S - They must wear linen turbans and linen undergarments. They must not wear anything that would cause them to perspire.”
Ezekiel 44:18 NLT
https://www.bible.com/116/ezk.44.18.nlt
O - Very specific details about clothing, so there would be nothing that would imply human effort. You just can’t work hard enough to be acceptable as a priest in His presence. The answer does not lie in human effort.
A ~ It’s so important to recognize that working for the Lord, with all our efforts and energies, doesn’t make us any more acceptable to God. For sure, working for Him out of obedience with lots of effort is a worthy endeavor, but it doesn’t make us more acceptable.
P ~ Father God, I love to work for You, but not to be accepted by You. Thank You for accepting me as I am ... Your son, because of Your Son.
S ~ “Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.”
James 5:16 NLT
https://www.bible.com/116/jas.5.16.nlt
O ~ The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.
A ~ My application today is a simple one. I need to start memorizing scripture in NLT. Effectual fervent prayer, is better stated for today as earnest. Righteous person is better said than righteous man. Has great power and produces wonderful results - way better than avails, or even availeth much. Time to make the shift to re-learn the ancient ways.
P ~ Lord, please help this old dog. This is going to be hard-eth.
S ~ Don’t speak evil against each other, dear brothers and sisters. If you criticize and judge each other, then you are criticizing and judging God’s law. But your job is to obey the law, not to judge whether it applies to you.
James 4:11 NLT
https://my.bible.com/bible/116/JAS.4.11.NLT
O ~ Judge not. Criticize not. Don’t do it. Focus on you obeying, not on others obeying.
A ~ I have slipped into being critical of others, and that is not my job. I need to let that go, and not have it become a habit. I need to be more concerned about the log in my eye, and then I can help, if asked, to not just point out the speck, but to help remove it.
P ~ Lord, please help me not to be critical or judgemental, or jealous of others. Please forgive me for where I have failed.
Change My Heart Oh God
Make It Ever True
Change My Heart Oh God
May I Be Like You
You Are The Potter
I Am The Clay
Mold Me And Make Me
This Is What I Pray
S ~ “For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.”
James 2:26 NKJV
O ~ When the spirit leaves the body, the body is dead. When works leaves the spirit, the spirit is dead.
A ~ It’s not enough to believe. Just believing is a false sense of faith. True faith, living faith, causes action. I have true faith that if I drive into oncoming traffic I will die. I have false faith that if I don’t change my eating habits, I will die. I know them both be true, but I have only put my faith in one.
P ~ Lord, may my true faith in You show up in how I love others, and myself, as myself.
S ~ “If they had longed for the country they came from, they could have gone back.” Hebrews 11:15 NLT
O ~ How important it was for Abraham and Co. to long for the new country, the heavenly country, that God had promised. Even though they did not see the fulfillment of His promises, they never went back.
A ~ Eyes on the prize. Face forward. Up up and away. Passport stamped, ready to go. As I look back on my life, lots of things I wish I would have done differently. Lots of things would remain the same, yet of number of things would be different. But instead of longing to go back an do it over, I simply look forward to our heavenly home. Moving forward is better than attempting a re-do. I don’t want to go back - we are movin on. Wagons Ho!
P ~ Lord, thank You for how You redeem and rescue the past, not making me redo it. Reincarnation is like Karma... no fun. I’m so thankful to have a future and a hope, and that I don’t have to go back.
S ~ “But I will give repeated thanks to the Lord, praising him to everyone.” Psalms 109:30 NLT
O ~ Repeated thanks. Give thanks - don’t just say thanks. Repeat. And let your praises be loud enough for people to hear.
A ~ Audrey kept a Thankfulness Journal for a year. 1 year. I thought it was for a month. What a great practice. So much to be thankful for... and when she shared it with us, it was so marvelous. We were all encouraged and inspired, and always so pleased when we showed up in her giving of thanks.
P ~ Lord, Thank You for your many blessings - and like the song says, I’m going to name them one by one. Please help me to do that out loud.
S ~ ““I looked for someone who might rebuild the wall of righteousness that guards the land. I searched for someone to stand in the gap in the wall so I wouldn’t have to destroy the land, but I found no one.” Ezekiel 22:30 NLT
O ~ God looked. If God looked and didn’t find, it means there was none. No hiding places from God. He looked for someone to intercede - to pray on behalf of - and He found none.
A ~ And so my Calgary Nose Hill Prayer time has concluded. The other pastors didn’t catch the vision. Some were faithful for a bit - some only once. And so, a month ago, with cold weather and snow, I stopped. I’m ok with not going to Nose Hill - it was a season. But I am not ok stopping to pray for Calgary. There is something of a fire in my belly when I pray for our city. It not only does something for our city, it does something for me.
P ~ Lord, may you find me, someone who might rebuild the wall of righteousness, someone who might stand in the gap, so you would not destroy our city. Calgary For Christ.
S ~ “That is why the Tabernacle and everything in it, which were copies of things in heaven, had to be purified by the blood of animals. But the real things in heaven had to be purified with far better sacrifices than the blood of animals.” Hebrews 9:23 NLT
O ~ There is not only a ‘spiritual’ tabernacle in heaven, but an actual one. The pattern for Moses was not just a concept - it was based on the actual heavenly tabernacle.
A ~ What a day that will be to see the heavenly tabernacle - to see the items purified by blood - to see the blood of Jesus, that blood that never loses its power. Real things in heaven - so much more real that the temporal things of earth.
P ~ Lord Jesus, thank You for being the high priest, the lamb of God, and the One Who took our place... all at the same time.
S ~ ““Do you think that I like to see wicked people die? says the Sovereign Lord. Of course not! I want them to turn from their wicked ways and live.” Ezekiel 18:23 NLT
O ~ In all of the judgement that shows up in Ezekiel, Jeremiah, and the other prophets... judgement was never God’s first choice. He doesn’t take pleasure in it. Unrighteousness has to stop, but it could have stopped by obeying, rather than punishment.
A ~ Jonah was ready to get popcorn and watch the show as God destroyed Nineveh. James and John offered to call fire down from heaven on the dirty Samaritans. Peter started down the road of an ear chopping spree. And God? He wanted the wicked to turn, to repent, to be forgiven. In all the warnings for our country and the unrighteousness that prevails, God wants to see people turn and live. So do I.
P ~ Lord, use me to turn people from their wicked ways, that they might live. Here am I, send me.
S ~ “Even if Noah, Daniel, and Job were there, their righteousness would save no one but themselves, says the Sovereign Lord.” Ezekiel 14:14 NLT
O ~ Noah was righteous in the midst of a generation God was about to destroy - Daniel was righteous in Babylon, and Job was righteous in his time. There were none like these 3 men during their lives.
A ~ To be righteous when no one else is - and to find grace when no one else does. Clearly you can live right before God when no one else does, but it may be more rare than we can imagine. It’s why we need Jesus - He Who knew no sin, became sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus.
P ~ Lord, thank You for declaring me righteous in this generation, because of what You have done. May I live differently than the world, talk differently than the world, think differently from the world - in my generation - because You have made me righteous.
My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus' blood and righteousness
I dare not trust the sweetest frame
But wholly lean on Jesus' name
S ~ “And I will give them singleness of heart and put a new spirit within them. I will take away their stony, stubborn heart and give them a tender, responsive heart,” Ezekiel 11:19 NLT
O ~ A singleness of heart within a people. It is something that is given by the Lord, not manufactured by the people - but I bet dollars to donuts that the people have a part to play.
A ~ As ballots are still being counted (5:32 am) and no winner has been declared in the US Presidential Election, it is so concerning that the country will be so divided. Either way.
P ~ Lord, please bring Your peace and singleness of heart to the church in the US - removing the stones and stubbornness - reminding them they are Christians, not Americans.
S ~ ““Son of man,” he said, “do you see what they are doing? Do you see the detestable sins the people of Israel are committing to drive me from my Temple? But come, and you will see even more detestable sins than these!”” Ezekiel 8:6 NLT
O ~ Look what drives God from His temple - His people committing detestable sins. Instead of the people being driven from the temple, God says He can’t stay in such place. Sin separates us from God, as God does not dwell in a temple, He dwells with His people.
A ~ How important it is to be washed and cleansed by the powerful and forgiving blood of Jesus, that God might make His dwelling place with us.And even though all sin is deadly, and none of it is ‘ok’ - it appears there are sins that are detestable, and more detestable.
P ~ Lord, thank You for forgiving me, and dwelling in my life - Your temple. Please keep me from all sin, but especially detestable sins.
S ~ “This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.” Hebrews 4:15-16 NLT
O ~ Jesus understands our weaknesses. He faced every area where we are weak, and yet He was strong. And because of that, we get to receive mercy and grace when we need it most - right from the very throne of God.
A ~ I so often am reminded of my weaknesses. My thoughts - actions - failures. And yet I’m so thankful that when I need it most, grace and mercy are available. Funny thing... I always need it!
P ~ Father God, thank You for being so gracious - so grace filled - so good. Thank You for inviting me to come and get it... mercy and grace!
S ~ And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” And he was calle...
