God’s Description

The prayers of young children show us what they think of God. Here are two I read recently:

“Dear God, what does it mean that You are a ‘jealous’ God? I thought You had everything.”

“I didn’t think orange went with purple until I saw the sunset You made on Tuesday. That was cool.”

These children are right to think of God as the owner and creator of everything, the One who can paint beautiful sunsets. But how does God describe Himself?

Moses needed an answer to that question when he was about to lead the Israelites into the wilderness. He wanted to be assured of God’s presence and leading, so he asked Him to reveal Himself (Ex. 33:13,18). In response, God came down in a cloud and said: “The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, . . . by no means clearing the guilty” (34:5-7). He is good; He is just.

We too can know this God and be assured of His presence. He has revealed Himself in His creation and in His Word. As we ask Him to make Himself known to us, we’ll learn that He is even more than the owner and creator of everything!

Sing praise to God who reigns above, The God of all creation, The God of power, the God of love, The God of our salvation. —Schutz

In a world of superlatives, God is the greatest.

http://odb.org/2012/11/15/gods-description/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+odb%2Ffeed+%28Our+Daily+Bread%29

“For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.” Isaiah 57:15

O what a mystery that God should have two dwelling-places! The “heaven of heavens” that “cannot contain him,” and the humble, broken, and contrite heart! But in order that the Lord of heaven might have a place in which he could live and lodge, God gives to his people gifts and graces; for he cannot come and dwell in the carnal mind, in our rebellious nature, in a heart full of enmity and wickedness; he therefore makes a lodging-place for himself, a pavilion in which the King of glory dwells, the curtains of which are like the curtains of Solomon. His abode is that holy, divine nature which is communicated at regeneration–”the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.” Thus Christ dwells in the heart by faith; and is “in his people, the hope of glory.” And this made Paul say, “I am crucified with Christ; nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.” This is the object of God’s dealings–that the Lord God might dwell in his people; that there might be a union betwixt the Church and her covenant Head: “I in them, and thou in me, that they might be perfect in one.” This is the unfolding of the grand enigma, the solution of the incomprehensible mystery, “God manifest in the flesh,”–that the Lord God might dwell in his people; “I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people;” and thus glorify himself by filling their hearts with his grace and glory, as Solomon’s temple was of old, and that they might enjoy him, and be with him when time shall be no more. This is the grand key to all the Lord’s dealings with the soul, and all his mysterious leadings in providence,–that the Lord God might dwell in the hearts of his people here, and be eternally glorified in them in a brighter and a better world.

http://devotionals.ochristian.com/j-c-philpot-daily-portions.shtml

Satan Is Defeated (5)

“The serpent…asked the woman, ‘Did God really say you must not eat’…‘Of course we may.’”         Ge 3:1-2 NLT

The only power Satan has over you is the power of persuasion. “The serpent…asked the woman, ‘Did God really say you must not eat’…‘Of course we may’…‘You won’t die…God knows that your eyes will be opened…and you will be like God’…The woman was convinced. She saw that the tree was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious, and she wanted the wisdom it would give her. So she took some…Then she gave some to her husband…At that moment their eyes were opened, and they suddenly felt shame…When the cool evening breezes were blowing, the man and his wife heard the Lord God walking about in the garden. So they hid from the Lord God among the trees. Then the Lord God called to the man, ‘Where are you?’ He replied, ‘I heard you walking in the garden, so I hid. I was afraid because I was naked’” (vv. 3:1-10 NLT). Never forget that story! And keep this in mind also: Satan is a talker, and you’ll never outtalk him. The power of persuasion is an incredible thing. The fashion industry can persuade you to take a wardrobe you paid a small fortune for last year, and replace it with what they’re selling now. Clothes you felt good about then, you don’t even want to be seen in now. The trouble is, in a few years’ time the clothes you wore last year will be back in fashion; you’ll be poor, and the fashionistas will be rich. Temptation is all about persuasion. But if Christ has already persuaded you, Satan can’t make you do anything.

http://theencouragingword.wordpress.com/2012/06/27/satan-is-defeated-5/

The Staggering Question

He said to me, ’Son of man, can these bones live?’ —Ezekiel 37:3

Can a sinner be turned into a saint? Can a twisted life be made right? There is only one appropriate answer— “O Lord God, You know” (Ezekiel 37:3). Never forge ahead with your religious common sense and say, “Oh, yes, with just a little more Bible reading, devotional time, and prayer, I see how it can be done.”

It is much easier to do something than to trust in God; we see the activity and mistake panic for inspiration. That is why we see so few fellow workers with God, yet so many people working for God. We would much rather work for God than believe in Him. Do I really believe that God will do in me what I cannot do? The degree of hopelessness I have for others comes from never realizing that God has done anything for me. Is my own personal experience such a wonderful realization of God’s power and might that I can never have a sense of hopelessness for anyone else I see? Has any spiritual work been accomplished in me at all? The degree of panic activity in my life is equal to the degree of my lack of personal spiritual experience.

“Behold, O My people, I will open your graves . . .” (Ezekiel 37:12). When God wants to show you what human nature is like separated from Himself, He shows it to you in yourself. If the Spirit of God has ever given you a vision of what you are apart from the grace of God (and He will only do this when His Spirit is at work in you), then you know that in reality there is no criminal half as bad as you yourself could be without His grace. My “grave” has been opened by God and “I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells” (Romans 7:18). God’s Spirit continually reveals to His children what human nature is like apart from His grace.

http://utmost.org/the-staggering-question/

How God’s Future Influences Our Behavior Today by Mark D. Roberts

Ezekiel 45:1-25

The LORD God proclaims: Enough, princes of Israel! Turn aside from violence and oppression. Establish justice and righteousness. Cease your evictions of my people! This is what the LORD God says.

Ezekiel 45:9

Christians believe that one day God will establish a new heaven and a new earth. In this age to come, God will wipe away every tear. His peace will cover the earth and his justice will be established from shore to shore.

But how might this vision of the future influence our behavior today? Ezekiel 45 offers a salient example. In this passage, Ezekiel sees a vision of the future, when Israel is fully what God intends it to be. In this vision, the Lord says, “[My] princes will no longer oppress my people” (45:8).

In the next verse, the Lord turns to the present time, speaking through Ezekiel to the current leaders of Israel: “Enough, princes of Israel! Turn aside from violence and oppression. Establish justice and righteousness. Cease your evictions of my people!” (45:9). God is saying to the leaders: Live now according to the vision of the future. Act now in a way consistent with what will be in the age to come.

Similarly, when we as Christians glimpse the age yet to come, we don’t simply sit and yearn for that time. Rather, we begin now to live what we will someday become. We claim the truth that since we are in Christ, we begin to live in the new creation (2 Cor. 5:17). This does not mean that we, by our efforts, will usher in the kingdom of God. God alone will bring the fullness of his kingdom in his time. Yet, we have the opportunity and calling to live today in light of the future, to establish his justice and righteousness in our slice of the world. Thus, God’s future directs us, shapes us, and inspires us as we live each day.

QUESTIONS FOR FURTHER REFLECTION: In what ways does the future, as revealed in Scripture, guide your behavior today? How might you live differently if you were to take seriously the biblical vision of the age to come?

PRAYER: Almighty God, may I live today in light of your future. May my actions be shaped by the world that is yet to come. May I strive to establish your justice and righteousness where you have given me opportunity and authority.

O God, may your kingdom come! May your will be done today on earth, as it is in heaven. Amen.

http://www.thehighcalling.org/reflection/how-gods-future-influences-our-behavior-today

A Warning for Self-Serving Leaders by Mark D. Roberts

Ezekiel 34:1-10

Human one, prophesy against Israel’s shepherds. Prophesy and say to them, The LORD God proclaims to the shepherds: Doom to Israel’s shepherds who tended themselves! Shouldn’t shepherds tend the flock? You drink the milk, you wear the wool, and you slaughter the fat animals, but you don’t tend the flock. (CEB)

Ezekiel 34:2-3

Today’s news is full of stories of leaders who care more about themselves than about the people or institutions they lead. They seek their own power, glory, security, and riches rather than the good of those who entrusted them with authority. Often, they seem to make off like bandits even when those they have led suffer or companies they have guided fail.

Stories of such self-serving leaders may make news today, but they are not especially new. More than 2,500 years ago, through the prophet Ezekiel, God rebuked the leaders of Israel for caring about themselves rather than the people they led. Using the imagery of shepherding, the Lord accused the “shepherds” of Israel of tending themselves rather than their “flock” (34:2-3). They took advantage of the people in their charge in order to benefit personally. “You don’t strengthen the weak, heal the sick, bind up the injured, bring back the strays, or seek out the lost,” God said. Rather, “you use force to rule them with injustice” (34:4). For this reason, the Lord would soon remove the leaders of Israel, rescuing his people from their self-serving corruption.

Ezekiel 34 challenges those of us who have been granted authority or influence to consider our intentions and practices. Are we truly seeking to serve those whom we lead? Or is our leadership really motivated by self-interest? Do we ever choose that which is best for the organization we lead even if it is not the best for us personally? Or are we always secretly calculating what will benefit us the most?

Perhaps today’s reflection will give you the opportunity to make an honest inventory of your own leadership. Ask the Lord to help you see what is true about you, so that you might serve him and others faithfully.

QUESTIONS FOR FURTHER REFLECTION: Are you ever tempted to use your position or authority primarily for personal gain? What helps you to focus on serving the Lord by serving others?

PRAYER: God of justice and compassion, you have given me opportunities to lead in my workplace, in my family, in my church, and in other settings as well. For this I thank you. Today, I am struck by how tempting it is to seek my own advantage when I am a leader. I don’t want to be like the “shepherds” of Israel. I want to honor you by faithfully exercising leadership for the benefit of those I lead as well as for your kingdom.

Help me, I pray, to see myself and my motivations clearly. Keep me from self-deception about my own nobility. Convict me when I am preoccupied with myself and my own good. Use me to improve the lot of those I serve as well as to advance your purposes on earth. Amen.

http://www.thehighcalling.org/reflection/warning-self-serving-leaders?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheHighCallingDailyReflections+%28Daily+Reflection+%26+Prayer%29

Drinking the Cup of Judgment by Mark D. Roberts

Ezekiel 23:1-49

The LORD God proclaims:      Deep and wide is your sister’s cup. Drink! Appointed for abuse and scorn, it overflows. You will be filled with drunken sadness.      A cup of devastation and dismay      is the cup of your sister Samaria. (CEB)

Ezekiel 23:32-33

I find Ezekiel 23 is one of the hardest chapters in the whole Bible to read. Partly, its use of graphic sexual imagery is unsettling. Partly, its portrayal of the unfaithfulness of God’s people is deeply distressing.

In the middle of this chapter, we find the use of a metaphor that might seem familiar: “The LORD God proclaims: Deep and wide is your sister’s cup. Drink! Appointed for abuse and scorn, it overflows. You will be filled with drunken sadness. A cup of devastation and dismay is the cup of your sister Samaria” (23:32-33). The cup symbolizes the judgment of God that falls upon Samaria and is soon to fall upon Judah as well (called Oholibah in this chapter, a word that literally means “tent worshiper”). Judah will soon drink the cup that is filled with abuse, scorn, and devastation. The people will experience drunken sadness and dismay because of their persistent idolatry and unfaithfulness to God.

Why might this metaphor of the cup of judgment sound familiar to us? Because it was used by Jesus when he prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane. In Mark 14:36, for example, Jesus prayed, “Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will” (ESV). The cup stands for the death that Jesus is about to suffer on the cross. But it isn’t just the physical suffering that Jesus wishes to avoid. He recognizes that he is soon to “drink in” the judgment of God upon human sin. He is about to experience the depth of hell even though he did nothing to deserve it.

Jesus did in fact drink the cup of judgment. He drank it for you and for me, so that, in the mystery of God’s grace, we might drink from the cup of salvation. This is the wonder of the Gospel, the good news that changes everything, beginning with our relationship with God, and touching every part of life.

QUESTIONS FOR FURTHER REFLECTION: In what ways do you think about Jesus’ taking your sin upon himself? If you really believed that Jesus took the judgment for your sin, how might you live differently?

PRAYER: God of justice, when I read Ezekiel 23 I cringe, not only because the language is so graphic, and not only because of what your people once did to reject you, but also because I am confronted with my own unfaithfulness. Truly, I deserve to drink the cup of your judgment.

Yet, in your mercy, you have taken that cup away from me. Jesus drank my cup on the cross, offering me instead his cup of salvation. How I thank and praise you for the wonder of your grace. May I live in that grace today, and share it with others. Amen.

http://www.thehighcalling.org/reflection/ntnlamontiagmailcom?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheHighCallingDailyReflections+%28Daily+Reflection+%26+Prayer%29