Sunday, October 30, 2011

Oct 31

Then he said to me, "Prophesy to these bones and say to them, "Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! This is what the Soveriegn Lord says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord."

So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone. I looked and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them.

Then he said to me, "Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it, 'This what the Soveriegn Lord says: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breath into these slain, that they may live." So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet - a vast army.

Then he said to me: "Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They say, 'Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.' Therefore prophesy and say to them; 'This is what the Sovereign Lord says: O my people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel. Then you, my people, will know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves and bring you up from them. I will put my Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I the Lord have spoken, and I have done it, declares the Lord.

ezekiel 37:4-14

What happened to these people? It never says.

One thing is clear - they died again. Sometimes I forget that there is life after death. I get lulled into thinking that this is all there is. The truth is we were designed for eternity. We will live again after we die!

God will open the graves and bring us up from them. He will bring us home. And we will live again with him for eternity.


Thursday, October 27, 2011

Oct 28

Then he said to me, "Prophesy to these bones and say to them, "Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! This is what the Soveriegn Lord says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord."

So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone. I looked and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them.

Then he said to me, "Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it, 'This what the Soveriegn Lord says: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breath into these slain, that they may live." So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet - a vast army.

Then he said to me: "Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They say, 'Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.' Therefore prophesy and say to them; 'This is what the Sovereign Lord says: O my people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel. Then you, my people, will know tht I am the Lord, when I open your graves and bring you up from them. I will put my Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I the Lord have spoken, and I have done it, declares the Lord.

ezekiel 37:4-14

What a message! You may think you're down and out. But check out what God can do! He can dead things. Dry bone dead things! And make them come back to life. Not even death can prevent God from getting to his people! I love that! Take hope in that!


Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Oct 27

Then he said to me, "Prophesy to these bones and say to them, "Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! This is what the Soveriegn Lord says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord."

So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone. I looked and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them.

Then he said to me, "Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it, 'This what the Soveriegn Lord says: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breath into these slain, that they may live." So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet - a vast army.

Then he said to me: "Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They say, 'Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.' Therefore prophesy and say to them; 'This is what the Sovereign Lord says: O my people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel. Then you, my people, will know tht I am the Lord, when I open your graves and bring you up from them. I will put my Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I the Lord have spoken, and I have done it, declares the Lord.

ezekiel 37:4-14

It amazes me that Ezekiel doesn't question God. Perhaps I have never heard God as clearly as Ezekiel did. That's a possibility. But I can't put my mind around how Ezekiel heard such a crazy command from God, and then did it! That's crazy! How about you? How willing are you to do crazy things for Jesus?




Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Oct 26

Then he said to me, "Prophesy to these bones and say to them, "Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! This is what the Soveriegn Lord says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord."

So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone. I looked and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them.

Then he said to me, "Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it, 'This what the Soveriegn Lord says: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breath into these slain, that they may live." So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet - a vast army.

Then he said to me: "Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They say, 'Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.' Therefore prophesy and say to them; 'This is what the Sovereign Lord says: O my people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel. Then you, my people, will know tht I am the Lord, when I open your graves and bring you up from them. I will put my Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I the Lord have spoken, and I have done it, declares the Lord.

ezekiel 37:4-14

God tells Ezekiel to talk directly to the dry bones in order to remind us/show us that he is God of both the living and the dead. He is sovereign over all. Which is the reason Paul can write that nothing can separate us from the love of God - not even death!


Monday, October 24, 2011

Oct 25

Then he said to me, "Prophesy to these bones and say to them, "Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! This is what the Soveriegn Lord says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord."

So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone. I looked and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them.

Then he said to me, "Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it, 'This what the Soveriegn Lord says: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breath into these slain, that they may live." So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet - a vast army.

Then he said to me: "Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They say, 'Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.' Therefore prophesy and say to them; 'This is what the Sovereign Lord says: O my people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel. Then you, my people, will know tht I am the Lord, when I open your graves and bring you up from them. I will put my Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I the Lord have spoken, and I have done it, declares the Lord.

ezekiel 37:4-14

Is there a spookier scene in the Bible? God makes Zombies!!! How creepy is that? And yet, how many of us choose to live our lives without breathing in and out the breath of God? How much more AIR could we be breathing if we breathed in the Spirit?


Sunday, October 23, 2011

Then he said to me, "Prophesy to these bones and say to them, "Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! This is what the Soveriegn Lord says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord."

So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone. I looked and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them.

Then he said to me, "Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it, 'This what the Soveriegn Lord says: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breath into these slain, that they may live." So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet - a vast army.

Then he said to me: "Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They say, 'Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.' Therefore prophesy and say to them; 'This is what the Sovereign Lord says: O my people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel. Then you, my people, will know tht I am the Lord, when I open your graves and bring you up from them. I will put my Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I the Lord have spoken, and I have done it, declares the Lord.

ezekiel 37:4-14

Sometimes the Lord chooses the most impossible circumstances to reveal just how amazing he is. Here he demonstrates his power by the most impossible of impossible circumstances. Dead bones. Not merely dead bones. But dead dry bones. Bones that have been dead so long they rattle. Yep. He's going to make them live.


Thursday, October 20, 2011

Oct 21

Then he said to me, "Prophesy to these bones and say to them, "Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! This is what the Soveriegn Lord says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord."

So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone. I looked and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them.

Then he said to me, "Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it, 'This what the Soveriegn Lord says: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breath into these slain, that they may live." So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet - a vast army.

Then he said to me: "Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They say, 'Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.' Therefore prophesy and say to them; 'This is what the Sovereign Lord says: O my people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel. Then you, my people, will know tht I am the Lord, when I open your graves and bring you up from them. I will put my Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I the Lord have spoken, and I have done it, declares the Lord.


ezekiel 37:4-14

we'll explore this together next week! Happy Halloween!


Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Oct 20

I read this this morning to start getting prepped for Halloween.

The hand of the Lord was upon me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the Lord and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry. he asked me, "Son of man, can these bones live?"

I said, "O Sovereign Lord, you alone know."

Ezekiel 37:1-3

I love Ezekiel's answer. If God had asked him this at the beginning of the book he would probably have said, No way Jose. But this is Ezekiel 37, by now God has done some pretty crazy things in Ezekiel's life. So if God asks him if something impossible can happen, Ezekiel has figured out that the best answer is to say, Well, I can't see how it is possible, but I know one thing - you can do anything!

May we be the same. You go, Zeke.


Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Oct 19

The gospel is to be applied to every area of thinking, feeling, relating, working and behaving.

Tim Keller


Monday, October 17, 2011

Oct 18

To be grateful is to recognize the love of God in everything He has given us--and He has given us everything. Every breath we draw is a gift of His love, every moment of existence is a grace, for it brings with it immense graces from Him. Gratitude therefore takes nothing for granted, is never unresponsive, is constantly awakening to new wonder and to praise of the goodness of God. For the grateful person knows that God is good, not by hearsay but by experience. And that is what makes all the difference...Gratitude is therefore the heart of the solitary life, as it is the heart of the Christian life...We live in constant dependence upon this merciful kindness of the Father, and thus our whole life is a life of gratitude—a constant response to His help which comes to us at every moment.

Thomas Merton, Thoughts in Solitude

Sunday, October 16, 2011

Oct 17

Today is the Forsyth County Young Life banquet. My nugget for today is to spend some time remembering what or who or how God used others to lead you to himself. Spend some time thanking him for the ways he worked through these people. If you feel the desire, maybe even write that person or organization. Or perhaps, like I will do tonight, write them a check.


Thursday, October 13, 2011

Oct 14

I would rather be beaten in Right than succeed in Wrong.

James A. Garfield

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Oct 13

I never met a ragged boy in the street without feeling that I may owe him a salute, for I know not what possibilities may be buttoned up under his coat.

James A. Garfield


Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Oct 12

If wrinkles must be written upon our brows, let them not be written upon the heart. The spirit should never grow old.

James A. Garfield


Monday, October 10, 2011

Oct 11

There is no horizontal Stratification of society in this country like the rocks in the earth, that hold one class down below forevermore, and let another come to the surface and stay there forever. Our Stratification is like the ocean, where every individual drop is free to move, and where from the sternest depths of the mighty deep any drop may come up to glitter on the highest wave that rolls.

James A. Garfield


Oct 10

Sorry, I forgot to front load last week and I was out in the Utah wilderness before I realized it.

We're back! Vacation was great. And it's great to be back.

Yesterday, my pastor quoted a commentator who said this:

God waits for us for us to wait for him.

Let's ponder this together today.