11.8.13

Ezekiel 19:21-22 But if wicked people turn from all their sins and begin to obey my decrees and do what is right, they will surely live and not die.  All their past sins will be forgotten, and they will live because of the righteous things they have done.

My Thoughts
I love that God gives us another chance... that He is a God of mercy... In verse 32 God says, "I don't want you to die. Turn back and live." He even gives us His Word so that we can learn to live a righteous life.  How special is that!  He forgets all of our sins!  When we are reminded of our sins it is not God, He does not remember!  It is Satan trying to trip us up... because God loves us so much He forgets...and we can tell Satan that we know that!!  We with boldness can say, "God has forgiven me, God loves me so much that He has even chose to forget my sins!" God wants us to grow in Him and He knows that we can't do that if we are living in the shadow of our past, so He forgets our past for us so that we can grow!!  We can never be so bad that God will not forgive us if we ask and begin to do better. That is love!  An amazing love.

11.6.13

Ezekiel 9:17-19 You took the very jewels and gold and silver ornaments I had given you and made statues of men and worshiped them.  This is adultery against me! You used the beautifully embroidered clothes I have you to dress your idols.  Then you used my special oil and my incense to worship them.  Imagine it! You set before them as a sacrifice the choice flour, olive oil, and honey I had given you, says the Sovereign Lord.

My Thoughts
Verse 23 says, "What sorrow awaits you, says the Sovereign Lord. In addition to all your other wickedness,  you built a pagan shrine and put alters to idols in every town square.

What all do we do this with today?  I think of stars having their hand prints in the sidewalk...of collages putting up statues of their sports hero's  and of Washington putting up statues to great presidents.  I thought of us spreading out a wonderful meal in front of the TV to watch our favorite teams play and of all the wonderful smells of food surrounding a football stadium by the tailgaters.  I though of how much pomp and circumstance we give so many things and then ponder on Sundays if we will go to Church or stay home.  How many times do we miss worshiping God because we stayed up late to watch "the game." I couldn't help but wonder what God thinks of all of that!!  It actually made my heart sad... the thought has truly brought tears to my eyes this morning.

God has given us so very much... so much of what He has given us gives us more time...yet we spend less and less time with God. I think of how much I have grown in the past 4 years by getting up each morning and reading my Bible and I feel proud of myself...but today I think... what if at night I gave up one more TV show and read that much more of God's word? I would have grown even more!!  

I have heard it said that if we are too busy to make time for God then we are way too busy.  So often we spend our days looking for a minutes peace...when peace would come in spending time with God.  Each night I look forward to settling in and turning on the TV for a couple of hours... a whole couple of hours of peace... have I neglected God in the process... have I made TV an idol?  It seems that I need to adjust my life a little more... I can see this as frustrating...as giving up something I enjoy... or I can see this as a wonderful chance to find more peace, to know God more, to grow my joy.... there are so many moments in my day where I have the chance for this.. yet I pass them up.  I have a couple of changes I need to make... I am sure there is more than a couple...but I can at least start with a couple and go from there.... I want so God to smile down on me....

11.5.13

Ezekiel 13:10 This will happen because these evil prophets deceived my people by saying, "All is peaceful" when there is no peace at all.  It's as if the people have built a flimsy wall, and these prophets are trying to reinforce it by covering it with whitewash!

My Thoughts
When I read the words whitewash, I though of white lies.  These prophets didn't want people, especially kings who could have them killed to dislike them.  So they said what the people wanted to hear. God called them evil. 

As I child I was taught to tell "white lies" to spare hurt feelings.  You know the kind, the phone rings (back in the day of no caller id) and your mom says, "If that is so in so tell them I am not at home."  A white lie to spare someones feelings... my mom didn't want to talk to them, but didn't want to hurt their feelings.  There are other examples, "I love this dress! Do you like it" and you answer, "yes" when your mind screams NO!  The list can go on...and some of the white lies you learn to tell... become more of a gray.  When you are taught something as a child, by a parent who has good intentions... you do what you are taught.  And sometimes you even pass these things down to your children...and them to their children.

The more I read God's word the more I understand how harmful these things can be in our lives and in the lives of the people around us.  A white lie...is white wash...it is something that makes things look better than what the truth is. And as harmless as a white lie seems it does not please God.  And as small as a white lie seems it could have consequences that we never intended.  What if we told a "white" lie about a dress being pretty...and that dress was worn to a job interview? The way that person looked in that dress could make all the difference.  We never ever know how far the ripples of a "white" lie reach.  God understand this...and in this verse I learn that we are not to white wash anything... we are to say everything with love and kindness... even if it stings a little. 

If you think about it... white washing the truth only benefits you... we are taught that it is for the benefit of others... but in reality it isn't. It makes us look sweet while the person we told a white lie to walk around in an ugly dress.  Is that kind... or would the truth been kinder?  The truth is always kinder if we could see the big picture.  God sees the big picture enough to warn us that white washing things is evil in His eyes. 

11.2.12

Ezekiel 3:17-19   (God said) "Son of man, I have appointed you as a watchman for Israel. Whenever you receive a message from me, warn people immediately.  If I warn the wicked, saying, 'You are under the penalty of death,' but you fail to deliver the waring, they will die in their sins. And I will hold you responsible for their deaths.  If you warn them and they refuse to repent and keep on sinning, they will die in their sins.  But you will have saved yourself because you obeyed me.

 

My Thoughts

We went to a church one time that hired a new preacher.  They hired him because he spoke God's word clearly and powerfully, but with love. Then not long after he arrived, just a few months he preached a few weeks on those everyday sins...those sins the people in our church were doing.  People started with-holding their tithes and ran this man of God off.  They didn't like what he had to say so they ran him off.  It was a very sad time to me... it really hurt my heart.

 

We should never get angry when we don't like what our pastors are preaching...if we do we need to stop and look honestly at ourselves and ask, "Is that something I need to be working on?" When we silence our pastors because we don't like what they say.. we put our own lives in danger. 

 

Have we really learned anything if when we go to church we hear about not murdering, committing adultery, stealing?  You know those big sins that most all of us see as sins.  Our pastors are doing us a favor when they preach on gossip, over spending, tithing, selfishness.  It is the job of our pastors to tell his congregation what they are doing wrong, the sins they are committing. When he does that he does it out of love for us... he is condemning our sins not our persons. He is loving us not judging us!!

 

God did not send angles down to be our pastors, he put people in that roll. People who mess up... who sin... who find themselves doing the very things they are called to preach about. People who understand what it is to mess up.  We should not get angry at these men/women.  We should love them for loving us enough to risk the wrath of our anger. Anger that comes from knowing somebody is right about us when we don't want them to be. 

 

Next time your pastor says something that make you squirm in your seat..don't get angry and refuse to come to church for a few weeks...we only hurt ourselves when we do that. Instead we need to shake his hand or hug his neck and thank him for loving us so much!!

11.8.11

Ezekiel 18:31-32 “Therefore, I will judge each of you, O people of Israel, according to your actions, says the Sovereign Lord. Repent, and turn from your sins. Don’t let them destroy you! Put all your rebellion behind you, and find yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. For why should you die, O people of Israel? "

My Thoughts

I feel like God was saying and that he still says....Look people... I love you so, so much... please be good....do what is right...I am telling you how.... I will give you a new heart and spirit and make it easy!! If you let me I will give you the desire and the power to do what pleases me (Philippians 2:13). I want you to live forever in heaven with me!!!  I don't want you to die!!!  I want you to live in love..with me in heaven... Please listen to me.  I have so much to give you if only you will grow up!!

My visual is like a parent that has a beautiful car to give his child...he wants him/her to have it so much!!  It is a classic...beautiful, expensive .... the parents want to give this to their child... but they can't give it to him/her if they know it won't driven safely...that could put the child they love and other in danger..... so the parent waits until the child will treasure himself and the people around him enough to receive such a wonderful gift.

God has so much he wants to give us so much!!  He can't wait to give us blessings, He wants to pour out his blessings on us...but we have to be ready and responsible... we have to be able to use our blessings for others and for ourselves in safe and good ways.  Then God showers us with amazing things...the most amazing of all is the gift of eternal life with him!!

11.7.11

Ezekiel 16:49 Sodom's sins were pride, gluttony, and laziness, while the poor and needy suffered outside her door. 

My Thoughts

Wow!...Oh, Wow!!  You like to imagine that Sodom's sins were sins people don't talk about... especially in public... but pride, gluttony, and laziness!!!...All you have to do to know that America has crossed that line is watch TV .... Our commercials are are full of spend the money you make... spoil yourself you deserve it... It's yours...it all belongs to you and you should spend it on the bigger, the better... you should make sure that you have more than the Jones'.... Wikipedia states that, obesity rates in the United States are the highest in the world with 74.6% of Americans being overweight or obese......Then there is all that time we spend watching TV.... just watching TV.... 

We need to take action.... me! I know I do... We need to spend more time with God... We need to make sure the Jones' have all they need... instead of making sure we have more, bigger, better... When we give, God multiplies. 

I wonder how long Sodom was on that slippery slope.... Our great country was founded because people wanted a place to worship God, to love God..... people helped one another plow fields, build houses....God rewarded their hard work, their goodness and their kindness...in a few short years in the big scheme of things America became the greatest nation....then the pride set in..we forgot who made us great... we forgot our neighbors.... gee today most of us don't know our neighbors.

We can say "Well what can I one person do?" One person can make a difference in one life at least.... so a 1000 people can make a difference in a 1000 lives....10,000 people can make a difference in 10,000 lives... What if each of us chose to make a difference in 2 lives..... and there were 10,000 of us... that would be 20,000 lives that could be touched..if that 20,000 did the same that would be 40,000 that 40,000 could turn to 80,000.... one person that chooses to make a difference can!  Look at sweet little Mother Teresa...she touched the world one life at a time!!!  We can change America, keep it from becoming another Sodom.... but each of us has to make a commitment to do something each day that blesses somebody enough to spread hope... Hope comes straight from God through us!!  Will you spread some hope today?

6.30.11

Ezekiel 16:49-50 The sin of your sister Sodom was this: She lived with her daughters in the lap of luxury—proud, gluttonous, and lazy. They ignored the oppressed and the poor. They put on airs and lived obscene lives. And you know what happened: I did away with them.

My Thoughts

Wow! This verse makes me know that we and individual people can not hope the rest of our country takes action.  We each need to do something. I remember reading that God said if you can find one person, one I will save the city.(Ezekiel 22:30)  We never need to hope there is one to save us...we need to strive to be the one that might save us. In the US most of us live in the lap of luxury, so many of us are proud, gluttonous (so many in the US of over weight), and lazy (I can be sooo lazy)... we ignore the oppressed and the poor (we expect the government to do something). We put on airs (keep up with the Jones')... live obscene lives (sex sells they use it even in commercials).  We can take a stand as individuals by asking God, "God what do you want me to do?" Today we can choose in some small way to make a positive difference in one person's life. Today we can choose to buy something for somebody else instead of ourselves. Today we can choose to turn off the TV to something offensive. Today we can choose to be a person that could save our country by being a person of action, a person that God would see as worthy enough to be saved from destruction. What step will you take today to make a small difference in  the life of someone around you?  Lets not let the US turn into Sodom... let us each make a choice to make a difference.



11.16.10

Ezekiel 34:18-19  Is it not enough for you to keep the best of the pastures for yourselves? Must you also trample down the rest? Is it not enough for you to take the best water for yourselves? Must you also muddy the rest with your feet? All that is left for my flock to eat is what you have trampled down. All they have to drink is water that you have fouled.

My Thoughts

This verse really spoke to me today...in the 4 pages that I read this one seemed to just jump off the page.  It saddened me deep in my heart.  We do this in America when we make regulations to keep our land and water safe and then build plants in third world countries where we don't have to follow those regulations that keep the people safe.  We dirty their water and land... we cause sickness...but we live here all safe and sound!... these people that we put in harms way were made by God just like you and me!....You say..I said to myself  "How can I change this?".. I can vote for the people that will make the right decisions... I can be mindful of where things are made when I purchase them... I can send prayers up for our leaders...for our factory owners... I can send prayers up for these people in these countries to make wise decisions for  themselves... I can refuse to keep quiet when I disagree with the people around me act like other people just don't matter... this may not be much... but if we were all a bit braver... a bit more vocal... more active in prayer...if we all did that little part that we could do... we could begin to make a difference.

10.14.10

Ezekiel 36:27 "And I will put my Spirit in you and mover you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my law."

My Thoughts

God gave us the Holy Spirit in us to remind us... to nudge us to do what he wants us to do... we feel it all the time... we need to be very aware if it and and stop and take time to listen.... if we listen to the Spirit inside of us and act upon that nudging we would never have to say "I should have."

10.10.10

Ezekiel 11:19 "I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh."

My Thoughts

Have you ever just held a grudge against someone.... been so angry or upset at them that you felt you could never forgive them?.... Have you ever gotten to this place with a family member or friend where all you could see was what they were doing wrong.... and you had gotten to a point when you were around them that they didn't cut you any slack and you didn't cut them any..... so you were constantly trying to make a point with them... any point.... you know that place, we have all been there at some time or another with some person or another... you heart was divided... you love that person, wanted them to love you... but you didn't act that way around them.... God can give us an undivided heart... all we have to do is ask and mean it... we can quit that love/hate relationship and feel just the love if we get God on our side... God tells us right hear that he will remove our heart of stone... so if you are struggling with a relationship with someone you love... just ask God to give you and undivided heart.

9.30.10

2 Chronicles 7:14 “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”

My Thoughts

These have been some bad times for our country…. So many of us see that… I hear all the complaining ad all the blaming …. All the name calling… all the fear and worry… but there is a solution!… instead of blaming and name calling… instead of grumbling and complaining wee need to humble ourselves and pray and seek the face of God… we need to turn from our wicked ways…(that includes grumbling and complaining, blaming and name calling), we need to confess of our own sins…and stand at the crossroads and confess of the sins of our nations…and ask God to heal our land…God said in Ezekiel 22:30 “I looked for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found none.”…one man is all God wanted …. We need to each decide to be that one man… not be the complainer… the blamer… the grumbler… we need to each decide to humble ourselves… confess or our sin… seek God’s face… we need to each turn from our wicked ways… and we won’t need the right people in office… we won’t need a bailout… it won’t matter if we have Democrats or Republicans in office… God will take control and fix our problems…be we need to each decide to be the “one man” that God is seeking to save this nation.