by Suellen | Project 2013: Read The Bible
Ezekiel 27-29
Have you ever been awed by the prosperity of a region? Maybe in your travels you have seen such opulence – and such commercial genius at work – that you have wondered how these people could have accomplished what is evident.
That’s the way Tyre was in the 6th century BC, when Ezekiel was prophesying from Babylon. It was a wealthy city. In fact, some of the mariners from Tyre had actually sailed as far as Spain and had established ports in that area. They were very energetic and very rich.
As Ezekiel is prophesying over the city of Tyre, he takes an interesting turn. He begins to prophesy to Satan himself – who he calls the Prince of Tyre. Satan’s headquarters are always endowed with wealth, because that’s his key for ruling his world. (Promised riches are the reason behind dealing drugs, prostitution, the Mafia, political corruption, etc.).
So Ezekiel prophesies to the Prince of Tyre, Satan, and we get more understanding of who he is and where he came from. Lucifer was a beautiful archangel, and one of God’s closest creations. He was “full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.”(28:12) But because of the “abundance of his trade” (his wealth), he was filled with violence and sinned against God. So Lucifer was thrown down to earth, and became Satan, the ruler of the kingdom of darkness.
Then the prophecy goes on to say that the kings of the earth will be appalled at him, and he will be no more. (28:19). The day will come when he will be thrown into the Lake of Fire.
We know that Jesus defeated Satan once and for all. He has no power over us, if we resist, because he is no match for the Holy Spirit who lives within us.
Satan is still roaming about, trying to trick us, but when we know who he is and who we are in Christ, the devil is no match for us! He’s under our feet.
I Peter 2-3
We are a “chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, that we may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called us out of darkness into His marvelous light.”(2:9)
So what is Peter saying? We aren’t the same people we were before we got born again. If we receive the magnitude of what our God has done for us, our very lives are a witness to our God’s love, mercy, and transforming power. We are a new race of people – new “Creations in Christ.”(II Corinthians 5:17). New, because we have been cleansed by the blood of the Lamb and filled with the Holy Spirit of God.
We are a royal priesthood because we are now kings and priests to God. We can personally go boldly into the throne room of God and talk with our Father. And as kings, we represent our Father to the world. We speak His word, and we follow His leading to share His love with others.
We are a holy nation, because now we belong to the Kingdom of God.
And we are His. We belong to our Father. He watches over us, protects us, guides us, provides for us, and empowers us to accomplish His purposes in the earth.
If we will take the time to meditate on this special verse, we will never be the same. Our faith will sky-rocket and we will see our Father’s hand at work like never before.
What a joy to be His! What a delight to be a new creation and part of our Father’s kingdom!
by Suellen | Project 2013: Read The Bible
Ezekiel 7-9
The bottom line is this: there is only one way to God, and it is through Jesus Christ. Period!
To recap what we have been seeing and saying over the last few months, God found a man, Abraham, who would follow Him. He proved this man’s obedience over a period of about 25 years, and then God sent him a son of promise – and a promise that through that son there would be a multitude. Just as promised, the jewish people grew and flourished. They learned of this great God and they learned about what He exzpected of them.
The idea was to instill within this group of people enough knowledge of God and His ways that they would be able to eventually bring His own Son to the earth.
When we come to the time period of Ezekiel, God’s whole plan is in jeapordy. The Jews have gone their own way, and they are worshipping false gods. The less privileged nations around them have all sorts of idols, and this generation has thought it more sophisticated to blend in with their neighbors than to remain faithful to the one true God. (Unbelievers always think that it is more sophisticated not to believe).
So in His faithfulness to Abraham, God intervenes. He demonstrates to Israel that He is the true God, and that there is no other. Of course, at this point, most of the priests and prophets are so corrupt that they spurn God’s reproof. They stil don’t believe, and they suffer the consequences.
But there are a few. As we continue in the next few books of the Bible, we will see some who believe and remain faithful. These are the ones who will reap the benefits of a walk with their God. Even in a foreign land, God will be there with them.
Word after word and demonstration after demonstration will come from Ezekiel. God and His man have such an overwhelming deisre to see the people turn away from their error and back to the Lord.
Hmmm. Does it seem like that is happening today? Something to think about.
Hebrews 12
We have a great cloud of witnesses cheering us on as we run our race.
I love that concept, don’t you? Not only of the crowd cheering us on, but of running a race. I have often thought of our lives as a journey – a trip which we take. There are always twists and turns, surprises as we go along. Some are good and some bad, but they are part of the journey.
The idea is to run a good race. We want our lives to count for God’s kingdom. We want to have a good influence on our families and those around us, and we want to leave a legacy of God’s purpose in the earth.
So when we come to the twists and turns, we must be faithful to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus. He is the One who can keep us going and see us through the rocky spots.
Jesus, the author and the finisher of our faith, always has the wisdom and strength available for us to finish well.
So let’s shed the encumbrances and run this race. We can do it! He promises that we can.
by Suellen | Project 2013: Read The Bible
Proverbs 5-8
Don’t be tricked into following the wrong paths. These proverbs warn us in many ways.
One of the warnings has to do with laziness. “A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, and your poverty will come in like a vagabond, and your need like an armed man.” (6: 10-11).
Idleness is a danger to anyone. We all yearn for our vacation and play times, and indeed we do need those moments. But our happiest times are really our productive days. The days when we are challenged and meet the challenge. Or the days when we can go to sleep at night knowing we have accomplished a good amount. God created us to be productive, and we are happiest when we are doing just that.
Another warning is not to be a deceitful person. God calls the man a worthless man who secretly devises evil in his heart for others. He spreads strife, often even speaking lies in order to gain his upper hand. Such wickedness will not be rewarded by our Father.
Yet the greatest warning comes to those who are contemplating adultery. The Lord has some pretty ominous things to say about the adulteress, who tries to deceive someone into a relationship with her. She flatters with her words – and her eyelids. Her beauty may be tempting.
However, on account of her, you may be reduced to a loaf of bread. (6:26) If you follow her, you will be like an ox going to slaughter. (7:22)
These truths are relevant today in our permissive society, just as they were in the days of these proverbs. You can look around and see many homes destroyed and children wounded by those who run to adultery. And the sorrows of an adulterer are still numerous.
God’s way is still the best way! If we run to it and follow it, we will be following His path completely.
II Corinthians 3-4
Paul is constantly reminding his followers about the differences in the way of the law and the way of the Spirit. It’s hard to understand unless you have the Spirit of God within you.
The law was glorious in its time. When the law was presented to Moses, he had to wear a veil over his face because his face was too bright from God’s glory for the people to look at him.
Yet this is a new day – the day of the Spirit of God. No longer do we have the law, which is to be carried out by natural means. Now we have the Spirit of God living within us. He is changing us from within – not from without.
Now when people try to just “keep the law” for their righteousness, they put a veil over their faces again. They are trying to do with their natural abilities something which is impossible to do. (In fact, one of the things the Law was designed to do was to let people know that they can’t do it in their own strength).
When they turn to Christ, they have the veil removed and they are able to understand what God has for them.
Rather than nervous, self-righteous “keepers of the law,” we become letters of God’s grace for all to read. Many who embrace the call of God to the fullest are those who have had turbulent pasts. They know they need more than themselves, and they are willing to go with God’s best. In their humility, they find God’s glorious truth and the veil is removed.
What freedom comes with this new revelation! Their goodness is from Him and Him alone. Their love for Him and their confidence in Him cause them to live to higher standards – above anything the Law could ever do.
That’s the glorious gospel Paul is always talking about: the greatest life available.
by Suellen | Project 2013: Read The Bible
Psalm 21-22
Psalm 22 was quoted by Jesus on the cross. “My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?”(22:1) Many of those standing around thought He was feeling deserted by God, but I don’t think that was true. When Jesus spoke those words on the cross, He spoke Hebrew, and the translation stays in Hebrew. (The rest of the chapter is written in Greek). To the Jews, He was telling them that this Psalm was being fulfilled in their time.
“I am a worm and not a man, a reproach of men and despised by men.”(22:6) When you see what was happening to Jesus on the cross, you see that this was happening. He was not only crucified, but He was mocked and jeered by those around Him.
“Dogs have surrounded Me; a band of evildoers has encompassed Me. They pierce My hands and My feet.”(22:16)
“They divide their garments among them, and for My clothing they cast lots.”(22:18)
You can easily see these verses being fulfilled during the crucifixion.
At the end of the Psalm, however, we get to the good part. “All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations will worship before the Lord.”(V.27).
“Posterity will serve Him; it will be told of the Lord to the coming generation. They will come and declare His righteousness to a people who will be born, that he has performed it.”(V.30-31)
This Psalm is clearly prophesying of a day when God’s covenant will be available to all. During the time of David, the Jewish mindset was on their own nation. They weren’t concerned with the “ends of the earth.” In fact, they were to stay away from those other nations.
Yet right in the middle of God’s first covenant, He was looking forward to the day when His people would come from nations all over the world. The New Covenant, to be cut through His Son Jesus, would make salvation available to all mankind.
So God would give a glimpse of the future to his prophets. (David operated in this gift from time to time). I wonder what he thought when some of these words would come forth. I’m sure that he would ponder them. He was speaking of a future time which no one from his era could totally understand.
God was just giving hints and clues so that we could recognize the day. There are lots more hints and clues concerning our time and God’s final wrap up of our era. For those who want to hear from Him, He gives understanding about things to come.
Acts 21: 1-26
We have watched Paul as he has encountered evil men, fleeing so that he would not be put in jail. Now, all of a sudden, he has a change of attitude. Many have warned Paul that he will be bound by the Jewish leaders when he gets to Jerusalem, but he’s determined to go. Even saying that he “is willing to die for the Name of the Lord.”(V.13)
Why this change? I think I know. Do you remember when Paul first had his encounter with Jesus and was blinded for three days? The Lord told Ananias to go to him and lay his hands upon him for his regaining of sight. The Lord said, “I will show him how much he must suffer for my name’s sake.”(Acts 9:16).
I think that Paul had seen himself bound in Jerusalem and sent to Rome. The goal was to have the gospel preached even to the citizens of Rome, and the Lord was going to use this method to get him there.
So even though Paul had avoided being jailed in the other cities, he knew that this was to be God’s will for him. So he goes gladly, telling his friends to stop crying. He is ready for this newest aspect of his mission.
Paul has a purpose and he will fulfill it at any cost.
Are we willing to fulfill our purposes at any cost? I hope so.
by Suellen | Project 2013: Read The Bible
Psalms 16-18
There is a place in God’s presence which empowers us beyond anything the human mind can imagine. When we are in that place, we see Him for who He is – the author of all that is in existence. The One who set the world in order and designed all of its elements. He placed us here in our time and in our space, and for our purpose.
When we are in God’s presence and see him for who He is, there is nothing which could bring fear upon us. Sure there are enemies out there. Sickness, financial burdens, marital problems, and issues with our children still exist, but our God has an answer for every one of them.
Through our God, “we can run upon a troop and leap over a wall.” (18:29) Sounds a little like Superman, doesn’t it?
Well, we do become super people when we engage ourselves with our Almighty God, the Creator of Heaven and Earth. There is nothing too difficult for Him. He always has the answer for us. Sometimes He will give us wisdom about what we are to do. Then sometimes He will accomplish miracles on our behalf.
Our God is a faithful God. He is our Rock. He is Wings over us, protecting us. He is our Shelter and our Deliverer.
“The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places; indeed my heritage is beautiful to me.” (16:6)
Acts 19: 23- 20:16
Everywhere Paul goes there seems to be an uproar. Most of the time, it’s the Jews afraid of losing control of their congregations. In Asia, however, Paul is upsetting some of the Pagan economy. The silversmiths, who have been prospering by crafting statues of Artemis, riot. They are afraid that Paul will turn the people against the god they are selling. So Paul leaves the area and goes to Greece.
Then a crowd gets stirred up against him in Greece, and he has to leave there also. Does this seem like an indelible pattern to you? He really makes folks mad! They want to kill him. Actually, it’s the devil who is stirring up the people; he doesn’t want the word about Jesus to be spread.
Now for all of you ministers who have been concerned about people falling asleep in your services, Paul has the same problem. (Of course, it’s because his sermons last until after midnight). Eutychus, falling into a deep sleep, tumbles from the third story, and dies. Paul, however, raises the boy from the dead and goes on preaching.
Paul and his crowd are in constant expectation of miracles. That’s an element our modern-day church has lost. Most people are so geared toward medicine and science, they don’t expect God to move in a spectacular way. But He does still, when people believe Him.
I want to take the wraps off of my faith in Him. I want to expect the supernatural in my everyday life. I have seen many miracles, and I want to see even more.
The God we serve is beyond our comprehension. When we try to understand all of who He is with our finite minds, we miss it…and we limit Him in our lives.
I hope you will join me in allowing our faith to be stretched. There is nothing too difficult for our God!
