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Christian Devotional – December 14, 2024
Take Action, Day 2 The languages came first, then the crowd. Read Acts chapter 2. I’ve read this story probably hundreds of times over the years and today was the first time I noticed this. Yes, there are a lot of people in Jerusalem for the Pentecost. The disciples were gathered together and they received the Holy Spirit and started speaking in different languages. Then the crowd gathered to hear what they were saying. I had always envisioned this being a case where the crowd was already gathered and the disciples went out to them and started speaking in other languages to share the message. But that’s not what happens…
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Christian Devotional – December 13, 2024
Take Action, Day 1 Jesus lives. Read Acts chapter 1. As we think about this Christmas season and the birth of Jesus Christ, the miracle of God living with us is forefront on my mind. Because God lives, we are to act. We are to be obedient to what he has for us. When Luke wrote the letter that we now know is Acts, he started with the proof of Jesus’s resurrection. Jesus lives again and showed himself to everyone improved to them that he was alive. Without that proof there was no reason to act. We are to understand the proof that Jesus is living today because he lives.…
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Christian Devotional – December 12, 2024
The Vision, Day 48 God with us. Read Ezekiel chapter 48. As we close our time in this amazing book, we have seen so much of the vision of God. God has shared his message with Ezekiel and with us. This message is a message of judgment and the need for repentance. That is also a message of hope and restoration. We see the ultimate fulfillment of that message in the final verse of this book where we understand that God truly desires to be with us. God is making a way for us to be able to be with him. As we come into this Christmas season and look…
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Christian Devotional – December 11, 2024
The Vision, Day 47 Renewal and prosperity. Read Ezekiel chapter 47. As we see the temple being completed, we see the results of God’s glory being over everything. There is renewal and prosperity in every area. We see God creating life throughout. God is the author of life. He is the one who sees the darkness and is able to eradicate it completely. God is the only source of life. Are we reaching out to him for that life today? Video devotional here: https://youtu.be/Lq8w6OKNHvc
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Christian Devotional – December 10, 2024
The Vision, Day 46 Move forward. Read Ezekiel chapter 46. As the information about the temple is shared with Ezekiel, it’s interesting the see this specific idea. People are able to come into the temple but then they must continue moving forward until they ultimately leave. They can go forward, but they cannot go backwards. They could spend as much time in the temple as they wanted, but they cannot leave the same way they came in. That is a good reminder for all of us. When we come into the temple of God, we are there to be changed. We are there to be made different. In light of…
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Christian Devotional – December 9, 2024
The Vision, Day 45 An offering. Read Ezekiel chapter 45. As the temple has been completed and Ezekiel is seeing the vision of the glory of God resting on the temple, we see the importance of praise and offering. We will all be required to bring an offering as a way to praise God and his glory. Do we understand that giving to God is a way of praise? Do we recognize that he is worthy of every gift we give him because he truly owns everything anyway. We can become confused and think that we actually own things and have possessions, but everything we have is simply a result…
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Christian Devotional – December 8, 2024
The Vision, Day 44 Inheritance. Read Ezekiel chapter 44. So many people think about leaving an inheritance to their children or ensuring that they have an inheritance from their parents. God gives an interesting statement to the priests and tells them that he is their inheritance. They should not be looking for riches or for possessions, but that God himself is offering to be the inheritance for each of them. Do we understand the value and importance of having Christ? Jesus Christ is worth more than anything else we could possibly inherit on earth. Video devotional here: https://youtu.be/FKCAR1tL51M
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Christian Devotional – December 7, 2024
The Vision, Day 43 Perfection. Read Ezekiel chapter 43. As God is showing Ezekiel this vision, he wants the people to understand the difference between perfection and imperfection. We can see that God himself is perfect. Because of that, we can very clearly see our sins. We should never spend our time comparing ourselves to other people. The only comparison that needs to be made is us compared to God. When we do that, we recognize how short we truly do fall and how sinful we are. Are we recognizing and worshiping the perfection of God? Video devotional here: https://youtu.be/BFC7EKtZIP0
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Christian Devotional – December 6, 2024
The Vision, Day 42 Holy v. Unholy. Read Ezekiel chapter 42. As God is continuing to describe the new temple to Ezekiel, we see the extremely marked distinction between what is to be considered holy and what is not to be considered holy. Things that are going to come and serve and minister directly to God had to be kept holy. Everything else was considered unholy. When we look at our lives, do we draw such a marked line between what we know and understand as holy and what is not? Do we seek repentance to cleanse ourselves when we come to approach a holy God in prayer? Do we…
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Christian Devotional – December 5, 2024
The Vision, Day 41 The details. Read Ezekiel chapter 41. God is a God of details. As we read this chapter, we see Ezekiel continue to measure what he is seeing and report on it. Even the smallest detail about the measurement matters. You see, God is a God that knows, understands, and values the details in our lives. He created them. We can come to him for even the smallest little thing, knowing that he finds that important. We also often misunderstand that we need to be mindful of the details in our lives, and not just glossover those. We must recognize that God sees them and knows about…