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Christian Devotional – May 10, 2013
VERSE: Ezekiel 26:1–In the eleventh month of the twelfth year, on the first day of the month, the word of the Lord came to me. TRUTH: Ezekiel was always listening and ready for a new word from the Lord. He did not just sit and rest on the previous messages that he had received, but was always listening and waiting to hear more. Are we constantly waiting and listening to hear a new and fresh message from God each day? Do we seek His Word for our lives anew or just rely on what we’ve heard and learned before? RESPONSE: Father, I pray You will continue to work and move…
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Christian Devotional – May 9, 2013
VERSE: Ezekiel 25:6-7a–For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: Because you have clapped your hands and stamped your feet rejoicing with all the malice of your heart against the land of Israel, therefore I will stretch out my hand against you and give you as plunder to the nations. TRUTH: Two ideas can be seen in these verses. First, we are not to rejoice when others go through the judgment of God. The Ammonites were excited to see that Israel was being judged by God. God does not want us to be happy and rejoice in the downfall and destruction of others, no matter how evil their actions have…
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Christian Devotional – May 8, 2013
VERSE: Ezekiel 24:11–Then tset the empty pot on the coals til it becomes hot and its copper glows, so that its impurities may be melted and its deposit burned away. TRUTH: God reminds the people through Ezekiel that they only way to clean off a pot is to heat it up super hot so that the impurities melt off. God is planning to put Israel through a fire and to cleanse them of all the impurities they have. When we go through difficulties do we turn to God and seek Him as He may have something for us to learn to further refine us and burn away anything that does…
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Christian Devotional – May 7, 2013
VERSE: Ezekiel 23:49–You will suffer the penalty for your lewdness and bear the consequences of your sins of idolatry. Then you will know that I am the Sovereign Lord. TRUTH: Sometimes we must face the consequences of our actions before we realize the position that God holds in the universe and in our life. He is over us all but if we do not respond to Him in a way that shows His true position, then He will allow us to experience the results of our sin so that we will know that He is over all things. Are we acknowledging the Lord for who He is or is He…
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Christian Devotional – May 6, 2013
VERSE: Ezekiel 22:30–I looked for someone 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 no one. TRUTH: The people had sinned. They had done evil on God’s sight and God was evaluating their deeds and looking to destroy them, but then makes this statement. God was also looking for someone who would be able to bridge the gap that their sin had created between the people and God. He found no one. This is such a great explanation of what Jesus Christ can to do in our…
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Christian Devotional – May 5, 2013
VERSE: Ezekiel 21:24–Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says, “Because you people have brought to mind your guilt by your open rebellion, revealing your sins in all that you do–because you have done this, you will be taken captive.” TRUTH: There are consequences for sin and when people are in rebellion to God, that rebellion is evident in everything that they do. Other people can see our rebellion and our guilt as we openly go against God. God will eventually take captive and punish those in rebellion to Him. Are we in open rebellion to God? Our sins are on display for the world to see. Will we repent?…
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Christian Devotional – May 4, 2013
VERSE: Ezekiel 20:44–You will know that I am the Lord, when I deal with you for my name’s sake and not according to your evil ways and your corrupt practices, you people of Israel, declares the Sovereign Lord. TRUTH: What a beautiful verse! Even though the people had done evil and been disobedient to God, God promises to deal with them according to His Name and not according to the evil they had done. God is perfectly justified to destroy us in judgment because of our sins and wrongs, yet He chooses instead to provide an alternative that is only through His mercy and grace. This alternative shows the power…
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Christian Devotional – May 3, 2013
VERSE: Ezekiel 19:1–Take up a lament concerning the princes of Israel. TRUTH: Do we rejoice or lament when people are brought down under the judgment of God? Ezekiel goes on in this chapter to describe the destruction of the kings of Israel, and even though they were evil, God gives this lament for the people to mourn their judgment. We are not to rejoice in the judgment of people who have acted wrong. We are to mourn their disobedience and failure to repent. Do we have a heart to mourn these who have refused to repent and turn to God? RESPONSE: Father, I want to have a heart like Yours to…
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Christian Devotional – May 2, 2013
VERSE: Ezekiel 18:21–But if a wicked person turns away from all the sins they have committed and keeps all my decrees and does what is just and right, that person will surely live, they will not die. TRUTH: No one is too far gone into sin that they can’t decide to repent and turn and follow God. God spends this whole chapter explaining that people are responsible for their own sin, not the sin of their father or anyone else. Do we believe that God can truly forgive anyone? Have we asked for and received that forgiveness for ourselves? We are to be the message of hope to the world…
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Christian Devotional – May 1, 2013
VERSE: Ezekiel 17:24–All the trees of the forest will know that I the Lord bring down the tall tree and make the low tree grow tall. I dry up the green tree and make the dry tree flourish. “I the Lord have spoken and I will do it.” TRUTH: The Lord is the one who brings about prosperity. He is the one who controls the outcome of all that we do. Do we trust in our own strength or are we trusting in Him? Since He is in control of the outcomes, we are to trust in Him and follow Him and allow Him to do what He feels is…