The resources God has given us to live a thriving life are His Word, Spirit, and People.
Read God’s Word:
Ezekiel 13-16
Act 2: God’s Covenant People
Scene 8: Exile: God Disciplines His People
Background Information: Ezekiel 13-16
The leaders of Israel came to Ezekiel presumably for a word from God. God’s only word to them was to repent. When we are living in unrepentant sin, God has a one track-mind in our regard and a single message for us: repent! We may have other priorities and other matters we consider pressing, but nothing is more pressing or of a higher priority than to repent of our sins. The parable of the adulterous wife is a shocking description of Israel’s long history of unfaithfulness and ingratitude to God. The story is R rated at some points. Ezekiel describes a discarded baby, rescued and cared for by God. Then this unwanted child becomes the beloved bride, who is treated with all the care and luxury of royalty. An unwanted nobody who becomes a beloved somebody has long been a moving storyline in literature and in actual history. In this biblical narrative, the storyline takes a disturbing turn. This beloved bride becomes a prostitute who trades the love of her husband for the lust and abuse of other men. She even sacrifices her own children to her idols. Consequently, the husband is forced to cast the unfaithful bride away. She loses everything that had been gifted to her and becomes broken and destitute…a horror for all who see her. This is no whitewashed story because it is intended to reveal the reality of the flimsy whitewashed wall of lies that the people had been hiding behind. They had believed the lie that because they were the chosen ones, they could do whatever they wanted without consequence. They were horrifyingly wrong. God says that he will deal with them according to what they have done. Once again, it doesn’t end there. Though they have broken the covenant, he will keep his end of it. They will be restored, but they will remember their former shame. To feel shame over our past sin is no bad thing if it encourages ongoing obedience and gratitude. We do not have to live in our shame, but we must not seek to forget our former sins in a way that causes us to forget how much we have been forgiven.
Pray:
Praise God for…
Thank God for…
Confess your sins to God
Pray for the Celebration of Life today for Bruce Brown. Ask God to speak powerfully through the service. Pray for comfort. Pray for those who don’t know Jesus to turn to him.
Ask God for… (what else concerns you?)
Reflect:
Write down one passage of scripture that stood out to you today.
Write down why this passage stood out to you.
Engage Community:
Text or call someone now and tell them…
– What you are praying for.
– What stood out from God’s word today.