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timewithgod.blog-city.com — June 2008
Ezekiel 37 -- Needing Fresh Wind
I thought about the bones of cows I've seen at the farm over the years. For the first several years after a cow's death, the bones are still slick and almost moist-looking, like they've been waxed. It takes years for that waxi
I thought about the bones of cows I've seen at the farm over the years. For the first several years after a cow's death, the bones are still slick and almost moist-looking, like they've been waxed. It takes years for that waxiness to go away and for the bones to dry up enough to turn white. When they do, they appear to be almost porous, with millions of tiny holes dotting the surface, and they also become much lighter in weight.
So when Ezekiel mentions very dry bones, in a spiritual sense it indicates years since they'd last received nourishment and actually been alive. That described the condition of Israel at the time, yet it can also describe the heart that's been away from God, or burned out, or even continually bombarded by temptations to sin -- lacking the daily spiritual nourishment needed to keep the relationship fresh.
I noticed the immediacy of the Word of God. As Ezekiel began to speak, the word began to be carried out. Those bones were listening and heeding the Word of God, unable to do anything else. It's amazing how creation responds to Him, but often the human heart chooses not to.
Sinews, muscles, and flesh all appeared, yet there was no life -- until the Spirit was breathed into them. We are just that -- just tissue, bones, and flesh until God gives us life in the Spirit. That's when we really get life and when we can really enjoy it.
The Israelites had lost that part. God was even promising that part to them, but they were so far from Him spiritually that they simply chose to remain as the animated dead. How often do we do the same? God has lifted us out of the grave by giving us eternal life. But by our choices, we sometimes willingly step one of our feet back into the grave. We ignore the putrefying smell of death, and we tell ourselves that the spiritual gangrene that sin causes is but a bruise that will go away. I thought of myself having one foot in the grave spiritually at times, allowing sin to have gained a foothold, and then I found myself reading verses 12-14:
"My people, I will open your graves and cause you to come up out of your graves .... My people, you will know that I am the Lord when I open your graves and cause you to come up from them. And I will put my Spirit inside you, and you will come to life!"
Did you notice the part played by the people? There was none. It was a sovereign act of God to choose to step in and perform a miraculous transformation.
My sidebar said, "God is in total control... God looks at our past lives from a completely different perspective. God was accomplishing His will even through our own failures and sin."
Father, help me to receive the regeneration You speak of here. Lift that stubborn foot out of the grave. Remove the gangrenous desire to sin that keeps making me want to step back in. Give me a fresh breath of Your Spirit -- a deep cleansing breath. Reenergize my prayer life. As I've watched my "breath prayers" being answered on a moment-by-moment basis, so let me marvel as the big requests are answered as well. I'm feeling dry in that area and I need fresh wind and fresh fire.
Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford
Gary Ford
Ezekiel 38 -39 A Surprise Ending
God's incredible sovereignty just blows me away here! The scene is Israel; the time -- somewhere in our future. An enemy army is going to be "called for service" by God. Thousands of years prior to this future date, Go
God's incredible sovereignty just blows me away here! The scene is Israel; the time -- somewhere in our future. An enemy army is going to be "called for service" by God. Thousands of years prior to this future date, God had spoken to this future leader: "At that time, ideas will come into your mind, and you will think up an evil plan." That plan will be to attack Israel.
Who but God could with 100% accuracy predict the thoughts that will enter the mind of one man at a particular time, thousands of years before his birth? God is already planning to use him to reveal His holiness to the world.
The army masses in Israel to attack, but there is no mention of Israel fighting back. Instead, the army is completely destroyed by disease and by "a heavy rain with hailstones and burning sulfur." God says, "Then I will show how great I am. I will show My holiness, and I will make myself known to the many nations that watch. Then they will know that I am the Lord."
God speaks of turning that nation around and leading them from the far north to attack. He personally will render their weapons ineffective, and He will send fire on them. "I will make Myself known among My people Israel [they do not know Jesus yet], and I will not let Myself be dishonored anymore. Then the nations will know that I am the Lord, the Holy One IN Israel. It is coming! It will happen.... I will show My glory among the nations."
In 39:21-24, my commentary noted that "in that day, the Gentiles shall know that Israel's captivity was not because God was unable to prevent it, but because their uncleanness and transgressions demanded it."
Father, what Israel will have endured for their uncleanness and sin! And what their enemies will have to endure, being pulled into war and entirely defeated, just so Israel can know You! It absolutely has to be worth it for them to know You or You wouldn't be going to all this trouble! They will say, "Wow! God did all of this just to bring us back!".....
..... The same way that someday my boys will understand what all it took for me to find them in Ukraine and bring them back. It was entirely motivated by love and absolutely worth it! Thank You for taking me through it, Father. Thank You for growing me so much in my understanding of You in the process. Thank You for revealing Yourself to me in all of it.
Most of all, thank You for choosing this morning to remind me of what You've done, because, as I began, my soul was feeling as dry as those bones in yesterday's quiet time. I'd forgotten what Henry Blackaby had taught me in Experiencing God -- to look back at our spiritual markers to REMIND us of just how far You've led us. I needed reminding. Forgive me for my forgetfulness, and for all my sins. I love You!
Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford
Gary Ford
Ezekiel 40-42 What Needs To Be Present In Worship
Ezekiel was given an incredibly detailed look at the setup of the Millennial Temple, my commentary said. My sidebar says that the details of his vision gave the Jews hope for a restored worship, and they show us the importance of true God-cente
Ezekiel was given an incredibly detailed look at the setup of the Millennial Temple, my commentary said. My sidebar says that the details of his vision gave the Jews hope for a restored worship, and they show us the importance of true God-centered worship. I've been through periods when I too needed such hope.
My sidebar added that Jesus' whole purpose was "to make worshipers out of rebels; in order that He might restore us again to the place of worship we knew when we were first created.... Because we were created to worship, worship is the normal employment of moral beings .... It is something that is built into human nature."
My sidebar, from The Best Of Tozer by Warren Wiersbe, listed the factors present in true worship:
1) boundless confidence -- "worship rises or falls ... depending upon the attitude we take toward God, whether we see God big or whether we see Him little ... and if there is one terrible disease in the Church, it is that we do not see God as great as He is. We're too familiar with God."
2) admiration -- "appreciation of the excellency of God"
3) fascination -- "being entranced with who God IS, and struck with astonished wonder at the inconceivable elevation and magnitude and splendor of Almighty God"
4) adoration -- "to love God with all the power within us."
"When the mental and emotional and spiritual factors... are present....you are worshiping."
Father, help me to understand just how big You are, and grant me boundless confidence in my worship as a result. Add admiration, fascination, and adoration so that I am able to take my mind off of me and my wants during worship and direct it solely toward You. After all, it is all about You.
Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford
Gary Ford
Ezekiel 43-44 A Secret That Will Leave You CHANGED!
I still remember so very well hearing Ronnie Hill preach about these chapters during a youth revival at our church. At first, it seems a very unlikely set of chapters for a sermon, but I really believe God had revealed to him something of real
I still remember so very well hearing Ronnie Hill preach about these chapters during a youth revival at our church. At first, it seems a very unlikely set of chapters for a sermon, but I really believe God had revealed to him something of real importance for all worshipers.
He said that it kept bothering him as he studied, that God was so insistent about certain things here: (43:10-11) "Tell the people about the Temple so they will be ashamed of their sins. Let them think about the PLAN of the temple. If they are ashamed of all they have done, let them know the DESIGN of the Temple .... Show them its exits and entrances..." Again in 44:6 -- "Pay attention! Use your eyes to see, and your ears to hear See and hear everything I tell you about all the rules and teachings of the Temple of the Lord. Pay attention to the ENTRANCE to the Temple and to all the EXITS from the Temple area."
Ronnie said that he backed up and reread and went over these several times until something finally hit him: In 40:28, the angel had brought Ezekiel in through the south door. In 43:1-5, the glory of God entered through the east gateway, which was then shut forever, since God promises never to depart from it again. In 44:1-4, Ezekiel is brought out through the north exit. Then once again, we hear, "Pay attention to the entrance to the Temple and to all the exits from the Temple area."
Ezekiel entered one way, encountered God, and left a DIFFERENT way -- changed by the experience! Ronnie said that anytime we come to worship, we should plan on encountering God, and the encounter should always leave us changed, so that we come out a different person. Indeed, we cannot encounter God and not be changed!
God says that the people were making His Holy Name UNCLEAN with their sexual sins and by burying their kings in the Temple area. [Does this equate to honoring humans as much as God in worship??] God says, "Let them stop doing all this and I will live with them forever. Tell them about the Temple so they will be ashamed of their sins. Let them think about it. If they are ashamed of all they have done, ... show them this about the entrances and exits." In other words, don't leave unchanged. Repentance involves feeling ashamed of what we've done and making a change as a result.
Father, it's been years since I heard this, but You've kept it fresh on my mind. Even now, You speak to me about changes I need to make. I've encountered You this morning, and I can't leave the way I came. Change my heart, God. Let me leave this time a different person.
Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford
Gary Ford
Ezekiel 45-48 The Ending Mirrors The Beginning
The last sentence of Ezekiel tells that Jerusalem, in its new form, will be renamed. "From then on the name of the city will be Jehovah Shammah -- The Lord Is There." My commentary said, "This name reminds us of what was al
The last sentence of Ezekiel tells that Jerusalem, in its new form, will be renamed. "From then on the name of the city will be Jehovah Shammah -- The Lord Is There." My commentary said, "This name reminds us of what was always in the heart of God: He loves His creatures so much that He always planned to have them close to Himself. He is ever searching, asking, 'Where are you?', calling to repentance and faith. As Son of God He even came down to earth to die for us. His wish will be fulfilled: man will be close to His heart. We can engage in and participate in His search for the lost even now, while living close to His heart here on earth. This is God's desire for us."
It made me think of how, in the beginning, God dwelt on earth with man. Our sin spoiled that. Yet in the end, He will cleanse us of our sin and we will again have the indescribable privilege of dwelling with Him physically.
My commentary also quoted a Hebrew Christian OT scholar, Charles L. Feinberg: "Ezekiel began with a vision of the glory of God .... Ezekiel concluded ... with God dwelling with man in holiness and glory. Beyond this there is no greater goal of history and God's dealings with man."
Father, thank You for being Jehovah Shammah -- The Lord Is There. When I took Experiencing God probably 16 years ago, that's the name for You that I liked best! Thank You for dwelling within me through Your Holy Spirit. I can't wait to see You dwelling among men in the New Jerusalem.
Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford
Gary Ford
1 Corinthians 1 -- Check Your "Wisdom" At The Door
The church at Corinth was divided, and the primary reason seemed to be a clash of intellectual ideas from various cliques. Their Greek upbringing had a lot to do with it, since Greeks valued wisdom and knowledge above everything! I tried
The church at Corinth was divided, and the primary reason seemed to be a clash of intellectual ideas from various cliques. Their Greek upbringing had a lot to do with it, since Greeks valued wisdom and knowledge above everything! I tried to recall a saying about intellectualism as I was leaving church yesterday. It had something to do with the futility of two people arguing, because one claimed to never make a mistake, while the other claimed to always be right! Yet clearly, since there was a difference of opinion, someone was wrong!
Paul rails against human wisdom here and pretty much shows that anyone relying on it to make a contentious point in God's church will usually look foolish.
I was reminded of some recent divisions in our own church. The root of these, I believe, comes from an "I'm right and you're not" mentality and don't seem to have any real basis in Scripture.
Paul pretty well let's it be known that we are on very shaky ground when we seek to exert our own will in a church setting, particularly when we cannot find Biblical sources to back it up. For we are likely relying solely on our so-called wisdom, which amounts to the sin of pride. "Fear of the Lord in the beginning of wisdom."
Father, let me never again assume or imagine that my wisdom is the end-all, be-all for anyone. You showed me that my thoughts are foolishness compared to Yours so many years ago. I cannot trust my mind to know the truth. I can only trust Your Holy Spirit to reveal it to me.
Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford
Gary Ford
1 Corinthians 2 -- God's "National Treasure"
God kept bringing to my mind thoughts of the "National Treasure" games I prepared for our Disciple Nows as I read this morning. I think He did it to help me convey how He illuminates scriptural truths to us.The person who has never ex
God kept bringing to my mind thoughts of the "National Treasure" games I prepared for our Disciple Nows as I read this morning. I think He did it to help me convey how He illuminates scriptural truths to us.
The person who has never experienced one of those treasure hunts is usually at a disadvantage, for they have not been exposed to the ways in which I try to wrap clues in layers. In contrast, those who have participated in all three begin to "know my mind" -- the way that I think -- and this helps them to unlock the hidden meanings of the clues. For example, when a long paragraph begins to sound like rambling conversation, it's a good bet that the words have been strung together in such a way that the clue is revealed by taking the first letter, skipping one, taking another letter, and skipping two, etc., etc. By doing this, a "sentence within a sentence" is revealed.
I'm not at all saying that this has been done in the Bible. What I am saying is that it's essential to know the mind of Christ, and He only reveals it to those who have come to know Him. My commentary explained: "The gospel can only be received by the power of the Spirit of God. Unaided, the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God. They are foolishness to him. He cannot possibly understand them because they can only be spiritually understood."
Verse 9 quotes Isaiah 64:4, saying, "No one has ever imagined what God has prepared for those who love Him." The common take on that is that Paul is speaking of heaven. But my commentary says he's really speaking about the truths that have been revealed for the first time in the New Testament. Human thought could never have come up with their meaning. "Human reason is totally inadequate to find the truth of God." In other words, who would have ever thought that God would love us so much that He would give up His only Son for us, deciding to do so before the first sin was ever committed, and knowing beforehand what free will in the hands of humans would mean!
Father, I thank You for the rich layering of meanings You have created in Your Word -- how it speaks to me in different ways on different days from the very same verses! It is truly a living book! Thank You for finally opening my spiritual eyes those years ago to enable me to see what once seemed like foolishness to me. Through what You've done, I've seen that I was the fool.
Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford
Gary Ford
1 Corinthians 3 -- A Little Like The Old "Afta Shave" TV Commercials
At some time in the past, I'd jotted a note in my bible describing the kind of Christian Paul is writing to in this chapter: "One who never gives in and never grows up." I could see why I wrote it after doing my quiet time t
At some time in the past, I'd jotted a note in my bible describing the kind of Christian Paul is writing to in this chapter: "One who never gives in and never grows up." I could see why I wrote it after doing my quiet time this morning.
Paul is chiding those Christians who are still so self-absorbed that they won't make the transition to being spiritually-minded. Instead, they still display a healthy dose of "it's all about me" rather than it being all about Christ.
My sidebar spoke volumes to me this morning. Whenever I hear or read about our desires, I usually think of carnal or worldly desires -- rarely of spiritual desires. I'm glad the focus was on spiritual desires in what it said:
"True spirituality manifests itself in certain desires ... First is the desire to be HOLY rather than HAPPY ... The truly spiritual man knows that God will give abundance of joy after we have become able to receive it without injury to our soul, but he does not demand it at once....
"A Christian is spiritual when he sees everything from God's viewpoint. The ability to weigh all things in the divine scale and place the same value on them as God does is the mark of a spirit-filled life...."
"The desire to see others advance at his expense is another mark of the spiritual man. He wants to see other Christians above him and is happy when they are promoted and he is overlooked....
"And all of this must be by the operation of the Holy Spirit within him. No man can BECOME spiritual by himself. Only the free Spirit can make men spiritual."
Through Paul, God issues a wakeup call in verses 16-17 to each of us who might be tempted to think we may be doing better than we really are and it especially hit home with me this morning:
"Don't you know that YOU are God's TEMPLE and that God's SPIRIT LIVES in you?? .... God's temple is HOLY and YOU ARE THAT TEMPLE!"
Wow, Father.... Why is it that way too often I need to be slapped in the face with words from like this (reminiscent of the old Afta Shave TV commercials) to wake me up and get me focused again? Yes, I am Your temple, and I'm supposed to be holy, but some days I sure don't feel holy. I let myself forget that first desire mentioned in my sidebar -- the desire to be holy rather than happy. Please engrave that on my brain, Father. Help me also to weigh all things on Your scale, not mine, and to place the same value upon them as You do. I needed the wakeup call today, Father. Don't let me fall to the lies of the world. Stoke up my desire to be holy.
Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford
Gary Ford
1 Corinthians 4&5 -- How God Teaches Through 24 Preschoolers
God seems to be continuing the theme from yesterday about the desire to be holy rather than happy. Paul doesn't mince words when he speaks of the sin that has taken root in the lives of several members of the church at Ephesus. I noti
God seems to be continuing the theme from yesterday about the desire to be holy rather than happy. Paul doesn't mince words when he speaks of the sin that has taken root in the lives of several members of the church at Ephesus. I noticed that it wasn't just sexual sins they were tolerating, either. In verses 10-11, Paul was saying that the Christians there were not to even associate with other Christians there who were greedy, who were thieves, who worshiped anyone or anything more than God, who abuse others verbally, or get drunk, or cheat people!
The church was not to tolerate this among their members because it tainted the church's public witness. I know it's easy to think of degrees of sin, with sexual sins probably being at or near the top, but there seems to be no difference in Paul's mind between an adulterer and a verbal abuser or someone who gets drunk. My commentary did say, though, that this appears to be aimed at those who habitually practice such sins and not to someone who on one occasion only has fallen.
Also, church discipline is not meant to "get the sinner out of the church" but instead should have as its primary aim the restoration of the person to full fellowship by helping him become shocked at his own sin and by ridding himself of that sin.
The sidebar of my Bible anticipated that, like the Pharisees who had caught the woman in sin, we should hesitate to cast the first stone because of our own sin. It warned, "Do not look to prompt lust. Do not touch to stimulate lust. Do not undress a man or woman in your mind as you stare at their physical appearance. Do not linger at the magazine rack ... or watch films that stir your sensual desires ... By saying no to such things, you "tear out your eye" and you "cut off your hand" .... Sexual desire must be directed and disciplined if we are to live as God intended. What is your strategy for curbing and controlling sexual appetite?"
Or, as verse 10-11 mentioned, our strategy for curbing and controlling greed, the desire to take what isn't ours, the worship of anyone or anything more than God, the desire to abuse others verbally, the desire to get drunk, or the desire to cheat other?
It comes back to yesterday's goal -- to desire to be holy rather than happy.
Father, thanks for showing me that things I might be tempted to consider "minor sins" are really major to You. Work in my life, as You have done this week at VBS as I've found myself sitting among 24 pre-schoolers for 3 hours each night, Spirit-controlled and not reacting as I normally might. You've proven this week through all of this that nothing is impossible if I turn over full control to You. Help me now in other areas of my life where I hadn't realized that I truly need Your work.
Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford
Gary Ford
1 Corinthians 6 -- The Chapter So Many Of Us Probably Dread
As I read the list of sins that were formerly practiced by those Corinthians, I thought about the people I once hung out with, particularly in college and after, and unfortunately these sins seem to have infected most everyone I knew, including mysel
As I read the list of sins that were formerly practiced by those Corinthians, I thought about the people I once hung out with, particularly in college and after, and unfortunately these sins seem to have infected most everyone I knew, including myself. Since God stuck covetousness in there, I'd be surprised if anyone could feel left out.
In verse 11, Paul echoes this to their church: "Such were some of you." The key word should be "were". It's in the past. It's not happening now or even yesterday or two months ago. Not since knowing Christ! Through what He lovingly chose to do for me and for everyone who believes on Him, we've been washed, set aside for GOD, and made pure, just as if we'd never done those things. Because God did that for us through Christ, Paul is saying that "such a fathomless dept of grace is NOT to be RECROSSED," according to my commentary.
It also mentions about verse 13: "In planning the human body, God never intended that it should be used for vile or impure purposes. Rather He planned that it should be used for the glory of the Lord and in His blessed service." It also noted that "the Lord is for the body .... He's interested in our bodies, their welfare, and their proper use."
About verse 17, my commentary says, "Just as in the physical act there is a union of two into one, so when a person believes on the Lord Jesus Christ and is joined to Him, the believer and Christ become so united that they can henceforth be spoken of as one spirit .... This is the most perfect merging of two persons that is possible. It is the closest type of union .... Those who are thus joined to the Lord should never tolerate any type of union that would be in conflict with this spiritual wedlock."
The big kicker then comes in verse 20. My commentary continues: "That being the case, I can no longer think of my body as my own. If I am to take it and use it in the way I desire, then I am acting as a thief, taking that which does not belong to me. Rather, I must use my body to glorify God, the One to whom it belongs."
Father, I agree with everything You've told me here today. I cannot dispute a single word. Yet it is so unfortunate that sin has so infected us that, despite our agreement with what You so clearly state, we find ourselves now and then feeling "unjustly deterred" by Your word. Those are the very times, though, that Your love is reaching out the most to us, and that Your word is acting as an electric fence, guarding us from that place where we should not go, keeping us out as much as in. We can be stubborn and willful sheep, Father. Please protect me from myself.
Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford
Gary Ford
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