knowing God – Be Still…

Ezekiel 12:1-20 – Knowing God

Read Ezekiel 12:1-20

What does it take for us to recognize and know the LORD? We might recognize God moving in a lot of things, like an exquisite sunset or rescue from a tragedy or answered prayer. But how do we know God? For us, we can take Paul’s counsel in Colossians 1:15a which says, “Christ is the visible image of the invisible God.” We can start knowing God by knowing Jesus as our Savior.

God seems intent on being known in this vision. He’s certainly making Ezekiel jump through some hoops to make that message tangible for the people to grasp. If the people can witness the future before it happens, that should open their eyes to recognize God’s hand. Just one more way to effectively get his message across. Continue reading “Ezekiel 12:1-20 – Knowing God”

Hebrews 8:1-13 – Jesus Ushers in the New Covenant

Read Hebrews 8:1-13

The Preacher is making a big deal out of the fact Jesus is our High Priest. It truly is an honor to have Jesus ministering to us from his heavenly home. Jesus’ purposes on earth were many, but this is his destiny. We can be thankful Jesus “is the one who mediates for us a far better covenant with God, based on better promises.”

A covenant is a special kind of promise. In the covenant made between God and Israel at Sinai, the people vowed they would be obedient to God’s laws. God knew this old covenant was flawed and needed to be updated. The people had abused God’s promise by turning from him and relying on other gods. Sin is chronic, and the people were stuck in a pattern of disobedience. Yet God remained faithful.

Jeremiah 4:19-22 – Bitter Tears

Read Jeremiah 4:19-22

Poor Jeremiah! His prophetic vision of what is coming has left him devastated. I can’t imagine what it would be like for my heart to “writhe in pain.” Looking back on my life, there have been plenty of bumps, but living through something like what Jeremiah envisions would be totally new for me. For most of us!

There are plenty of atrocities happening around the world rousting people out of their homes, exiling them to foreign lands as refugees. But the one Jeremiah describes is being orchestrated by God because of the people’s bad choices. The magnitude of seeing God’s predictions come true, being homeless and left behind. Terrifying!

Micah 6:1-8 – What the Lord Requires of Us

Read Micah 6:1-8

Have you ever been mad at God? So mad that you turned away from him and started “acting out” like a rebellious child? Maybe you’ve even yelled at him for something he allowed to happen. It just wasn’t fair. I can relate and think of time when I felt disappointed and let down only to look back and realize God was there all along. Life lessons are not always enjoyable.

In God’s message through Micah in this reading, we see God pleading with his people to tell him their innermost secrets. God wants them to verbalize what he has done wrong. He quickly points out several examples of great deliverance and provision. God wants to understand, and he wants to hear it in their own words.