holy – Be Still…

Ezekiel 42:1-20 – Holy Rooms

Read Ezekiel 42:1-20

Oh to be an architect and be able to make sense of all these details. Being able to picture these divine plans coming to life would be magnificent. One measurement I can almost picture is the perimeter of 875 feet. This is 291 yards, so nearly three football fields! That’s a lot of real estate to cover.

Ezekiel’s guided tour is coming to an end as this reading is the last of our temple dimensions. The vision will continue to give Ezekiel purposeful instructions, but for now we see the distinction between what is holy and what is not. A separation exists between the priests and everyone else. Even the priests have a time when they are recognized as holy and an expectation of what they must be doing. Continue reading “Ezekiel 42:1-20 – Holy Rooms”

Ezekiel 22:17-22 – Refining Fire

Read Ezekiel 22:17-22

What this reading made me think of was song lyrics. This song “Refiner’s Fire” was an oldie but goodie when I started using it as a prayer in worship. “I choose to be holy, ready to do Your will.” To serve like Jesus served. We want to be set apart, seen as different from the world. Such beautiful lyrics to “live by” and use as prayer verses.

Those lyrics are certainly a different angle from the image of the refining fire Ezekiel speaks of in this passage. I’m not sure I want to spend a lot of time reflecting on people who God considers “worthless slag.” I have to admit, I didn’t know what “slag” was until I read these verses. Continue reading “Ezekiel 22:17-22 – Refining Fire”

1 Peter 2:11-12 – Aliens

Read 1 Peter 2:11-12

When you hear the word “alien” what picture goes through your mind? A small green creature with an enormous head and bulgy black eyes perhaps? How about you look in the mirror! We are the aliens of this world because we don’t belong here; we’re just passing through. What a revelation!

Many people fail to realize this phenomenon is true for followers of Christ. There is so much more waiting for us beyond what we can see in this moment. We belong to Jesus’ kingdom. That’s why Peter felt it necessary to warn us. “I warn you as “temporary residents and foreigners” to keep away from worldly desires that wage war against your very souls.” How exactly are we supposed to do that?

Hebrews 12:14-29 – Unshakable Faith

Read Hebrews 12:14-29

What a wake-up call! The Preacher doesn’t want these new believers (or us) to miss out on God’s promises. He uses the example of Esau as our wake-up call. “Work at living in peace with everyone, and work at living a holy life, for those who are not holy will not see the Lord.” Can you imagine not seeing God face to face someday?

Beyond our eternal home, the message to be at peace with others is pretty timely. It seems we can’t even scroll through social media these days without seeing all sorts of outlandish comments and hurtful communication. Who does that? We can all fall prey to one of the biggest sins in my book, gossip. We need to be focusing on living a “holy” life instead.

Hebrews 10:1-18 – Sins Erased

Read Hebrews 10:1-18

The Preacher does it again. We are whisked back into the Old Testament to deepen the meaning of the message he is delivering. Understanding the old covenant would have been a lot easier for the Jews in his first audience. This description of the old covenant is quite something! The Preacher calls it a “dim preview of the good things to come.” Since we’ve been living in the new covenant our whole lives, it does us good to know and appreciate the “upgrade” done for our benefit. Keep in mind your response to God for his forgiveness and grace, the gifts included in this new covenant.

One such Old Testament reference is a quote from Psalm 40:6-8 which speaks for Jesus. Do you suppose the psalmist, David knew the depth of meaning his words had as they pointed to Jesus? Perhaps David had one of those “Holy Spirit moments” when he wrote something but wasn’t sure where it came from. I know there are times when things come out of my mouth that sound “so good”—I’m sure they came from the Holy Spirit!