to symbolize how the Israelites are going to die.

What stands out to me in all of this is how seriously God takes Israel’s sin.  Not only is He ready to wipe them out for their sin, but He uses them as an example to the surrounding nations.  I think He has Ezekiel go through all of the symbolism to grasp the gravity of Israel’s rebellion.

This God that took Israel’s sin that seriously is the same God of today.  He is the God we pray to, the God we worship, and the God we serve.  Is He still forgiving?  Yes.  Is there still room for grace?  Yes.  But along with all of that is an anger that God has against sin.  I think Paul said it best:

“What shall we say, then?  Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase?  By no means!  We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?” –Romans 6:1-2

Too often I’m quick to shower myself with God’s grace.  When I sin, I tell myself that it’s ok and that God will forgive me.  Though this is true, I shouldn’t take my sin so lightly.  God sees it as a serious issue, and so should I.

So should you.

wicked(ness)

i went and saw Wicked yesterday with my family. it was AMAZING! the music - addicting! the sets - astounding! the story - captivating! it did make me think, though...

when i opened up the promo book my mom bought, i saw this quote: "are people born wicked or is wickedness thrust upon them?" (don't worry... i won't spoil anything for those of you that haven't seen it) it's pretty clear from the quote that the play aims to show that the wicked witch was forced into her wickedness - that she had no intention to be wicked but eventually had no choice but to be wicked. although this concept works for the play and we do create some understanding for the witch, this idea is a bunch of hooie.

you always have a choice. elphaba (the witch) had a choice. sure, people made her out to be wicked, but she did not have to adopt what was "thrust" upon her. too often, we use that same excuse for ourselves. "i didn't want to be bad... i was forced to be!" garbage. pure garbage.

i can't get enough of the new cd by RED (redmusiconline.com) called Innocence & Instinct. the first song is called "Fight Inside," which is one of my favorites on the album. here's some of the lyrics:

enemy / familiar friend / my beginning and my end / knowing truth / whispering lies / and it hurts again / what i fear and what i try / the words i say and what i hide / all the pain / i want it to end / but i want it again / and it finds me / the fight inside is coursing through my veins / and it's raging / the fight inside is breaking me again

wickedness is not thrust upon you. it's a battle. it's something you fight for and against. you know what the right thing is to do, but often, you don't do it. it happened me today at work. i wanted to get work done, but i wanted to play dumb games on my comupter. it's a fight.

maybe you agree. maybe you don't. either way, let me know what you think with your comments below...