Relationship Revealed---Day 340 Through the Bible

                                 When God is at the center of our lives, we can better situate the little things.

We are left with several questions following today's study:
--Do I direct my deeds toward turning to God?  (Not just words, but "my deeds".)
--Do I know the Lord?
--Do I acknowledge my offenses to God?
--Do I seek God's face?
--Do I earnestly seek God in my affliction?
--Is my faithfulness to God certain or or is it like a morning cloud and the early dew which both disappear quickly?
--Do I know what is pleasing to God and what He wants from me?

 "They do not direct their deeds toward turning to their God . . and they do not know the Lord" (Hosea 5:4).

"I will return again to My place till they acknowledge their offense, then they will seek My face; in their affliction they will earnestly seek Me" (v.15).

God asks what shall He do to Ephraim and Judah "for your faithfulness is like a morning cloud, and like the early dew it goes away" (6:4).

"For I desire mercy and not sacrifice, and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings" (6:6).

Psalm 139:1-6, A Psalm of David--
"O Lord, You have searched me and known me.  
You know my sitting down and my rising up; 
You understand my thought afar off.  
You comprehend my path and my lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways.  
For there is not a word on my tongue, but behold, O Lord, You know it altogether.  
You have hedged me behind and before, and laid Your hand upon me. 
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; It is high, I cannot attain it". 

Am I aware that God knows me better than I know myself?

Proverbs 29:19--
"A servant will not be corrected by mere words; for though he understands, he will not respond."

Am I aware of how often I allow God's words to fall to the ground?

I John 5:1-21--
"For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments" (v.3).

"And this is the victory that has overcome the world---our faith" (v. 4).

"He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life" (v. 12).

"And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us an understanding that we may know Him who is true: and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ.  This is the true God and eternal life.  Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen" (v. 20-21). 

--Does my faith in God exceed lip service?
--Do I experience "victory" in my life?
--Do I have "life"?  Do I have the Son"?
--Do I understand the importance of keeping myself---from idols?

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!