September 10 – Ezekiel 43-45

Below are my thoughts from the daily Bible reading of the West Side Church of Christ. Today’s reading comes from Ezekiel 43-45. Before reading I invite you to pray and asked God to speak to you as you read his word. Also above in the tabs is a link to the Bible reading plan.

In the vision that Ezekiel was given about the Temple God gave Him some basic instructions. Now I am not positive if the Temple that Ezekiel saw was the eternal Temple of God in Heaven, or the rebuilt Temple following the return from exile. It is probably a little of both. I can be sure of this, the instructions that God gave for those serving, they are to actually be carried out when the return from exile happens.

What struck me as great is the fact that it is the responsibility of the clergy to set the pattern of holiness. God gives instructions on what the priest of the family of Zadok are to do: special clothing, special headwear, carefully trimmed but not shaven hair, no wine before serving, pure wives, teach the difference between holy and unholy, clean and unclean, serve as judges, obey God’s instructions, not defile himself with dead people, own no property but live in the allotted land, and for all this God will provide their needs from the offerings of the people.

While the role of minister may look different today, I do not believe our call has been made that much different. We are still the teachers, the leaders, and the example setters. We have been called to be holy to show people holiness through our lives. Help us do that. If you find us not doing so, please come to us in love and correct us where we are wrong. I pray we are humble enough and in tune with God enough that we will listen to your words of love. 

September 6 – Ezekiel 31-33

Below are my thoughts from the daily Bible reading of the West Side Church of Christ. Today’s reading comes from Ezekiel 31-33. Before reading I invite you to pray and asked God to speak to you as you read his word. Also above in the tabs is a link to the Bible reading plan.

Photo Credit: Microsoft Clip Art

God instructs Ezekiel to do something strange today … “Son of man, mourn for Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and give him this message,” (Ezekiel 32:2 NLT) and “I will disturb many hearts when I bring news of your downfall to distant nations you have never seen.” (Ezekiel 32:9 NLT) God is bringing judgment against Egypt. He knows it will disturb hearts, but he also instructs Ezekiel to mourn. That is an odd request for God to make of a man who possibly sees Egypt as an enemy.

This past week news broke that Ariel Castro had hung himself in his prison cell. You probably remember that Ariel Castro was the Cleveland man who kept three women hostage in his home for nearly ten years. With one of the girls, Amanda Berry he fathered a daughter. What reaction ran through your mind when you heard the news of his death? Did you celebrate because now the man was dead, he could no longer harm anyone else, and we as taxpayers do not have to pay to keep him alive? Or did you mourn for him knowing that he probably did not know Jesus as his Lord and Savior, and is now spending eternity in Hell? Or do you think his eternal punishment in Hell is perfectly fine?

God told Ezekiel to mourn for Egypt because of what He was getting ready to do to them. I believe whole heartedly that God loves every person who has ever walked this planet no matter the evil in their hearts. I think it tears God’s heart in two whenever one is sent to eternity in Hell. God told Ezekiel to mourn for Egypt. I believe we should mourn for our enemies as well. Yes, people who do wrong, who harm others should pay for their crimes. But no where, no way should we celebrate their eternal punishment in Hell. That should break our hearts. 

September 5 – Ezekiel 28-30

Below are my thoughts from the daily Bible reading of the West Side Church of Christ. Today’s reading comes from Ezekiel 28-30. Before reading I invite you to pray and asked God to speak to you as you read his word. Also above in the tabs is a link to the Bible reading plan.

When God predicts His judgment against Tyre he begins with their pride beginning at the top level … “In your great pride you claim, ‘I am a god! I sit on a divine throne in the heart of the sea.’” (Ezekiel 28:2b NLT)  God was angry with Tyre and its prince because he claimed to be a god. Now this was not anything new. Most kings of the ancient world believed in a plethora of gods. Many even believed as kings they were a god themselves. God saw this as pride and arrogance.

As I examine my own life I realize I am not much different than the prince of Tyre. Now I do not believe I am deity. I do not believe in any way that I am a god, but I sure do try to live like it. I try to live as if I know everything. I try to live as if the whole world revolves around me, and sadly this is often ramped up in my own home. I try to live with all the pleasures I can afford. While I may not put myself on the same playing field as some form of deity, I certainly try to live like a God.

I think my actions anger God like the prince of Tyre’s did. What about you, do you see yourself falling into the same trap as the Prince of Tyer did? For him it was incredibly easy, he was the prince of a very beautiful city and region. He had wealth. He had servants. He had material possessions. He had people bowing down to him. And for us it is easy to. As American’s God has richly blessed our nation. We in a sense do not constantly need God (We really do, but be honest, how many of us are so in need that the only option to turn to is God himself?). Because of God’s blessings, too many times we do not turn to God, but to our own self. Those actions make us like the prince of Tyre, proud and seeing ourselves as a god. Be on guard though, God does not like competition. 

September 4 – Ezekiel 25-27

Below are my thoughts from the daily Bible reading of the West Side Church of Christ. Today’s reading comes from Ezekiel 25-27. Before reading I invite you to pray and asked God to speak to you as you read his word. Also above in the tabs is a link to the Bible reading plan.

Photo Credit: Microsoft Clip Art

In our home it is my responsibility to get our daughter ready for bed each night. Each night we brush our teeth, take allergy medicine, put on our pajamas and then go into her room where we read a book, pray, and then lay day for the night. One of my favorite parts of this routine is the prayer time. She is now learning to pray so some nights she does it. But when I get the opportunity to pray, I always try to include one portion in my prayer … to tell God I cannot wait to see what He has planned for Alivia. I know God has plans for each of us. And I want Alivia to grow up hearing those words. I want that to be so routine in my nighttime prayers for her that as she grows, she begins dreaming of all the ways God might use her.

You might look at your life, and think to yourself, “what is it that God can use me for?” Maybe you do not think you are worthy to be used by God. Maybe you think you have done too many wrongs to now do any right. Those thoughts could not be further from the truth. In our reading today we see God predict that he will use King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon against Tyre and even Judah (Ezekiel 26:7). God predicted and did use a pagan foreign king to bring punishment on His people.

I do not know what you have done, where you have been, or the life you have lived. But I do know God has a plan for you. Let Him work it in your life. 

September 3 – Ezekiel 23-24

Below are my thoughts from the daily Bible reading of the West Side Church of Christ. Today’s reading comes from Ezekiel 23-24. Before reading I invite you to pray and asked God to speak to you as you read his word. Also above in the tabs is a link to the Bible reading plan.

I absolutely love the Bible. God did not hold back. God did not skirt around issues. God did not remove vulgarity to protect us. God was willing to use harsh language, scandalous illustrations, and sharp points to teach His children. That is what we experienced in Ezekiel 23. What we read there was pretty pointed and what we would consider almost X rated.

For that I am thankful. God created us in His image. That means part our creation is intelligence. He created us with the ability to understand the teachings, even if it meant doing so in ways that are not so pleasant to read.

Somehow though, we have forgotten that in the church. We do not talk about things sometimes that need to be talked about because we have considered them too taboo for church. We skip over the joys of sex because we the church feel it is too risky to preach about. God used sex to define the relationship Israel and Judah were creating with Him. We skip around church discipline, but is not that what God has been doing to Israel and Judah through our reading these last few months? Maybe it is time to begin communicating like our creator, using sharp, scandalous, and even painful points to teach truth. 

September 2 – Ezekiel 21-22

Below are my thoughts from the daily Bible reading of the West Side Church of Christ. Today’s reading comes from Ezekiel 21-22. Before reading I invite you to pray and asked God to speak to you as you read his word. Also above in the tabs is a link to the Bible reading plan.

Do you look for hope as you read through all the destruction of the prophets? I hope you do because God has planted it throughout. In our reading today we saw just another example of that … “Destruction! Destruction! I will surely destroy the kingdom. And it will not be restored until the one appears who has the right to judge it. Then I will hand it over to him.” (Ezekiel 21:27 NLT) As I have said before I love the fact that God doesn’t only paint a picture of destruction, but he also gives hope.

What we see here isn’t just hope of restoration as a nation. The kingdom talked about here is much more than they could imagine. We know that the Israelites understood that there was coming a messiah to offer deliverance. We know that during Jesus life they were looking for a military or political leader in their messiah. And we also know that even Jesus own disciples didn’t fully understand Him. But as people living after the resurrection we have historical perspective. We can understand God’s words here on a level 1^st century Israel didn’t.

I am grateful for that. Because I can look at the Bible, the wonderful story it weaves and see God preparing the world for the coming of the Messiah! I can see the language of the one who has the right to judge, and know that person is Jesus Christ. Jesus was God in the flesh; He had the full authority to judge and the full authority to forgive. Had they understood this passage, the Pharisees might not have questioned Jesus like they did in Matthew 9:1-8. I love that I can look at that and understand what God is saying. Do you cherish that ability as well?

August 29 – Ezekiel 9-12

Below are my thoughts from the daily Bible reading of the West Side Church of Christ. Today’s reading comes from Ezekiel 9-12. Before reading I invite you to pray and asked God to speak to you as you read his word. Also above in the tabs is a link to the Bible reading plan.

Photo Credit: Microsoft Clip Art

“The word of the lord came to me: “Son of man, you are living among a rebellious people. They have eyes to see but do not see and ears to hear but do not hear, for they are a rebellious people.” (Ezekiel 12:1-2 NLT) While this was written about those in Jerusalem and remaining in Judah before the final destruction, you could easily see those words talking about our day and culture. This past week has been filled with the news of Miley Cyrus gyrating in barely there clothing on stage at the MTV Video Music Awards show.  Also in the news is the newly constant debate about race relations in America. Constantly we are bombarded with images of sex, scantily clad women, homosexual relationships, drug abuse, and so many other grievous sin issues that we quickly connect with these words of God.

The destruction that we face today is different than what Israel faced. Israel faced the destruction of their city, their promised land, and the mass loss of life. Today we may not see the physical destruction, but those who have eyes to see and ears to hear, but refuse the message of the gospel, they face a permanent destruction in Hell. That thought should break our hearts. It should break our hearts to action.

Maybe we are Ezekiel and the people living in exile. We know something else. We know that there is life with God. We know that there is joy in Christ. It is our responsibility to creatively open up they eyes and ears so that the gospel message can reach deep and wide. So what are some ways we can open up the gospel? Feel free to share your ideas in the comments below!

August 28 – Ezekiel 5-8

Below are my thoughts from the daily Bible reading of the West Side Church of Christ. Today’s reading comes from Ezekiel 5-8. Before reading I invite you to pray and asked God to speak to you as you read his word. Also above in the tabs is a link to the Bible reading plan.

Photo Credit: J.T. Noriega

How big is your God? How omniscient is your God? By the time of Ezekiel’s writing and prophesying, God to Israel was not very big. In our reading today God takes Ezekiel for an awesome trip. First of all wouldn't it be cool to have the privilege to see the glory of God like Ezekiel did? Then He takes him on some out of body experience to Jerusalem to see the detestable sins of the people.

In Jerusalem the sins of the people keep growing. They are under siege, but they are not turning to Yahweh. They are dying of starvation and sickness, and they turn to the gods of the people around them. They believe at this point God is either small or no longer present. “The LORD does not see us; he has deserted our land!” (Ezekiel 8:12 NLT)

Do you ever feel that way? Maybe you are going through a rough patch of life; cancer, divorce, loneliness, sickness, death, financial struggles, and you feel as Israel felt, God has deserted you. But just like Judah, God knows what is going on in your life, in your heart, and in your mind. He may not be working in a way that you can see or feel, but He is still there. Give Him time. Put your trust in God. Live a life that is worthy of the salvation you cherish. 

August 27 – Ezekiel 1-4

Below are my thoughts from the daily Bible reading of the West Side Church of Christ. Today’s reading comes from Ezekiel 1-4. Before reading I invite you to pray and asked God to speak to you as you read his word. Also above in the tabs is a link to the Bible reading plan.

Today we start one of the oddest books in the Bible. The book is odd because of the imagery Ezekiel describes and the things he is asked to do. Ezekiel is a priest, thirty years old, who is one of the 3,000 Judeans who have been exiled in Babylon some five years. He is in the region of Tel Abib on the banks of the Kebar River (Chebar, depending on translations, we are not sure of this location today), when God begins to speak to him.

God speaks to Ezekiel in a pretty magnificent chariot, with four wheels along with four human and beastlike figures with some pretty cool appearances. God comes to Ezekiel to prophecy and prepare those in exile for what is going to happen in Jerusalem under the Babylonians siege. What I find amazing is God’s need to prepare His people. Here is Ezekiel in the land of exile preparing those in exile for what will happen to their home country. Just imagine you are on vacation and a tornado rips through your home town. How much would that break your heart to read, hear, and maybe even watch it unfold while you are still miles away? Just as Jeremiah, a contemporary of Ezekiel, had the responsibility of sharing with those in Jerusalem; Ezekiel has the responsibility in exile.

God might work in ways we do not always understand … remember reading about Ezekiel laying down for 390 days on his side, pretty mysterious … God always does things for our benefit, without sneaking up on us. Sometimes it takes listening to what God is trying to tell us. Has God sent someone to your life that might be trying to tell you something, but you just are not listening? Maybe it is time to notice the things happening in your life, the messages being shared, and the situations you keep finding yourself in. God just might be preparing you for something.