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I’m So Glad I Jumped in! —Ezekiel 47:1-12

September 6, 2012 in 2012 Journey, Choices, Ezekiel, Faith, Jesus, My story with 0 Comments

Today’s Scripture Reading:  Ezekiel 47:1 through Ezekiel 48:35;Ezekiel 29:17 through Ezekiel 30:19; 2 Kings 25:27-30; Jeremiah 52:31-34

Eleven years ago Harry and I went to Glacier National Park in Montana for our honeymoon.  It was so beautiful there.  My favorite part of the trip was whitewater rafting.  It was July and the weather was exceptionally warm, but the water was very cold.  Our guide told us that the water was so cold from the melting glaciers that hyperthermia could become a concern after just a few minutes in the water.

There were eight of us in the raft.  The guide came to an area where the waters were calm and said “if you would like to get in, now’s the time.”  I am very cold-natured so I had no plans to get in the water, but one-by-one each of our raft-mates jumped in; so I had to join the party.  Yes, it was cold, but it was so much fun!  I’m so glad I jumped in and didn’t just wish I had.

In Ezekiel 47:1-12, Ezekiel shares a vision of a river of healing.  In his vision a stream began to flow from the door of the Temple in Jerusalem.  Ezekiel followed a man as he led him down the stream.  In the beginning the water was only ankle-deep.  As they moved down the stream the water began to get higher— knee deep, then waist deep, then too deep to walk across.

Eventually the river reached the Dead Sea.

The Dead Sea is the lowest body of water on earth, and the lowest point on earth.  As its name evokes, the Dead Sea is devoid of life due to an extremely high content of salts and minerals.

In Ezekiel’s vision the stream made the salty waters of the Dead Sea fresh and pure; trees began to grow, swarms of living things and fish were in abundance, everywhere the water from this river stream flowed death was replaced by life.

Most interpreters agree that this “river of healing” represents the salvation message of Christ, which went forth from Jerusalem and spread throughout the world.  (Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible)

I’m so glad I jumped in Christ’s river of healing and now have the assurance of eternal life with Him.  But I wonder, if sometimes we are just ankle-deep in our relationship with Christ; committed enough to accept Christ as Savior but not producing the fruit of a life connected to the ultimate life source.

Maybe we should ceremonially baptize every area of our life in Jesus Christ’s River of Healing:

  • Our heart
  • Our soul
  • Our mind
  • Our body
  • Our fears
  • Our treasures
  • Our strengths
  • Our weaknesses

Friends, heaven is going to be great but God made a way through His Son Jesus Christ for us to live a victorious life from the moment of salvation;

if

we allow Him to be our Lord, to be in control and in charge.

 

I encourage you to go deeper in Him; jump in, let the healing power of Jesus Christ get in you and not just on you.  Don’t settle, grab everything God has for you—You’ll be so glad you did!

 

Heavenly Father, I want all that You have for me!  Cover me from head to toe in Your Presence!  Help me to daily “jump in” to the life You have planned for me.

In Jesus’ Name.  Amen and Amen!

 

 

© 2012 Dianne Guthmuller

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading:  Daniel 7:1 through Daniel 8:27; Daniel 5:1-31

When God says, “It’s Enough!” Ezekiel 45:9

September 5, 2012 in 2012 Journey, Ezekiel, Failure, Family, leadership, Parenting with 5 Comments

Today’s Scripture Reading: Ezekiel 44:1-46:24

In my days of parenting young children I remember saying many times, “That’s enough, do not do that again!” (in a very authoritative tone)

Can you imagine the God of the Universe saying, “Enough, stop it?”

In Ezekiel 45:9, the prophet Ezekiel delivers the “enough” message from the Lord:

For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: Enough, you princes of Israel! Stop your violence and oppression and do what is just and right. Quit robbing and cheating my people out of their land. Stop expelling them from their homes, says the Sovereign Lord.  –Ezekiel 45:9

Since most of us aren’t princes let’s change the word to leader to make it more applicable in today’s world.

Enough you leaders!

Stop your

  • Violence
  • Oppression
  • Expelling them from their homes

Quit

  • Robbing
  • Cheating

Start

  • Doing what is just and right

A year ago I became a chapter coordinator for a new national women’s ministry called Leadher. One of the things we mention at almost every meeting is that everyone’s a leader.  It’s all about our influence and we all have one…

The question is what do we do with that influence.  Is our example showing others what to do or what NOT to do?

What would your Heavenly Father say about your leadership in the…

  • home?
  • community?
  • workplace?
  • church?

If others follow you where will you lead them?

To Jesus 

or 

Away from Jesus

Heavenly Father, let my life leave a trail that leads others straight to you.  Holy Spirit, speak loudly, “It’s ENOUGH,” when I’m headed in the wrong direction.  Jesus, help me to follow close to You so I can lead wisely.

In Jesus’ Name.  Amen and Amen!

 

 

© 2012 Dianne Guthmuller
Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Ezekiel 47:1-48:35; Ezekiel 29:17-30:19; 2 Kings 25:27-30; Jeremiah 52:31-34

How a Building Caused Me to Feel Shame–Ezekiel 43:10-11

September 4, 2012 in 2012 Journey, Biblical Principles, Depression, Ezekiel, Forgiveness, Holy Spirit, Jesus, Prayer, Sin, Word of God with 0 Comments

Today’s Scripture Reading:Ezekiel 40:38-43:27

Some of my earliest memories are in church. In those early years my mom took us to church a couple of times a week. Somewhere around the age of 9 I began to understand the gospel. At this young age I started to grasp the magnitude of my sin.

 

I know, 9 year olds don’t have a lot of sin, right?

 

What I mean is, I began to understand I had inherited a sinful nature from my ancestor Adam.

 

A battle began in my young heart.

 

A battle for my soul.

 

Every Sunday, as our pastor  preached I would feel the need to walk down the aisle and make a public confession of faith in Jesus Christ, but something held me back.

 

I would think things like…

 

“I’m too young. “

 

“This is what the adults do.”

 

“I’m not a bad kid.”

 

So each week I would put it off.

 

The weeks turned into months, the conviction was so strong that the moment we drove into the  parking lot and I saw the church that feeling would come over me…

 

Lord, I’m ashamed of my sin!

 

Those childhood memories came rushing back when I reach these verses in today’s reading…

 

 “Son of man, describe to the people of Israel the Temple I have shown you, so they will be ashamed of all their sins. Let them study its plan, and they will be ashamed of what they have done.  –Ezekiel 43:10-11

 

The people of Israel had abandoned their God, their laws, and traditions. Their Temple had been destroyed and they were in Babylonian exile. God knew that when they saw the plans for the new Temple that He personally designed, the magnitude of their sins would flash before them…and they would feel shame.

 

In today’s culture the thought of God wanting us to be ashamed and feel shame doesn’t fit with our “I’m okay and your okay” way of thinking.

 

But

 

The only way we can come to Christ is through the conviction of the Holy Spirit. Sometimes we need to be ashamed and experience the feeling of shame to be able to break free of our sins.

 

Thankfully, during my 10th year of life, I walked that aisle, confessed my sins, accepted Jesus as my Savior, and began to live my life for him.

 

What about the feelings of shame?

 

The minute I walked down the aisle they were gone!

 

Has it ever returned?

 

Yes, when I’ve gone against God’s Word but God’s forgiveness is only a prayer away!

 

Here’s the good news.

 

God does not want Christians to live a life of shame. Whether you accept Him as your Savior when you’re 10 or 100, whether your sins are as innocent as a 10-year-old or as depraved as the worst sinner; HE WILL TAKE AWAY THE SHAME!

 

But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.  –1 John 1:9

 

If we confess our sins He is faithful to forgive us

 

AND

 

Cleanse us from all our wickedness!

 

Our job is to accept that forgiveness and be free.

 

If you’ve accepted Christ as your Savior and asked for His forgiveness and you’re still feeling shame and condemnation, that is not the conviction of the Holy Spirit.

 

Recognize where that shame is coming from, assign it to the proper owner (the enemy of your soul)…

 

AND…

 

Be free my friend!

 

In Jesus’ Name be free!

 

 

© 2012 Dianne Guthmuller
Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Ezekiel 44:1-46:24 

When People Don’t Make Sense—Ezekiel 33:11

September 1, 2012 in 2012 Journey, Choices, Depression, Divorce, Ezekiel, Family, Parenting, The Hurting World with 0 Comments

Today’s Scripture Reading:  Ezekiel 32:17 through Ezekiel 33:20; Jeremiah 52:28-30, Psalm 137; 1 Chronicles 4:24 through 1 Chronicles 5:17

We’ve all heard it said, maybe we’ve said it ourselves; maybe we’ve read a book about it…

Sometimes, God doesn’t make sense. 

Premature death, hunger, sickness, suffering, orphans; it breaks our heart and causes us to ask “why.”

I wonder if God ever says, “People just don’t make sense.”

Yes, He made us and gave us the ability to choose.  And yes, He knows and understands our humanness, but He must get frustrated with us; frustrated with our choices.

In Ezekiel 33:11, we see one of those times when God must have said to Himself as he shook His head…  people just don’t make sense:

As surely as I live, says the Sovereign Lord, I take no pleasure in the death of wicked people. I only want them to turn from their wicked ways so they can live. Turn! Turn from your wickedness, O people of Israel! Why should you die?

This scripture verse reveals the heart of God…the heart of a father.

Can you hear the Lord’s sadness over the senseless death of the wicked?

He’s pleading with them through the prophet Ezekiel to turn from their wicked ways.

As a parent, it’s terribly frustrating to sit by and watch my children make a choice that I know will hurt them in the end.  How much more frustrating must it be for God, after all He knows what the results of our decisions before we make them.

I’m sure people don’t make sense to God when…

  • We choose death over eternal life
  • When we choose to talk to everyone else but the God of the Universe
  • When we choose to spend time staring into a T.V. or computer screen instead of reading His love letters to us
  • We abuse the bodies He gave us
  • We give more of ourselves to our jobs than the people we love
  • We choose to keep our Savior a secret
  • We choose to ignore His commandments

Friends, God has given us the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses.  God is watching anxiously to see which choice we make.  Let’s choose life today so that we and our descendants might live (Deuteronomy 30:19).

Heavenly Father, we know we do many things that just don’t make sense. Please forgive us when we choose the world and its enticements instead of You and the things that hold eternal significance.  Holy Spirit draw us to you.  Jesus, make us more like you.

In Jesus’ Name.  Amen and Amen!

 

© 2012 Dianne Guthmuller
Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading:  1 Chronicles 5:18-26, 1 Chronicles 6:3b, 1 Chronicles 6:4-15, Chronicles 7:1- 8:28

5 Things We Can Learn From Dry Bones—Ezekiel 37:3

August 31, 2012 in 2012 Journey, Believing God in the Hard Times, Depression, Ezekiel, Failure, Faith, God Speaks today, Prayer, The Hurting World, Tough Times, Word of God with 0 Comments

Today’s Scripture Reading; Ezekiel 37:1 through Ezekiel 39:29; Ezekiel 32:1-16

God asked Ezekiel:

Son of Man, can these bones becoming living people again?   –Ezekiel 37:3

Ezekiel had three possible answers:

  1. Yes
  2. No
  3. Maybe

Ezekiel said “no” to all three and answered with a statement of faith:

O Sovereign Lord, you alone know the answer to that.

If that was a faith checkup, Ezekiel passed.

The Lord told Ezekiel that the dry bones represented the people of Israel who had lost all hope of going back to their homeland.  The Lord said He was going to open the graves of exile and cause them to rise again and bring them back to the land of Israel. The Lord was going to put His Spirit in the Israelites so they would live again and return to their own land. (Ezekiel 37:11-14, my paraphrase)

It’s easy for us to zoom past this and not grasp the life of hopelessness the Israelites were living through.  They needed a miracle and had lost all hope of getting one.

What are you facing today that looks hopeless from a natural standpoint?

  • Physical challenges and illness
  • Relationship worries
  • Financial Distress
  • Job loss
  • Overwhelming grief
  • Spiritual Dryness
  • Emotional  weariness

Does it look as hopeless as the possibility of old, dry bones coming together and growing muscle and flesh and then living again ? (Ezekiel 37:4-9)

When you’re facing a seemingly hopeless situation do you ever struggle with knowing what to believe, how to feel, and what to speak?

Ezekiel’s answer to God’s question (Ezekiel 37:3), gives us some guidance for getting through “seemingly” hopeless times.

1.         It’s okay to not have an answer

2.         It’s okay to voice the impossibility of the situation to your God

3.         It’s okay to release the responsibility of the outcome to the Lord

4.         Reliance on God’s sovereignty gives peace in the worst of situations

5.         God knows the answer to every situation

Why would God tell Ezekiel all of this?  What was the purpose of the bone prophesy?

When this happens, O my people, you will know that I am the Lord. I will put my Spirit in you, and you will live again and return home to your own land. Then you will know that I, the Lord, have spoken, and I have done what I said. Yes, the Lord has spoken! –Ezekiel 37:13-14 (emphasis mine)

Why do we need to read the complicated book of Ezekiel?

Why do we need to make every effort to understand prophesy?

So that when God’s Word comes to pass…

we will know that the Lord is God!

Friends I’m very grateful to Ezekiel for keeping it real.  There are things we know and there are many things we don’t know.  All we really need to know is that our God is the Sovereign Lord of our lives   The more we know Him, the less we are bothered by the big questions in life.

It’s okay to say “I don’t know, but He knows.”

Heavenly Father, help us to grow each day in the knowledge that you are the Sovereign Lord of our lives and you can be trusted!  Longing to know You more.

In Jesus’ Name.  Amen and Amen!

 

 

© 2012 Dianne Guthmuller
Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading:  Ezekiel 32:17 through Ezekiel 33:20; Jeremiah 52:28-30, Psalm 137; 1 Chronicles 4:24 through 1 Chronicles 5:17

Words That Can Take the Fun Out of a Blessing—Ezekiel 36:32

August 30, 2012 in 2012 Journey, Biblical Principles, Blessings, Ezekiel, Holiness with 0 Comments

Today’s Scripture Reading:  Ezekiel 34:1 through Ezekiel 36:38

“Dianne, I’m going to bless you but you don’t deserve it!”  Ouch!  Those words could sure take the fun out my blessing.

As a parent I’m sad to say that I must have said that to my kids at some point, but hearing it from God, now that’s another story…

Things are looking up for the Israelites, God says He’s bringing them back to their home land; they will be coming home soon (36:8)!

  • I care about you (v. 9)
  • I will pay attention to you (v.9)
  • Your ground will be plowed and your crops planted (v.9)
  • I will greatly increase the populations of Israel (v.10)
  • The ruined cities will be rebuilt (v.10)
  • I will increase your people and your animals (v.11)
  • I will make your more prosperous than you were before (v.11)

Just think about it, the Israelites are in exile in Babylon, thinking they’re never going home, when Ezekiel shares the good news with them.  Surely the celebration plans were already beginning when Ezekiel tells them the sobering reason they are going home—

Therefore, give the people of Israel this message from the Sovereign Lord: I am bringing you back, but not because you deserve it. I am doing it to protect my holy name, on which you brought shame while you were scattered among the nations.  I will show how holy my great name is—the name on which you brought shame among the nations. And when I reveal my holiness through you before their very eyes, says the Sovereign Lord, then the nations will know that I am the Lord. (Ezekiel 36: 22-23 emphasis mine)

“God, you mean it’s not about me?”

“Lord, You would bless me to protect Your Holy Name?”

“Lord, You would bless me so that others would know that You are the Lord?”

What would happen if our prayers, our desires, our priorities, our time, talent, and treasure were all about glorifying the Name of the Lord and causing others to know Him?

We would be world-changers; not frustrated, burned-out, tired,

trying-to-make-it Christians.

How do we stop the “selfishness train” to nowhere and get on the “it’s all about Him rocket-ship” to a life that makes a difference for the Kingdom?

Ask God to do what he promised to do for the Israelites:

And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart.  And I will put my Spirit in you so that you will follow my decrees and be careful to obey my regulations. –Ezekiel 36:26-27

Heavenly Father, in my natural unholy state, I am a disgrace to Your Name, but because of Your Son, Jesus Christ I can have a new heart and a new spirit.  I can be holy, tender and responsive to Your Spirit so that Your Name will be glorified and others will know You more.  Help me walk in that confidence today! Lord, I don’t deserve it but bless me for the honor of Your Name.

In Jesus’ Name.  Amen and Amen!

 

© 2012 Dianne Guthmuller

 Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading:  Ezekiel 37:1 through Ezekiel 39:29; Ezekiel 32:1-16

When Things Get Worse…

August 25, 2012 in 2 Kings, 2012 Journey, Biblical Principles, Depression, Ezekiel, Jeremiah, Trust with 0 Comments

Today’s Scripture Reading:  Ezekiel 26:15 through Ezekiel 28:26; 2 Kings 25:3-7; Jeremiah 52:6-11; Jeremiah 39:2-10

“This is what the Sovereign Lord says: The people of Israel will again live in their own land, the land I gave my servant Jacob. For I will gather them from the distant lands where I have scattered them.  I will reveal to the nations of the world my holiness among my people.  They will live safely in Israel and build homes and plant vineyards. And when I punish the neighboring nations that treated them with contempt, they will know that I am the Lord their God.”

Can you imagine being a Jew exiled in Babylon hearing this prophesy in Ezekiel 28:25-26?

I’m sure there was celebration, excitement, and expectation throughout every Jewish family trapped in Babylon.  If I had been a Jew in Babylon and heard that prophesy I would have started packing my bags, making my plans, and looking forward to the day when my people were once again seen by neighboring nations as “God’s chosen.”

But, what happened next would have made me cancel the moving van and realize “going home” wasn’t going to be a reality any time soon.

Two and a half years later, on July 18 in the eleventh year of Zedekiah’s reign, the Babylonians broke through the wall, and the city fell.  All the officers of the Babylonian army came in and sat in triumph at the Middle Gate: Nergal-sharezer of Samgar, and Nebo-sarsekim, a chief officer, and Nergal-sharezer, the king’s adviser, and all the other officers. –Jeremiah 39:2-3

The city of Jerusalem had been destroyed.  But what about Ezekiel’s prophesy?  Maybe he didn’t  r-e-a-l-l-y hear from God.  Maybe we will never go home.  Maybe we will never be “God’s chosen people” again.

Have you ever felt this way?

You read a passage of scripture in God’s Word, believed it pertained to your situation, believed God spoke to you and promised a breakthrough…

…and then things got worse.

There are two ways we can look at these times:

  • God, why would you give me false hope?
  • God, thank you for giving me hope so I can survive these difficult days!

Friends, if God said it—it will come to pass; the how and when are His to determine. That’s His job; He’s God.

Our job is to…

  • Trust God–Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding.  Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take. Proverbs 3:5-6
  • Believe God–In the same way, “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.” Galatians 3:6
  • Have Faith in God’s Word and His Promises–And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him. Hebrews 11:6

Yes, things got worse for the Jews before they got better, but they did get better and every promise God made came true.  We can expect the same (Acts 10:34-35).

Heavenly Father, help us to trust You, believe You, and have faith in Your Word and Your Promises.

In Jesus’ Name.  Amen and Amen!

© 2012 Dianne Guthmuller


Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading:  Jeremiah 39:11-18; Jeremiah 40:1-6; 2 Kings 25:8-21; Jeremiah 52:12-27; 2 Chronicles 36:15-21; Lamentations 1:1-22

Your Dearest Treasure—Ezekiel 24:15-16

August 23, 2012 in 2012 Journey, Believing God in the Hard Times, Biblical Principles, Commitment, Ezekiel, Faith with 0 Comments

Today’s Scripture Reading:  Ezekiel 24:15 through Ezekiel 25:17; Jeremiah 34:1-22; Jeremiah 21:1-14; Ezekiel 29:1-16; Ezekiel 30:20 through Ezekiel  31:18

What is your dearest treasure?

Ezekiel’s dearest treasure was his wife.  The King James Version calls her “the delight of his eyes.” When I think about Ezekiel’s life as a prophet it’s easy to understand how important his wife was to him.  God had called him to bring difficult messages to the Jewish people while he was held captive in Babylon.  I’m sure many times he felt as though he was completely alone; except for his wife.

This word from the Lord must have felt like a dagger through his heart:

Then this message came to me from the Lord:  “Son of man, with one blow I will take away your dearest treasure. Yet you must not show any sorrow at her death. Do not weep; let there be no tears.  Groan silently, but let there be no wailing at her grave. Do not uncover your head or take off your sandals. Do not perform the usual rituals of mourning or accept any food brought to you by consoling friends.” –Ezekiel 24:15-17

My first thought after reading these verses was, “Lord, why would you go to such great length to send Israel a message.”  I’m thinking like a human and seeing this earthly life and earthly love as the most important gifts we have and wondering why in the world would God waste all that to send a message to some rebellious people; but God’s ways are not like our ways (Isaiah 55:8-9) and this earthly life is just a second in the scope of eternity.

The thought of Ezekiel’s wife dying a premature death must have been an overwhelming; asking Ezekiel not to show any sorrow at her death was completely unheard of.  This is totally contrary to Old Testament funeral practices, which featured loud wailings and passionate expressions of grief.   Demonstrative grief and sorrow was expected and seen as a sign of great love of love for the one who had died.

The death of Ezekiel’s wife was a sign designed to portray the loss of God’s blessing for Jerusalem (24:15–24). The “dearest treasure” (24:16) referred to Ezekiel’s wife. The same expression was used in 24:21 to refer to the Jerusalem temple. As Ezekiel was forbidden the customary mourning practices with regard to his wife’s death, the people were not to mourn God’s judgment on Jerusalem, for it was just (24:22–23). (Tyndale Concise Bible Commentary)

Ezekiel’s level of love and commitment to his God and the office of a prophet is the ultimate love story and God’s example of how the Jewish people were supposed to act when God’s judgment would fall on Jerusalem.

WHY—

Would God ask so much of Ezekiel?

Then the Lord said to me, “Son of man, on the day I take away their stronghold—their joy and glory, their heart’s desire, their dearest treasure—I will also take away their sons and daughters. And on that day a survivor from Jerusalem will come to you in Babylon and tell you what has happened.  And when he arrives, your voice will suddenly return so you can talk to him, and you will be a symbol for these people. Then they will know that I am the Lord.” Ezekiel 24:25-27 (Emphasis mine)

Friends, in our lives we’ve all had things happen to us that just don’t make sense.  It’s hard for us to believe our Heavenly Father would allow us to walk through such pain and sorrow.  In these hard times our continued commitment to the Lord may be the greatest testimony of the reality of Christ an unbeliever will ever see.  Your testimony could make a difference between heaven and hell for that person.  Your testimony could be the only thing that gets them through their pain and sorrow.

Your Heavenly Father could be saying to you, “________________, you are a symbol for these people.  Then they will know that I am the Lord.”

Heavenly Father, help us to reflect our trust in You in the good times and the hard times of our lives.  Help others to “know You more” through the testimony of our lives.

In Jesus’ Name.  Amen and Amen!

© 2012 Dianne Guthmuller

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading:  Jeremiah 32:1 through 33:26; Ezekiel 26:1-14

To Protect The Honor of My Name–Ezekiel 20:9,14, 22

August 21, 2012 in 2012 Journey, Biblical Principles, Ezekiel, God Speaks today, leadership, The Promises of God, Word of God with 4 Comments

Today’s Scripture Reading: Ezekiel 20:1-22:16

In the twenty-first century we don’t hear much about people protecting the honor of their name.  Many may question, “What does that statement mean?”

To me, honoring my name means being a person of my word.

In today’s reading, our Heavenly Father shows the great lengths He will go to protect the honor of His name. To get the full magnitude of what He’s saying you will want to read all of Ezekiel, chapter 20.  Basically the Lord is narrating His history with the Israelites to the prophet, Ezekiel.

“But they rebelled against me and would not listen. They did not get rid of the vile images they were obsessed with, or forsake the idols of Egypt. Then I threatened to pour out my fury on them to satisfy my anger while they were still in Egypt. I didn’t do it, for I acted to protect the honor of my name. I would not allow shame to be brought on my name among the surrounding nations who saw me reveal myself by bringing the Israelites out of Egypt.  –Ezekiel 20:8-9

“But the people of Israel rebelled against me, and they refused to obey my decrees there in the wilderness. They wouldn’t obey my regulations even though obedience would have given them life. They also violated my Sabbath days. So I threatened to pour out my fury on them, and I made plans to utterly consume them in the wilderness. again I held back in order to protect the honor of my name before the nations who had seen my power in bringing Israel out of Egypt.  –Ezekiel 20:13-14

“But their children, too, rebelled against me. They refused to keep my decrees and follow my regulations, even though obedience would have given them life. And they also violated my Sabbath days. So again I threatened to pour out my fury on them in the wilderness. I withdrew my judgment against them to protect the honor of my name before the nations that had seen my power in bringing them out of Egypt.              –Ezekiel 20:21-22

  • I didn’t do it
  • I held back
  • I withdrew my judgment

To protect the honor of My Name.

Friends, our Heavenly Father CANNOT go against His Word.  This is why the Bible is such a treasure. We, mortal, human beings have all the promises of the One, True, Living God at our fingertips.  If He said it, it will come to pass.

Let’s follow the example of our God and protect the honor of our name and the honor of His Name!

Heavenly Father, Your character and integrity are amazing!  Lord, help me to realize that when I take on Your Name I make a daily choice either to honor or dishonor You.  Lord, teach me how to honor Your Name.  Convict me when I miss the mark.  Encourage me when I get it right.  Holy Spirit, stand guard over my mouth.  Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my hear be pleasing to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer (Psalm 19:14).

In Jesus’ Name.  Amen and Amen!

 

 

© 2012 Dianne Guthmuller
Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Ezekiel 22:17-23:49; 2 Kings 24:20b-25:2; Jeremiah 52:3b-5; Jeremiah 39:1; Ezekiel 24:1-14

Sometimes We’re Not Supposed to Win—Ezekiel 17:14

August 20, 2012 in 2012 Journey, Biblical Principles, Ezekiel, leadership, Obedience, Pride, Success, Trust with 0 Comments

Today’s Scripture Reading:  Ezekiel 17:1 through Ezekiel 19:14

Our Heavenly Father is the most amazing communicator.  In Ezekiel 17, He explains His anger through a riddle (Ezekiel 17:1-10) with three major players:

  • A first eagle, (Nebuchadnezzar, the King of Babylon) large and powerful, took the top of a cedar tree and carried it to a faraway land.
  • A second eagle (Pharoah, the King of Egypt) then appeared, and the top of the cedar tree turned vine grew toward it instead.
  • The top of the cedar tree (Zedekiah, King of Israel) was planted and its vines grew toward the first eagle, until the second eagle came, then its vines grew toward the second eagle.

God had placed Zedekiah on the throne through Jeremiah (Jer. 27) and told him not to break his covenant with Nebuchadnezzar.  This covenant was God’s plan for protection for Zedekiah and his people. But Zedekiah ignored that sound advice and broke the covenant by allying with Egypt (the second eagle) against Babylon.

This parable illustrates the point that the political arena is not outside the law of God. Zedekiah had sworn a treaty with Nebuchadnezzar in the name of God. Nebuchadnezzar may have been a cruel pagan king, but Zedekiah still had a moral obligation to honor his oath.  God considered Zedekiah’s breaking of the treaty treason against Himself (17:20) (The New Bible Commentary)

The details of today’s reading should give us comfort, confidence and assurance in God’s oversight and ultimate control in the unrest of our world.  God’s explanation of the riddle is a perfect example of how things that don’t look good to us are in perfect alignment with His will and His plan.

Then this message came to me from the Lord:  “Say to these rebels of Israel: Don’t you understand the meaning of this riddle of the eagles? The king of Babylon came to Jerusalem, took away her king and princes, and brought them to Babylon.  He made a treaty with a member of the royal family and forced him to take an oath of loyalty. He also exiled Israel’s most influential leaders, so Israel would not become strong again and revolt. Only by keeping her treaty with Babylon could Israel survive. Ezekiel 17:11-14 (emphasis mine)

During this season Israel’s weakness was their key to survival.

God has the influential leaders taken captive to Babylon so that they would not rise up against Babylon.

I wonder how many times I have worked against God’s plan and chose to quit or change course because I wasn’t as successful as I thought I should be.

I cannot imagine the Lord saying to me, “Dianne, I had this all worked out, nevertheless i.e. but, you screwed up my plan to protect you because you weren’t a woman of your word so now you will die!”

Heavenly Father, help us to seek Your will every day.  Help us to realize that your ways are not our ways (Isaiah 55:8).  Lord, direct our steps.  Help us to work with You, not against You.  Help us to be people of our word.

In Jesus Name.  Amen and Amen!

 

 

© 2012 Dianne GuthmullerTomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Ezekiel 20:1 through Ezekiel 22:16

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