Responding to the Orchestra Conductor---Day 331 Through the Bible

                                                  Snow on the laurel leaves in Western NC.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!  The God of Israel, Creator, and our Heavenly Father is busy.  In Psalm 135:8-14, we read these action words about Him—“He destroyed”, “He sent”, “He defeated”, “And gave their land as a heritage, a heritage to Israel His people”.  And, in verses 13-14, “Your name, O Lord, endures forever, Your fame, O Lord, throughout all generations”.  God is involved in bringing about His plan and He is involved in our lives—especially when we ask Him to be involved.  I think we mistakenly picture God on His throne as an observer.  Thankfully, God is more like an orchestra conductor and He sustains the universe and commissions angels to go here and there for ministry.  He is involved in governments and nations, but especially in the body of Christ, the Church. (He loves and cares for us so much!)

We have come to know God better during our study of His word this year.  Hopefully we have come to a greater realization of His love, His patience, mercy, and forgiveness.  We have come to see His judgment stems from love and concern for us and His desire to set us on the right path. We hopefully understand better what it means to “glorify God” and how important this is to God. 

I Peter 4:10-11, reveals that God gives us “gifts” and we are admonished, “As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God”. (Ministering to one another may be a new concept.) Our speech should be “as the oracles of God”.  And, “if anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen”.  Peter goes on to say that we should not be ashamed to suffer as a Christian. “If anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in this matter” (v. 16).  The focus is not on us, but we are to be focused on bringing glory to God.

In Proverbs 29:9, the focus is on “peace”.  The writer says, “If a wise man contends with a foolish man, whether the fool rages or laughs, there is no peace”.  It’s a no win situation where peace is concerned.  We need to use discernment before engaging in a dispute, asking ourselves first whether a peaceful outcome is possible.  If not, is it really that important?

Now to Ezekiel and the river of living water!  “And there was water, flowing from under the threshold of the temple toward the east” (Ezekiel 47:1).  Remember, the temple is the place where Jesus told Ezekiel in chapter 43, “this is the place of My throne and the place of the soles of My feet, where I will dwell in the midst of the children of Israel forever” (v. 7).  In Revelation 22, we read about this same scenario—“a pure river of water of life proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.  In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations” (v. 1-2).  Compare this passage with the one in Ezekiel.

“The division of the land shows that in God’s Kingdom there is a place for all who believe in and obey God (see John 14:1-6)”—The Life Application Study Bible.  God remembers faithfulness and rewarded these priests accordingly. “It shall be for the priests of the sons of Zadok, who are sanctified, who have kept My charge, who did not go astray when the children of Israel went astray, as the Levites went astray” (Ezekiel 48:11).  The Levites (Ezekiel 43:12-14) would be forever forbidden to minister before God as priests because of their idolatry and their part in causing Israel to “fall into iniquity”. (We might consider whether there is something we are doing that will negatively affect our reward—not our salvation—but our reward.)

As God’s people, He wants us to be taught the difference between what is holy and unholy, and to be able to discern between the unclean and the clean (see Ezekiel 44:23). Hopefully, we are learning the difference as we continue to read and study God’s word!  “But the end of all things is at hand; therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers. And above all things have fervent love for one another, for ‘love will cover a multitude of sins’.”  Good advice to end with and hope you are blessed on this day of Thanksgiving—remember that thanksgiving and worship go together!