A Better Future

27 A ruin! A ruin! I will make it a ruin! The crown will not be restored until he to whom it rightfully belongs shall come; to him I will give it.’  Ezekiel 21

Honestly, I'm having a tough time with Ezekiel.  This is not a feel-good book.

Neither is life.  We have our ups and downs.  We feel joy and we feel grief.  Today, September 11th, many of us will spend time remembering the tragedy that befell our nation fourteen years ago.  I was thinking about it yesterday, realizing that it was fourteen years ago and my children will have no knowledge of what the world was like before that day.  It feels so long ago, and yet, I (and probably many of you) can remember that day vividly.

The difference with Jerusalem in the book of Ezekiel, is that the knew they would face terror and horror.  They were warned of it.  Probably, some chose to believe Ezekiel's prophecies and others wrote him off as another crazy prophet.  They had the warning, but God gave them the silver lining.  The prince, Zedekiah, would be toppled, but God would send someone to claim the crown.  The rightful owner - Jesus.

It was many years that passed between the time of Ezekiel and Jesus's birth, life and death.  I've talked before to say that God keeps his promises, even if it takes years to get there.

There are many that are fearful for the direction the country is heading and fearful of the threats from other countries.  I don't.  Will it get worse?  Maybe.  Will other countries turn against us?  Maybe.  

I don't worry, because we have the promise that there will be a better time.  A time is coming when those of us who have accepted Jesus will live again, and we will be seated at his table.  

We (the general public) didn't have warning about 9/11, and we may not have warning about the next disaster that befalls us.  But we do have a promise from God, that we will see Jesus again.  I don't know if it will be in my lifetime, but I believe - with every fiber of my being - that the day will come.

Thurs Devo: Confidence in Self?

Most of us know we can trust God, but we don’t always live like we fully trust Him. Sometimes we even pray first about a situation before reacting. However, we don’t always listen for or wait for God’s answer. Or, we hear God’s answer, but decide to try to solve the problem the way we have in the past.

Last week we saw how Moses and Aaron demonstrated faith and confidence in God by going to Him first before addressing the Israelite questions, attacks and problems. They even listened to God’s answer and acted in obedience to the first part, but then pride got in the way.

Numbers 20:9-13                    ⁹ So Moses took the staff from the Lord’s presence, just as he commanded him. ¹⁰ He and Aaron gathered the assembly together in front of the rock and Moses said to them, “Listen, you rebels, must we bring you water out of this rock?” ¹¹ Then Moses raised his arm and struck the rock twice with his staff. Water gushed out, and the community and their livestock drank.

¹² But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not trust in me enough to honor me as holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them.”

¹³ These were the waters of Meribah, where the Israelites quarreled with the Lord and where he was proved holy among them.

Yes, Moses was told to speak to the rock this time and not strike it. However, I think the greater issue was his heart. God hates pride above anything else. By Moses’ words and actions, he was taking credit for himself and not giving all honor and glory to God, the real Provider of the water.

If I stop and analyze my thoughts, I have pride in myself each and every day. The more I get to know God, though, the less pride I will have. I won’t ever be rid of it until I get to Heaven, just as the most humble man on earth (Moses) had his prideful moments.

The encouraging thing about this whole situation is that God was still faithful. Despite the huge lack of faith on the part of the Israelites, God still provided water for them! God also still used Moses, in spite of his pride, to accomplish His purposes.

Alice 

Tues Devo: Finding forgiveness

Colossians 3:12-15 “So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone, just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you. Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful.” (NASB)

Hello,

I want to spend 2-3 weeks going through this section. I titled it “Finding Forgiveness” not because we need to go looking for forgiveness, but rather because we need to find the ability to forgive others. If we were to think of where things start with forgiveness, you may answer that is starts with recognition that forgiveness is needed – but I believe these verses show that it starts earlier. It starts with us focusing on compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. These are the ingredients that it takes to execute forgiveness. Without them, how do you genuinely forgive? Without them, forgiveness is merely an exercise looking for some selfish gain – even if that is recognition for doing some forgiveness.

So, for us to be better at forgiveness, let’s work on putting on compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.

Have a blessed day,

Will Hill