When I first got my driver’s license, I was so excited to run errands for my family. Any excuse to do something my father wanted me to do, was an excuse to drive the car by myself! Ezekiel was asked to do a job for God, but I don’t think he was all that excited. God told Him to go to a rebellious people, the children of Israel. They had transgressed against God and would stubbornly refuse to listen.
So how did Ezekiel get himself ready for this task? It wasn’t Him, but God that prepared Ezekiel. God instructed him, sent him, fed Him words, set him on his feet, then warned, lifted up, compelled and inspired Him. (Ezekiel 2:1-3:27) The one thing Ezekiel did that made all the difference is, HE WENT.
The Spirit then lifted me up and took me away, and I went in bitterness and in the anger of my spirit, with the strong hand of the Lord on me. Ezekiel 3:14 NIV
We may be excited to do something for God, but when He actually tells us to do something, it may be difficult, scary or dangerous. We may be bitter or angry about it. Compelled to obey by His Spirit, we will find that God equips us with everything we need to do the job. We have reason to praise Him!
Dear Father God…We want to do Your will. By Your holy Spirit, please compel and equip us for the job You designed for us. Thank You for using us in Your plan to draw more people to You. We love You! Amen
Did you ever hear the song about Ezekiel, from the Bible? Some of us sang it in school, back when things like that could be done. Ezekiel saw something that inspired Woody Guthrie to write the song, “Ezekiel Saw the Wheel.”
Ezekiel saw that wheel Way up in the middle of the air Ezekiel saw that wheel whirling Way up in the middle of the air Now the little wheel runs by faith And the big wheel runs by the grace of God And a wheel in a wheel whirling Way up in the middle of the air
He really did see a wheel, well, actually FOUR of them! Can you imagine Ezekiel’s surprise at seeing wheel’s whirling in the air?? He saw FOUR wheels, belonging to four creatures! Before he saw the wheels or the creatures, though, He saw a whirlwind cloud with,
…”raging fire engulfing itself; and brightness was all around it and radiating out of its midst like the color of amber, out of the midst of the fire. Also from within it came the likeness of four living creatures. And this was their appearance: they had the likeness of a man. “ Ezekiel 1:4-5 NKJV
You know what I am thinking as I read this? Why didn’t he look away? Why didn’t he run? Would I have done that, or would I have shook my head to clear the vision and not tell anyone, lest they thought I was crazy? Not only did Ezekiel NOT run or NOT keep his vision to himself, he described it, in specific, lengthy detail! What made him stand still and take it all in and write about it?
I found my answer at the end of chapter one of Ezekiel. After Ezekiel describes the four creatures, their wings, their movements and their wheels that contained their spirit, he hears what sounds like God!
When they went, I heard the noise of their wings, like the noise of many waters, like the voice of the Almighty, a tumult like the noise of an army; and when they stood still, they let down their wings. A voice came from above the firmament that was over their heads; whenever they stood, they let down their wings. Ezekiel 24-25 NKJV
Ezekiel heard the noise. Those four words tell me that he knew he was hearing and seeing something from God. He stood still. He watched. He heard. He gave his full attention to the vision. He stood still, as I see it, because he could not look away if He wanted to.
The very last two verses of Ezekiel are ones you have to read! He saw the glory of the Lord! Look how beautiful!
I saw, as it were, the color of amber with the appearance of fire all around within it; and from the appearance of His waist and downward I saw, as it were, the appearance of fire with brightness all around. Like the appearance of a rainbow in a cloud on a rainy day, so was the appearance of the brightness all around it. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord.” Ezekiel 1:27-28 NKJV
Wow. He saw the beautiful, bright, glory of God! Ezekiel did not just see a wheel. That brings to mind some questions worth thinking about…
Do you ever feel God showing you something or do you feel a still small voice urging you to do something? God still inspires and shows and leads. It was not just in the Bible days that God gave people visions.
Do we stand still when we see or hear God at work? Do we stand transfixed when He shows us something? Do we follow through with what He wants us to do?
Thank you for reading. Tomorrow, we will dive into Ezekiel chapter two. I can’t wait to see what happens and what God does next!
Dear Father,
Today we have a simple request. Open our eyes and ears so they work like You want them to. Help us to stand still and take in all that You say. Like Ezekiel, make us transfixed and not able to look away from You. You are beautiful and glorious and we love You. Thank You for listening and answering our prayers. Amen
A memory just came to me that reminded me of our Father’s love for us. When I was five, I stole a pack of gum while in the checkout line with my mother. I remember I was so mad that she told me “no”, that I took it anyway.Then, as I tried to walk out of the store slowly so the gum would not fall out of the cuffed waistband of my jumper, I was sure I had a “bad girl” sign stamped on me.
What had I done?! I couldn’t put it back now. Everyone would see! All I could do was wallow in my “bad girl” situation that I created.
Later that evening, at bedtime, my mom called me down to talk about the gum. I do not remember getting a spanking, though I expected one. What I do remember…she gently told me…
“This is not something Jesus approves of so we can never do it again. We do not steal in this family.” The next morning, I had to go back to the cashier and apologize and ask her to forgive me.
She looked at me and said, That’s okay.” Her being so gentle with me when I did something wrong, made me feel worse. How could she be that way? I deserved punishment! How could my momma love me still and be gentle with me when I had gone against her rules?
The same way God does. He knows we are human and have a tendency to be selfish and sinful. But, like a loving Father, He made a plan to teach His, much better, way! He cares more about teaching us and having a good relationship with Him, than condemning us for our sin. He sent Jesus to die for the whole world. Let that sink in. That means He did it for you, me, all of us!
For God so loved the world, that He gave us His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. John 3:16 KJV
You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8 NIV
Father,
Thank You for Your plan to forgive me of my sins and teaching me the way to be with You forever. Even as an adult, I mess up when my selfishness takes over my heart. Please forgive me. I will do my best to learn from You, because You are my heavenly Father that I want to please. Give me opportunity today to tell someone else about You. I love You so much, Father God! Amen
This morning, I am both elated and a bit sad. The writer’s conference I have been attending ends today. The women of God I have met, have over-blessed me with their time, care and experience. My heart is full. I didn’t know what being in a group of Christian women felt like, mostly because I have always been too afraid to find out. See, I have always shied away from others, especially groups of women. I didn’t have the self-confidence to be with them and be myself, knowing that I was worthy of their friendship. Due in a large part to an abusive marriage I was shy and insecure and expected to be rejected. How silly I feel telling you this. The Lord showed me in His Word this morning, that we are all worthy,no matter the experiences or trials we have had and no matter what others have told us. He loves you and me! He thinks we are worthy! So much so, that He is making a home for us in heaven! We should not believe anything that goes against what He says in the Bible, like this!
My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? John 14:2 NIV
Dear Jesus,
Thank You for loving us so much that You want us to be with You forever. I am so sorry I believed lies from the enemy all these years. In Your goodness, You somehow led me to this conference and in goodness I know You will guide me and my new friends all the way to Heaven. You are so wonderful that all we want to do is write about You every single day! Thank You for being with me and especially the leaders of this conference. Do not let them believe lies of the enemy either. Send them loads of Your peace and confidence as they boldly lead us in our journey to proclaim how great You are with the passion You give us. I ask this in Your most precious and holiest of names that makes me smile every time I say it, Jesus! I love You so much! Amen
Did you ever have Play Doh as a kid? Did you ever eat it? I have a couple friends, who shall remain nameless, that liked to eat it although that was not the purpose! For those who did not play with this “magical dough,” it was so fun! You pick your color of Play Doh, then pick a plastic shape you want the dough to become. When you press the plastic cookie-cutter shape into the dough, the dough is no longer a blob, it is the shape you intended it to be.
This process is much like our relationship to God because we get “pressed on” to become what He desires. We are the blob of dough! God chooses the plan for our life and presses us into what He wants us to be. He will use whatever tool or experience He deems necessary that will allow us to become something that pleases Him. Play Doh makes me think about God’s plans for us!
God makes us on purpose. We are not random creations. There is no one else like you. There is no one else like me. The One God made us uniquely one of a kind. Yesterday, in my She Writes For Him conference, our writing instructor, Cynthia Cavanaugh, made a simple statement. “There is noone else like you with your story.” Doesn’t that make you feel a little more important as a part of God’s plan? And doesn’t it make that thought more reverent, holy and special that God, our creator loves us enough to make us unique and different from each other?
Know ye that the Lord is God; it is He that has made us, and not we ourselves. We are his people, and the sheep of his flock. Psalm 99:3
God presses into us but sometimes we pull back. Yes, us, the dough, the blob! We try to pull back from what God may have for us. I have done it many times myself because it was too scary. I thought I could see what God was doing and I pulled back because I did not want to be what He seemed to be making me. I was too afraid to totally let Him have control. I mean, shouldn’t I approve His plan first? What if I don’t feel capable of doing a ministry that takes my time every single day? Oh, wait, that is what I am doing now and He is carrying me! He does that! I feel sometimes I am just along for a willing ride and He is taking me places I did not know I would like! Have you ever felt that way? Sometimes He allows life trials that threaten to make us lose our way. Even then, we can let Him have control. There is great peace in accepting His plan!
…In the shadow of your wings I will take refuge, till the storms of destruction pass by. I cry out to God Most High, to God who fulfills his purpose for me. Psalm 57:1-2
We do not know God’s purpose all the time. Play Doh sure does not know, nor can it make itself into what I plan for it to be. When God presses into us and allows things to shape us, when the Holy Spirit nudges us one way or another and when we see that God is impressing us for His purposes, we see that He is making us into what He wants us to become. Just as Play Doh is not nearly intelligent enough to know what we can may make of it…we are not intelligent or wise enough to know what God can make of us if we will just let Him do His work. But, we can ask Him for His wisdom!
If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. James 1:5
How can we do that, actively let God do His work? We can willingly go and do what He is impressing us to do. The Bible says God made man in His own image, so we are like God already. Wow! (But there is a BUT…) But if we want to be more like God, we need His character. Jesus set the perfect example for us. He was a copy of God in human form. We see the shape we are meant to be by reading in the Bible what Jesus said and did. We can see His heart, the heart of God. So now, we can either decide to try and make ourselves into what we are determined to make of ourselves or we can put our trust in our Creator. The way that David does this is to take action! Notice the bolded words below as he delights and meditates and fixes His eyes on God’s ways!
In the way of your testimonies I delight as much as in all riches.I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways. Psalm 119:14-15
Have you, like me, determined that God’s ways and plans are scary at times? It is an “Adventure of Trust.” (Thank you, Lord for that wonderful thought, btw…) Do you have all things figured out or do you, like me, have some serious delighting and meditating and fixing of my eyes to do? As a fellow blob of dough to another, let’s allow ourselves to be shaped!
Dear Father God,
You are such a great Father! Where do we begin, to tell You how much we love You and why? You just have everything in control and are working in our own individual lives for Your own wonderful purposes. That makes us all feel so special to You! Thank You for making us uniquely qualified to do Your will for us. Forgive us, please, when we get scared of what You are asking us to do. We want to be more like willing dough. As You press into us, help us to remember You are making us that way for a reason. When our trials are too hard to understand, shine Your light into our hearts and give us hope. We will press into You too, so we walk away imprinted with the likeness of You. You are almost too wonderful to comprehend, yet we love trying to do so! A personal request… Please bless my conference mentors and friends with an amazing day of glorifying You through words that you give them and us. May we become what You intend. We love you so much! Amen
Love and prayers to all. Have a blessed day of being a piece of beautiful dough for God!
Thank you for what You did on the cross for us. You gave us everything You could possibly give us. As your servants, we want to give You all WE have. We might need help doing that, as we are human and we like to be comfortable and not go without. Touch us, Jesus with unselfish love for others. Give us people and opportunities with which to share Your love and our blessings. We love You so much! Amen
I love the song, “Because He lives” written by Bill and Gloria Gaither. It is so uplifting! Maybe not so for my husband, and even my cat and dog, who have heard me belt that out often! It may not be such a beautiful sound to them, but it fills my soul with hope and it resettles my fears to their rightful place, behind me. Because He lives, we can face any trial because we are not alone! God tells Joshua, after Moses’ death, when he felt very alone…
“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9
Did the title of this devotion, “Those three little words” make you think of “I love you?” Those are three words that warm a heart for sure, but my favorite three words are “Because He lives.” How many situations have I faced with hope because of Jesus? Too many to count! How many have you faced and gotten through because He lives?
Here is when I first realized God never leaves us. It is when my mom left us. She died. In fact, from age 12 to about 18, I had six people in my family die. My grandpa died, I found my Nana dead after family camp one year, an aunt and uncle were shot and killed, a very close, special uncle died, and then… When I was a teen, my world suddenly collapsed further. My Mom died too! I totally lost direction and I had no clue how to navigate the new, unfamiliar world that didn’t include her. My three words to God were, “Why me, Lord?” Why my mom? She loved you. I need her. Lord, it hurts! I feel lost! Dad is hurting. He can’t cope.
I know, without a doubt, that you can relate to my story because we all have deep loss. We are all broken and trying to cope. Just as I am sorry I had loss, I am sorry you did as well. I hope that what pulled me out of misery all those years ago, the thought that I wasn’t alone, can help you as well. God was with me. He loved me and He helped me through college and becoming an adult. I kept hearing the Lord tell me…”You may not have this, but I do. I have your back. Use me.” That is what He is saying to us, just as He did to Joshua. In three words, He is saying, “I won’t leave. I promise you. Have no fear. I am God. I am yours. Please use me.”
When things do not make sense in this world, remember we are not of this world. We are here for a moment and then we will have a huge family reunion in Heaven! We cannot possibly understand God’s reasons for trials on earth but we can know for sure that He knows what He is doing and we are not alone! He is GOD, always has been.
He is not new at His job! He is with us in good times and in bad times, always has been. He is God alone, but we are not a people alone. Isn’t He so awesome?!
…So that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God…it is not wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to pass away. But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God. 1 Corinthians 2:5-9, “
If there was ever a time we needed hope, it is right now. Please remember that we can always have hope because He lives. Knowing that brings peace in the middle of craziness. Only God can do that!
Dear God,
Today I hurt for others that are going through unexpected and unwanted hurt. It doesn’t make sense to them and they think they will never get over it. Hug them for me, because You know who they are. Flood their hearts with Your amazing hope that comes from knowing we are never alone, Because You Live! Thank You, God for Your love and mercy that lifts us from despair to a place of hope in You. It is nothing we can do ourselves, so we are so grateful. You put light where there is dark! Words cannot describe how much we love You! Amen
Love and prayers to You all. May God bless you much!
Do you belong to a church that feels like family? Do you think of its members as your brothers and sisters? My husband and I joined our church yesterday and the people definitely already feel like family. Lately, the Lord has been showing me how important that kind of family unity is in our church and in our world. Without unity, we are just a bunch of opinions pulling back and forth and going nowhere. God’s Word is the ultimate uniting and progressive force! When we base our actions on what He says to do, we work together to accomplish great things for Him.
You know how the Bible says we all have gifts? In 1 Peter are two verses that tell us how to be good stewards of whatever gift has given us. We ALL have gifts. God inspired Peter to say so:)
As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen. 1 Peter 4:10-11
There is so much good stuff here!
“AS we have received gifts“… this is confirmation that you definitely have a gift. I have a gift. That gift was not earned, but given by God. It is not whether we have a gift, but because we have a gift, that Peter feels led by the Lord to tell us what God expects from us.
“Minister to one another“… Because God gave us a gift, we are to use it on each other. It was not meant to be kept and treasured for ourselves. God knows it will do more good being given away. That makes sense because we have differing gifts. We can encourage and strengthen the body of Christ by allowing our God-given different gifts to be used in ministering to each other. Some people have the gift of encouragement. I used to not know that was a gift. Things you think are small gifts can sometimes be the biggest and most needed. We can use all that we are to glorify God in some way!
“As good stewards of the manifold grace of God“…. What sticks out here to me is the words, ‘steward’ and ‘grace.’ Our gifts are not something we own exactly. Gifts are ours to use for God. It is kind of like if a boss gave his construction employees hammers and pens and forklifts. They are tools meant to be used to complete jobs for him. As a boss would only give tools to people he himself judges to be worthy, God does the same. By His grace and His reasons, He gives us tools to use for Him. He gives everyone tools!
“If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ,”… Oracles of God? That is a high calling, to speak His holy words, but we should take our gifts that seriously.
Whatever we do, let us do it with all the holiness and reverence that God deserves with His words, His way, His love. With the ability that He provides, let us glorify Him for the gift, with the gift and just because He gave us a gift!
“to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.“… This. This is the purpose of everything we do with our gifts, because of our gifts. I cannot embellish these words or say it any better than Peter did. The glory belongs, not to us, but to our ruling King, forever!
Reading this makes me excited! How about you? Do you know what your gift is? If so, isn’t it exciting that God chose You to play a part in His Kingdom? Are you using Your gift? If you are not sure of your gift, please ask someone in the church that you respect, such as the pastor or elders. They can pray for you and give you direction. They will be encouraged that you want to know and use your gift. Your gift can make a difference in whether a person hears about Jesus or sees His love demonstrated. Through God, you can reach someone for Him! How cool is that?!
It is without pride that anyone can say he or she has a gift, or uses that gift because it comes from outside of ourselves. It comes from God. One thing I have found…When we realize God gave us a gift and we have a willing heart, get ready for an adventure! Gifts and willing hearts are meant to go together and glorify God! we are all special enough to be given gifts! God thought so:)
Dear Father God,
Thank You for giving us gifts. You are the only One good so Your gifts are good. Please help us focus on what our gifts may be in our time with You. We want to serve you to the best of our ability, even if we think we do not have much ability sometimes. Please shine light on what we can do for You with what You gave us. Give us opportunities and people to serve as your gift-bearer to others. As Paul says, help us to be ministers of our gifts without pride, but with the purpose of drawing attention to You. We love You more every day! Amen
Have a wonderful Monday, folks! Love and prayers to all!
When I went to the Nazarene children’s camp in 1971, I found more than fun, I found Jesus. And you know what? I didn’t know I was missing him!
Seriously, when the lady on the stage told me the most important story I have ever heard, I was shocked! “Someone in heaven, that I have never met or seen loves me?” In my nine-year old mind I was thinking… “Jesus died for me?? He loves me? My heart is black? That’s awful. He can actually clean it? Hurry up, tell me how to get a white heart! “
My heart was beating so fast and I hung on every word of the song we sang next. It was about God preparing a place for us in heaven. I’ve never forgotten the words that drew me to him. Here they are.
10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1…..Blast-off!! Somewhere in outer space God has prepared a place for those who trust Him and obey.
Someday He’ll come again and though we don’t know when, the countdowns getting lower every day.
10 and 9, 8 and 7, 6 and 5 and 4 …call upon the Savior while you may
3 and 2 , coming through, the clouds in bright array. The countdown’s getting lower every day.
If you ever work with children or desire to, it is one of the most important things you can do with your life. Jesus loves children. Their innocence, need for love and their curiosity make them little sponges of what we tell or show them. May we always talk about Jesus to them. May we never forget how one story or one song about Jesus to one child can change their future, like it did mine. My children love Jesus because someone taught ME to.
Isn’t that incredible? God can work through us to change lives! He worked through that lady at Camp one summer Thank you, lady. I will never forget you and that special song and special day!
Dear God,
There are literally no “good enough” words to describe how I am feeling about all that you did for me. Your plan included using a lady at camp to draw me to you. It changed my whole life and is still changing my life. Although I can’t comprehend why you would love all of us so much, I know that you do. Please urge me and my friends to use whatever passions we have with the main goal of drawing others to you. Nothing else really matters. You already know this, but we love you so much! Amen
In Shirley Temple’s movie, Curly Top, she has a chicken. and she tells someone that her chicken can do a special trick. Read below, why she thought her chicken was special…
This thought of her being amazed at what a chicken can do…it got me thinking. God does special things too, because of His nature. Why aren’t we so amazed that we are telling everyone more often, how special He is?
I wondered…What does the Bible say He does naturally? What is He made up of? I went straight to God’s Word to find out.The Bible says He is love:)
We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. 1 John 4:16
His nature is also powerful and divine and everlasting. All He makes or does is perfect.
For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. Romans 1:7
He is the One true God!
And we know that the Son of God has come, and has given us understanding so that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life. 1 John 5:20
And my most favorite verse, Psalm 113:4-6 tells us He is exalted, above all and there is noone like Him!
The Lord is exalted over all the nations, his glory above the heavens. Who is like the Lord our God, the One who sits enthroned on high,who stoops down to look on the heavens and the earth?
His glory is above even the heavens! Is there anyone like Him? NO! He has to STOOP to look down on the sky! He stoops to look down on the earth! There is nothing He cannot do. Nothing.
Wr should never lose our amazement at what He does No one else in the entire universe, even to billions of light years away, is like Him! And….He not only wants to be our friend but wants us to live with Him forever and ever!
Aren’t you glad that our God has the nature that He does? He is anything and everything that we need. We already know that, so why is it so special? Can anyone else do absolutely everything? Nope! To Him be ALL the glory, because He deserves it!
Dear God,
Focusing on all You are makes us truly thankful that You included us in Your plan for eternity. How You could love us so much, even though that it comes natural to You, still amazes us! We cannot be our best for you, without You. Thank you for making us like you did and loving us. We love You! Amen
Love and prayers to all of you! Have a great Thursday!
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