Read the Bible in a Year (07SEP19)

DAILY REMINDER – Today, September 7’s Bible reading is Ezekiel 25-27.

NEXT DAY REMINDER – Tomorrow, September 8’s Bible reading is Ezekiel 28-30. May God bless you with the reading of His WORD.

EZEKIEL MOMENT – (07SEP19) “Son of man, Tyre has rejoiced over the fall of Jerusalem, saying, ‘Ha! She who was the gateway to the rich trade routes to the east has been broken, and I am the heir! Because she has been made desolate, I will become wealthy!’” (Ezekiel 26:2). The Lord finally carried out His judgment against Jerusalem. All of the surrounding nations were witnesses as to her destruction by the Babylonians. Yet, the Lord was going to punish the surrounding heathen nations as well. They gloated at the troubles of Jerusalem not knowing that they too would drink from the Lord’s cup of wrath. The Bible says: “This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Because you clapped and danced and cheered with glee at the destruction of my people, I will raise my fist of judgment against you. I will give you as plunder to many nations. I will cut you off from being a nation and destroy you completely. Then you will know that I am the Lord” (Ezekiel 25:6-7). The nations that were to be punished included Ammon, Edom, Moab, Philistia, and Tyre. God gave a lengthy prophecy to Ezekiel specifically concerning Tyre. She was a major source of economic development for various parts of the world. She took pride in her great wealth and ability to do business through shipping. Both David and Solomon had done business with her during their reigns as king. Unfortunately, her arrogance and haughtiness would bring about her downfall. The Lord was going to bring such great destruction to her shores that she would never rise or be found again. Her laughter would be turned to much sorrow.

The Lord detests pride and rejects those who operate in it. We as believers are never to take pleasure in the troubles of others. Even if we know that they brought things on themselves, we should still pray for them and never gloat. The Bible says: “Don’t rejoice when your enemies fall; don’t be happy when they stumble.  For the Lord will be displeased with you and will turn his anger away from them” (Proverbs 24:17-18). When we take joy in the troubles of others, this shows that we have a heart of pride; therefore, the Lord will turn His anger towards the person who finds it befitting to pleasure themselves in someone else’s misery. May we never forget that we were once lost as well, but the Lord took pity and saved us from our sins. The same grace that He gave to us, we are to pray for others to receive. Something to ponder….

QUESTION OF THE DAY - (07SEP19) ^“I will execute terrible vengeance against them to punish them for what they have done. And when I have inflicted my revenge, they will know that I am the Lord” (Ezekiel 25:17). All throughout the Bible, we see evidence of the Lord’s mercy, judgment, and restoration. He is a God who loves His children, but He wants us to follow His decrees. Some people make the mistake of thinking that the Lord does not have any guidelines for us to follow since we are New Testament saints. Yet, Jesus summed up the Ten Commandments into two – love God and each other. The Bible says: “Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses?” Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments” (Matthew 22:36-40). Even though we are not under the 613 Mosaic Laws as they pertain to eating restrictions, mixing of fabrics, etc., we are still to obey the Ten Commandments that Jesus summed up in these two. When we love the Lord, we put Him first in our lives and obey Him by also loving our fellow brothers and sisters. We are unable to do one without the other because they both reflect our relationship with God. The Bible says: “If someone says, “I love God,” but hates a fellow believer, that person is a liar; for if we don’t love people we can see, how can we love God, whom we cannot see? And he has given us this command: Those who love God must also love their fellow believers” (1 John 4:20). Do you love others as God loves you? Can people see the love of God flowing through you? Something to ponder….