September 7, 2008- Speak to me

Scripture to read today:

2 Kings 25; 2 Chronicles 36; Jeremiah 40; Jeremiah 41; Revelation 12

Scripture that spoke to me:
2 Chronicles 36:15
The LORD, the God of their fathers, sent word to them through his messengers again and again, because he had pity on his people and on his dwelling place.

Observation:
Today’s reading is the fall of Jerusalem. It seems like there have been books and books, if not many chapters, predicting and warning of this fall. God has sent word to His people time and time again, warning them to change their ways. But the people didn’t listen.

Application:
Do we listen? Do we REALLY listen? I’d like to think I do, but I know that I probably barely hear anything the Lord wants me to. I don’t spend enough time in prayer. I don’t spend enough time in quiet. I need to be still and listen. Scott and I have a new plan this week to try to get up early and spend time in prayer, study, and exercise. I think I need divine help to make it work, or I’ll fall back asleep for those extra 45 minutes.

Prayer:
Lord, speak to me. Let me hear what you have to say. Help me to be disciplined enough to make the extra time for You. Don’t let me be lazy, for I want to have this time, but I know I am weak and will abandon this plan at the first sign of tiredness. I love You, Lord, and want to put You first in my life. Help my actions mirror my wishes for Your love and praise. Amen.

September 6, 2008- Chopping wood

Scripture to read today:

Ezekiel 29; Ezekiel 30; Ezekiel 31; Ezekiel 32; Revelation 11

Scripture that spoke to me:
Ezekiel 31:10-11
‘Therefore this is what the Sovereign LORD says: Because it towered on high, lifting its top above the thick foliage, and because it was proud of its height, I handed it over to the ruler of the nations, for him to deal with according to its wickedness. I cast it aside.

Observation:
The Lord is comparing Assyria to a tall, majestic cedar tree. It is strong and mighty, and has many birds that live there and many people seek shelter in its shade. But it is proud, and becomes haughty, so the Lord cut it down and left it to rot on the hillside, and the birds and other animals left it.

Application:
This happens to us when we are too proud and haughty, too. We get full of our own importance, taller than those around us, and we are pleased that the birds like us, and the other creatures seek us out, and we forget that we are mighty only because our might comes from the Lord. He will cut us down if we do not acknowledge that the credit goes to Him- for we can do nothing mighty without Him.

Prayer:
Dear Lord, I struggle with this. I want approval. I want people to like me and think that I do a good job. I want to have a lot of people around me. Help me to always remember that my strength comes from You. I give you all the credit for any talent that I have, and anything that I deserve applause for should have that applause deflected to You, since I only deserve it through Your grace and Your generosity. Thank you for blessing me, and help me be a blessing to others in Your name. Amen.

September 5, 2008- God is in control

Scripture to read today:

Ezekiel 25; Ezekiel 26; Ezekiel 27; Ezekiel 28; Revelation 10

Scripture that spoke to me:
Ezekiel 28:2
“Son of man, say to the ruler of Tyre, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says:
” ‘In the pride of your heart
you say, “I am a god;
I sit on the throne of a god
in the heart of the seas.”
But you are a man and not a god,
though you think you are as wise as a god.

Observation:
God was announcing his wrath over all of Israel for the horrible way the people had been acting. They were worshiping other gods, breaking God’s laws, and not caring one bit about any of it. The kings and rulers were just as corrupt, believing themselves to be on a par with God.

Application:
I struggle to remember that God is in charge always. Oh, I know it, but I don’t act it. I think I can handle things myself, and then when it is all wrong, I give it to Him. I have to remember that I am human, and He is God. He can handle everything- I just need to turn it over to Him, for He knows way more than I do!

Prayer:
Lord, take my life. Take my problems and my worries, take my happiness and satisfactions, too. Use them all to glorify You. Help me to remember who is really in charge and stop trying to control everything. I know You will do a much better job of that. Amen.

September 4, 2008- Whom Shall I Send?

Scripture to read today:

Ezekiel 22; Ezekiel 23; Ezekiel 24; Revelation 9

Scripture that spoke to me:
Ezekiel 22:30
“I looked for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found none.

Observation:
Several times in the Bible, God is ready to  destroy a city and someone righteous intervenes. Now  the Lord is looking for one person- just one- who will follow Him, but He sees no one.

Application:
I wonder sometimes how many times God has to look around for someone to do His work. Are we willing to follow and obey? Or are we caught up in our own lives and doing our own things, and miss the opportunity? I’ve been struggling with time to do this study lately, but told a friend today that I realize I’m not putting God first. He’s getting whatever time is left over. If God is going to be first in my life, I need to make time for Him FIRST!

Prayer:
Lord,  help me to put You first. Give me the will and the strength to do things in the right order, with the right priorities. I want to be  there when You call, not be too busy to hear Your voice. Amen.

September 3, 2008- Fairy Tales

Scripture to read today:

Ezekiel 20; Ezekiel 21; Psalm 111; Revelation 8

Scripture that spoke to me:
Ezekiel 20:49
Then I said, “Ah, Sovereign LORD! They are saying of me, ‘Isn’t he just telling parables?’ “

Observation:
Parables are a good way to put an abstract idea into something concrete. To the Jews, they must have seemed like fables or fairy tales. They are thinking that Ezekiel is just making up stories. Jesus also used parables to teach- and even though they were made up stories, they had a lesson behind them.

Application:
Sometimes a good story is nice- it lets you escape the here and now and takes you to a new place where you meet new people. Some stories can make me cry, or be mad, or be sad- they evoke emotion. These parables were designed to teach- not to take you out of this place, but to show you something about this place that you didn’t understand. A lot of the time, we just don’t understand what we are supposed to get from the story.

Prayer:
Lord, help us to “get it” when You are teaching us something. Open our eyes and ears and hearts to Your meaning. Have Your stories be more to us than just a fairy tale. Amen.

September 2, 2008- Sins of the Father

Scripture to read today:

Ezekiel 17; Ezekiel 18; Ezekiel 19; Revelation 7

Scripture that spoke to me:
Ezekiel 18:20
The soul who sins is the one who will die. The son will not share the guilt of the father, nor will the father share the guilt of the son. The righteousness of the righteous man will be credited to him, and the wickedness of the wicked will be charged against him.

Observation:
The Jews believed that the sins of the father were visited on the children. And sometimes the children’s children. God is telling them that everyone stands on their own righteousness.

Application:
This is a comfort to me, because it means that ultimately, I am responsible for no one but me. As a mom, that is hard, because I want to fix everything for my children. I judge my worthiness on what my children do- and if they mess up, I feel like a faiure.  But this verse tells me that I am not in charge of anyone but myself, and if I’m right with God, then that’s all I can do. I do raise my children to love God and seek Him, but ultimately, they get to make their own decisions.

Prayer:
Dear Lord, thank You for being in my life. Thank You for loving me and desiring a relationship with me. Be with my children too, and help them get to know You as Redeemer, Savior, and Friend. Amen.

September 1, 2008- Hide and Seek

Scripture to read today:

Ezekiel 15; Ezekiel 16; Psalm 70; Revelation 6

Scripture that spoke to me:
Psalm 70:4
But may all who seek you
rejoice and be glad in you;
may those who love your salvation always say,
“Let God be exalted!”

Observation:
This is a nice prayer. “May all who seek you rejoice…”  Since God promises that whoever seeks Him will find Him, the rejoicing comes in finding!

Application:
Have you ever played hide and seek? I remember playing one time with someone who didn’t want to find me. It wasn’t too fun- to hide, and hide, and realize that you’re not being looked for. I quit and decided to play with different people. God always waits for us- he is always willing to be found! All we have to do is be the seeker!

Prayer:
Lord, I seek You. Everywhere I go, I need You. Amen.

August 31, 2008- Open My Eyes

Scripture to read today:

Ezekiel 12; Ezekiel 13; Ezekiel 14; Revelation 5

Scripture that spoke to me:
Ezekiel 12:1-2
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.”

Observation:
Just because we have eyes and ears doesn’t mean we will understand. There is so much more to belief and faith than what can be seen and heard.

Application:
I feel like we are living among a rebellious people today. (Sometimes I think we ARE a rebellious people.) I hope that my eyes and ears hear and see what they are supposed to, and that my heart believes.

Prayer:
Lord, open my eyes and ears to what you are saying and doing. Help me to always believe in You, no matter what the people around me are doing. Help those who are blind to see. Amen.

August 30, 2008- I don’t know about this

Scripture to read today:

Ezekiel 8; Ezekiel 9; Ezekiel 10; Ezekiel 11; Revelation 4\

Scripture that spoke to me:
Revelation 4:6-7
Also before the throne there was what looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal. In the center, around the throne, were four living creatures, and they were covered with eyes, in front and in back. The first living creature was like a lion, the second was like an ox, the third had a face like a man, the fourth was like a flying eagle.

Observation:
This verse jumped out at me because of what I read in Ezekiel. Ezekiel is trying to describe what seems like almost the exact same thing!

Application:
Here again, we’re putting God in a box- limiting Him to our knowledge of HIm. It is obvious that Ezekiel and John both saw something that the rest of us have not seen. Isn’t it marvelous that a God who has knowledge and control of the entire universe loves us and wants good things for us?

Prayer:
Thank you for loving us Lord. Be patient with us as we struggle to understand what we cannot comprehend. Be with us in our ignorance. Forgive our unbelief. Amen.

August 29, 2008- Chains

Scripture to read today:

Ezekiel 4; Ezekiel 5; Ezekiel 6; Ezekiel 7; Revelation 3

Scripture that spoke to me today:
Ezekiel 7:20
They were proud of their beautiful jewelry and used it to make their detestable idols and vile images. Therefore I will turn these into an unclean thing for them.

Observation:
Their necklaces became chains as the people went off to be slaves to the Babylonians. So their metal took on a more sinister meaning for them.

Application:
That happens to us. Something we love takes us over (might be a car, or a house, or something else) and we end up as a slave to it rather than see it as something to enjoy. NOTHING should come before God, and anything that does will surely turn on you.

Prayer:
Lord, you are first in my life. Help me to remember that as I get caught up in other things- in daily life things. Forgive me for all the times I put you on down the list and put other things ahead of You. Amen.