Tag Archives: consistency

Stay on track (Ezekiel 3:1-15), August 28, 2015

Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – Ezekiel 3:1-15

Set – Ezekiel 3; Revelation 2

Go! – Ezekiel 1-3; Revelation 2

Ezekiel 3:1-15
The Voice (to Ezekiel): 1 Son of man, eat what you find here—consume the scroll you see before you. Then go and preach to the people of Israel.
2 So I opened my mouth, and He fed me the scroll.
The Voice: 3 Son of man, swallow this scroll I am giving you, and let it fill your stomach.
So I ate it, and these words of God tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth.
The Voice: 4 Son of man, go to the people of Israel and preach My message to them. 5-6 You are not being sent to a far away nation with an unintelligible language. I am sending you to the people of Israel. But if I had sent you to foreign peoples with unintelligible languages, surely they would listen to you. 7 But the people of Israel will refuse to listen to you because they refuse to listen to Me. As I told you, the Israelites are a hard-headed, stubborn-hearted people. 8 But I have set your jaw just as tightly and furrowed your brow just as deeply as theirs. 9 I have made your head as hard as any rock. Do not be scared or intimidated by them, even though they are a rebellious lot.
10 Son of man, take to heart all the words I am speaking to you. Listen carefully to what I am saying. 11 Now go to your people, the exiles in Babylonia, and give them My message. Proclaim to them, “This is what the Eternal Lord has to say.” It doesn’t matter whether they listen to you.
12 Suddenly the Spirit picked me up, and I heard a loud rumbling sound behind me—it seemed to say, “May the glory of the Eternal One be praised in His holy place!” 13 The sound I heard was the sound made by the wings of the four living creatures brushing up against one another and the rumble made by the spinning wheels beside them. 14 The Spirit picked me up and carried me away. I was at once resentful and impassioned, but I couldn’t escape because the hold the Eternal had on me was strong.
15 The Spirit took me to a group of the exiles who lived by the Chebar Canal at Tel-abib. I sat there among them in a daze for seven days.

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

Have you ever thought I’ve given you a mission too hard for you? Think again. I’ll never do that. When you think I’ve given you a difficult task just think about what I asked Ezekiel to do. I sent him to prophesy to the exiles stipped away from their homes and taken into captivity by the Assyrians. I told him in advance the people I told him to speak to would not listen. They wouldn’t pay attention to him. Even though I gave Ezekiel the right message, they would never listen to him.

I told Ezekiel he would preach to a group of people who were rebellious, hard-headed, and would not change. But his mission was to tell them My truth. He was not responsible for their decisions, but was responsible to give them My message. Those Ezekiel spoke to would ridicule him for the visions he shared with them. They would call him foolish. They would think him insane. They would think he had lost his mind. The vision I gave Ezekiel would not make sense to them or to Ezekiel. But it was My message to the people to whom I would send him .

Only years later would the prophecies Ezekiel gave to the exiles make sense. Only as they came to fruition would the prophecies and the visions begin to take hold and Ezekiel know the honor he deserved. But it wouldn’t be in his lifetime.

I might give you tasks that won’t make sense to you, too. That doesn’t mean I don’t know what I’m doing. Years later the exiles and My people who saw My prophecies fulfilled understood that Ezekiel spoke the truth and My message became clear to them. The same may happen with the task I give you. Those around you may not understand at the moment, but one day all will make sense. One day you will look back and know that all I’ve asked you to do had a purpose that brings glory to Me.

Don’t worry if people don’t understand you. Don’t worry if they don’t make the decisions you think are right. Don’t worry if they ridicule you or think you foolish. Don’t worry if they persecute you, throw you into prison, or even take your life. Many have gone before you under such extremes and discovered My rewards are well worth it. As Paul told you, you cannot imagine the glory before you. The sufferings of this life will seem as nothing compared to the riches that await you.

Just continue to do what I ask you to do. Stay on track and keep the faith.

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.

God, always the same (2 Timothy 2:1-13), June 26, 2015

Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – 2 Timothy 2:1–13
Set – Jonah 2–3; 2 Timothy 2
Go! – Jonah 1–4; 2 Timothy 2

2 Timothy 2:1-13
1 But as for you, my child, be empowered by the grace that is in Jesus, the Anointed One. 2 Whatever you heard me teach before an audience of witnesses, I want you to pass along to trustworthy people who have the ability to teach others too. 3 As a good soldier of Jesus the Anointed, be ready to suffer with me. 4 Remember that soldiers on active duty don’t get wrapped up in civilian matters because they want to satisfy those who recruited them. 5 Look at it another way: if someone competes as an athlete, he won’t win the race and be crowned with the wreath if he breaks the rules. 6 And the farmer who exhausts himself in the field should be the first to taste his harvest. 7 Think about what I am telling you, and let the Lord give you clarity on all of it.

8 Remember Jesus the Anointed, raised from the dead, descended from David’s royal line. This is the crux of my good news! 9 This is why I suffer and why I am bound and chained like a lawbreaker. But God’s word is not in chains! 10 That’s why I endure everything for the sake of God’s chosen: so that they might experience salvation with lasting, eternal glory through Jesus the Anointed, our Liberating King. 11 Here’s a statement you can trust:
If we died with Him,
we will live with Him.
12 If we remain with Him,
we will reign alongside Him.
If we deny Him,
we will be denied by Him.
13 If we are unfaithful,
He remains faithful,
For He is not able to deny Himself.

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

Not only are My words not in chains, they cannot not be put in chains. Nothing can contain My word. Satan has tried to stop the spread of My good news from the time I provided a means of salvation for Adam and Eve. But he has been unsuccessful in his attempts. Nothing can stop the My word from moving from person to person and around the globe.

Shortly after I ascended into heaven and left the work of the spread of the gospel to My apostles, people tried to stop them. The Temple tried, Rome tried, religious leaders, political leaders, everyone imaginable tried to stop people from sharing what I did for them. But nothing can stop the spread of My word. Nothing.

Paul recognized his imprisonment came as a direct result of his preaching the word I asked him to proclaim. But he couldn’t help but preach. The change I made in him on the road to Damascus was such a dramatic experience for him he couldn’t help but talk about it. Then, coupled with his knowledge of scripture from his studies with Gamaliel, Paul became a prolific writer and defender of the gospel for Me.

Paul discovered what I want each of My followers to discover. I want you to know I will remain faithful. I will stay with you through whatever circumstances. Paul found I was with him in good times and bad. I was with him in his prison cell and when he preached before new converts. I was with him with friends and with enemies. I am faithful.

Do you want to hear the best news? I’m the same God for you I was for Paul. I haven’t changed. Paul was just one of the many people through the centuries who chose to follow Me. With each person, I have been the same. I never fail. I’m always faithful. I’m always there. I’m always the same. Circumstances change. Names change. Methods of delivering My message might change. But I don’t change and My message hasn’t changed.

So trust Me to give you tasks you can do. Trust Me to stay with you through whatever life brings you. Trust Me to put you where you can best serve Me and bring glory to Me. I’ll be the same for you as I have been for all crowd of witnesses who have gone before you. I’ll be your God.

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.