Ezekiel 36:24-28 Jan. 11th, 2016

Ezekiel 36:24-28

24 For I will gather you up from all the nations and bring you home again to your land.

25 “Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean. Your filth will be washed away, and you will no longer worship idols. 26 And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart.[a] 27 And I will put my Spirit in you so that you will follow my decrees and be careful to obey my regulations.

28 “And you will live in Israel, the land I gave your ancestors long ago. You will be my people, and I will be your God.

This is a story of REDEMPTION!

Everything in life is a story about redemption. God is seeking to restore our HEARTS. In Heaven he will restore creation to where it was suppose to be.

But when God restores the heart.... LOOK OUT WORLD!!!

This verse explains why the NT Christian is not under the law as Paul said. It is because the LAW GIVER has written the LAW ON THEIR HEARTS!

Do you have that? Think about it... when you are driving down the road in Delaware the speed limit (THE LAW) changes. If a wonderful police officer pulls you over and tells you that you were speeding (BREAKING THAT LAW) and you said "Oh but I didn't know it changed" does he say "Oh, ok... since you didn't know it was wrong then it doesn't count!"

NO!!! He says... "TOUGH. Ignorance ain't bliss!"

You are held to the law even if you didn't know it was the law!

BUT because God loves us so much and wants to help us he WRITES THE LAW ON OUR HEART!!!!

We will ALWAYS KNOW IT!

That is the 'Jimminy Cricket' on your heart. That conscious that is saying "You shouldn't do that..."

OH but that comes with a warning... James tells us that when you do what you know you shouldn't do it is a sin.... OUCH!

I am so grateful for a God who writes his law on my heart. Who guides me, directs me, picks be up each and EVERY time when I fail him.

My GOD IS AMAZING!

Jan 2nd, 2016 Lamentations 3:22-26

Lamentations 3:22-26

22 The faithful love of the LORD never ends!

His mercies never cease.

23 Great is his faithfulness;

his mercies begin afresh each morning.

24 I say to myself, “The LORD is my inheritance;

therefore, I will hope in him!”

25 The LORD is good to those who depend on him,

to those who search for him.

26 So it is good to wait quietly

for salvation from the LORD.

I don't post my handwritten one because, well I have horrible handwriting.

This verse reminded me of a Lectio Divina. "Divine Reading". This was a practice of monks but can be a great exercise of reading a passage of scripture. But it fit this verse especially because of the theme of waiting.

As I was reading there were a couple words that stuck out so I did some study of them....

Faithful Love (or Steadfast love) actually means COVENANT LOYALTY. This verse again reminds us of the Covenant that God made with Abraham, with Israel, with you and me. It is a faithful love. It won't end! AMEN to that! God's love will never end. As we heard on Christmas eve, all other things will end, Faith will end in Heaven, Hope will be fulfilled in Heaven, but LOVE will continue for all ETERNITY!

Next v 25 and 26 both use the word WAIT... but they are actually different words in Hebrew.

Vs 25 wait is a word that has the idea of 'TENSION of enduring'. Waiting in tension.

Vs. 26 wait means DUMB. SILENT. WAIT. Waiting in a way that you are unable to speak.

Vs. 25 the word Seek can also mean to READ REPEATEDLY

Think about these verses as a whole. When we are so overwhelmed with the realization of GOD'S GREAT MERCY, his COVENANT with us, His FAITHFUL love when we are unfaithful....

These feelings should bring us to a 'stillness' before our God.

We should be silent and wait for HIS direction!

This is a great exercise to remember as we start out this 31 days to READ REPEATEDLY the verses you are writing. Don't just gloss over them. Pray them. Say them over and over and put emphasis on different words....

"The STEADFAST love..." "The steadfast LOVE..."

'GREAT is your faithfulness" "Great is YOUR faithfulness" "Great is your FAITHFULNESS"....

What will God show you when you silently, without words, without seeking to direct God to what you want to hear today?

Will you WAIT silently for the 'salvation of the Lord?'