Read the Bible in a Year (10SEP19)

DAILY REMINDER – Today, September 10’s Bible reading is Ezekiel 34-36

NEXT DAY REMINDER – Tomorrow, September 11’s Bible reading is Ezekiel 37-39. May God bless you with the reading of His WORD.

EZEKIEL MOMENT – (10SEP19) “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds, the leaders of Israel. Give them this message from the Sovereign Lord: What sorrow awaits you shepherds who feed yourselves instead of your flocks. Shouldn’t shepherds feed their sheep?” (Ezekiel 34:2). The Lord was disgusted by the way His shepherds had handled His flock. They had not cared for the souls of His people as they should have but fattened their pockets instead. The people had been led astray by shepherds who took no care in their well-being nor had they tried to find the ones who were lost. The people had become prey to the wolves of idolatry and rebellion; therefore, the Lord was going to judge the shepherds for their wrongdoings, but He was going to be the Shepherd with whom His people could look up to.

Recently, a well-known televangelist told his congregation that he was not going to be teaching the prosperity gospel as he had been doing, and that the way he and other pastors had taught it was wrong. He was letting the people know that God was not blessing people solely on planting monetary seeds. Some evangelicals got upset with the televangelist and made videos online to rebuke him. They did so because they did not want people to stop giving to their ministries. Nevertheless, this televangelist was telling the truth, and may he continue to stand on the Word in teaching this truth to the masses.

The Lord rebuked the shepherds in Israel for their greed and He is still rebuking them today. Too many leaders have used Scripture to finance their own greed with million-dollar planes, luxury cars, multiple homes, tailor-made suits, etc. They have taken from the poor and enriched themselves financially. They have told others to trust God with their needs, while they beg the masses to finance their greed. So many people do not even attend worship services anymore because of being turned off by flamboyant pastors. The Bible says: “For the leaders of my people—the Lord’s watchmen, his shepherds—are blind and ignorant. They are like silent watchdogs that give no warning when danger comes. They love to lie around, sleeping and dreaming. Like greedy dogs, they are never satisfied. They are ignorant shepherds, all following their own path and intent on personal gain” (Isaiah 56:11). The Lord says that the shepherds who are for gain are like greedy dogs. In the end, the only gain that they will have is a fiery, one for blood will be on their hands. Please pray and ask the Lord to lead you to shepherds after His own heart so that nor others will be led astray. Something to ponder….

QUESTION OF THE DAY - (10SEP19) “Your eternal hatred for the people of Israel led you to butcher them when they were helpless, when I had already punished them for all their sins. As surely as I live, says the Sovereign Lord, since you show no distaste for blood, I will give you a bloodbath of your own. Your turn has come! I will make Mount Seir utterly desolate, killing off all who try to escape and any who return” (Ezekiel 35:5-7. The Lord had Ezekiel to prophesy against Edom because of their hatred towards Israel and their aiding the enemy against them. This hatred was an ongoing one for they were the descendants of Esau who had sold his birthright to Jacob for some food. The Edomites had been blessed to become a prosperous nation because they were the descendants of Abraham and Isaac. Nevertheless, hatred was their master, revenge was their pleasure, and gloating over the judgment of Israel was their meal; therefore, the Lord was going to send calamity on them where they would be a nation no more. They had no respect for Israel being God’s chosen people nor did they prevent themselves from speaking against the Most High. The Lord had seen and heard all of their wicked words, ideas and actions against His people and was going to repay them in accordance to their evil deeds.

Hatred will always get God’s people into trouble. The Lord wants us to love each other and not allow bitterness to enter our hearts. The Bible says: “Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other (Romans 12:9-10). When we love one another, we do not wish others to be harmed in any way nor do we take joy in their misery. We are to care, pray, and support one another. This does not mean that we embrace a person’s sins, but we are commanded to love them and prayerfully, that love will help them to come out of sin into the knowledge of Christ. We as the body of Christ can best show who He is through our love for each other and in our dealings with others. Does this mean that we are to keep quiet about sin? No! God expects us to stand for Truth because in doing so, we are loving the person by calling them into accountability to keep them out of hell’s gates. Even in so doing, we are to do it with all humility and remember that God extended His grace and love to us, and we are to do the same to others. Something to ponder….

EZEKIEL MOMENT – (10SEP19) “ I will not let you hear those other nations insult you, and you will no longer be mocked by them. You will not be a land that causes its nation to fall, says the Sovereign Lord” (Ezekiel 36:15). Israel had been brought down as low as any nation could go. They had been disgraced and taken into captivity by the Assyrians and Babylonians. The surrounding nations rejoiced over their fall, and Israel was mocked and looked upon with scorn. They had been made to be the laughingstock of the other nations, and this was all of their own doing because they had dishonored the Lord. Nevertheless, the Lord was going to restore them to their land and bless them once again. It was not going to be because they had earned it or deserved it, but it would be done for His name’s sake. The Lord made this clear to them through the Prophet Ezekiel so that they would not boast in anything of themselves, but they would know that it was the Lord, and for Him alone, that He was going to restore to them all that they had lost.

No one deserves the goodness of the Lord and yet, He gives it to us anyway. The Bible says: ^“God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it” (Ephesians 2:8-9). Our good works, no matter how great they are, is not what saves us. As a follower of Christ, we should do good things because we aim to please Him, but that is not what saves us. Jesus’ death on the cross was a gift from the Father to us so that we may be saved. We did not ask for it, but He gave it to us freely. All we have to do is accept it and follow Him. God’s love is shown through the work the Jesus did for us upon the cross. That love delivered us from being doomed to an eternity without Him. When we witness to others, we should speak of God’s grace and mercy in our own lives, so that others will know that what He did for us, He will do the same thing for them. Will you share God’s love and your testimony of deliverance from sin with others? Something to ponder….