Standing in the gap

Today: Ezekiel 21-22

I'm rediscovering that Ezekiel is a tragic book in the Bible. In much of today's passage, God talked to (and through) Ezekiel about the wickedness of His people. They deserted Him and his ways for all kinds of sin. At the end of this passage, I found this excerpt of God's Word to Ezekiel particularly sad:

"I looked for someone

to stand up for me against all this,

to repair the defenses of the city,

to take a stand for me

and stand in the gap

to protect this land

so I wouldn't have to destroy it.

I couldn't find anyone.

Not one..."

Isn't that heartbreaking? God felt totally deserted by the people He loved. He wanted just one to love Him back--and to take a stand for Him and stand in the gap to protect their land--but no one did.

I wonder how often that happens today? I wonder how many times God looks at the earth and sees people committing atrocities, looking for one person who will take a stand with Him against evil or injustice.

I hope that these verses are never echoed again. I pray that people like you and me will rise up and stand in the gap for people who desperately need God and His love. I hope that we won't ever get tired of praying for them. And I pray that we won't ever tire of standing for God--even if we have to do it alone.

Tomorrow: Ezekiel 23-24

The generation gap

Today: Judges 1-2

As reluctant as we are to (sometimes) admit it, most of us inherit traits from others. Perhaps you've inherited your mom's sense of direction and your dad's sense of humor. Maybe you and your best friend share the same catchphrases. Possibly you've inherited passion for coffee from a former colleague or college roommate. And you're probably wearing clothes with style that didn't start with you--your style may have been influenced by a magazine, a commercial, a rockstar or fashion from the past (hello, leggings...).

Have you ever thought about how your faith in God (or lack thereof) has been influenced by others?

My parents, for example, didn't know much about God until they were in their mid-twenties. Both of them had encounters with religious people growing up. My dad went to Catholic mass off and on until his father passed away (when my dad was seven). My mom's family never attended any kind of church regularly. However, after her parents divorced and things were tight financially, she remembers visits from Mormons who reached out to help her mom.

It wasn't until they were in their mid-twenties that they really heard what it meant to have a personal relationship with God. They didn't know how much Jesus loved them--and that He gave His life to save them. They didn't know they could talk to Him directly and expect Him to listen. And before meeting a great co-worker and friend, they didn't know that a Christian could be normal--and actually fun to be around.

But what would have happened if they chose not to go to church? What if they didn't read the Bible? What if they raised my sisters and I with a parenting style that said, "Our kids can believe whatever they want to believe. Their faith is their choice..."?

The short answer? We wouldn't know God. We wouldn't know anything about His love.

That would have been a sad story, but it's happened many times throughout history. Today's passage describes Joshua's death and the death of his generation. Read on:

Eventually that entire generation died and was buried.
Then another generation grew up
that didn't know anything of God
or the work he had done for Israel.
The People of Israel did evil in God's sight:
they served Baal-gods;
they deserted God,
the God of their parents
who had led them out of Egypt;
they took up with other gods,
gods of the peoples around them.
They actually worshiped them!
And oh, how they angered God...

This is a really tragic passage because it describes a huge generation gap. The generation that witnessed God's miracles--the parting of the Red Sea, the Exodus from Egypt and tumbling the massive walls of Jericho--failed to pass on a legacy. They didn't help the kids of the next generation know anything about God...or more importantly, to just know God.

Interesting stuff. This post isn't just about parenting. It's about sharing God's love with people--so that they know He cares about them. You don't have to physically have a child to do that. You can influence others in your generation and those younger, too.

A generation gap is an epic fail. Close the gap. Live out God's love so that it's clear and obvious to the world around you.

Tomorrow: Judges 3-5

Clean and unclean

Today: Leviticus 11-13

All right...did you stick with the reading today?

It was tougher than most, I'll admit. Lots of commands and instructions for defining clean and unclean food and people. Thankfully, today, most Christians do not live under the religious nature of these laws--thank God for the New Testament and Christ's fulfillment of the law!

A few things stood out to me today. First, how holy and perfect God is--and the big gap that separates us imperfect human beings from Him. Secondly, I was thankful for God's grace and gift of salvation that "bridges the gap," so our eternal destinies are not based on following laws or not. Jesus fulfilled the law and if you have chosen Him as the leader and Lord of your life, you can walk in the freedom of His forgiveness. Beautiful.

As I read this passage, I also thought of Jesus' work with people in the New Testament. For example, how He interacted with lepers. According to the law, lepers were unclean people--people to be basically banished from their homes and families. Lepers were outcasts. They couldn't DARE come close to a Temple or a priest after being declared "unclean."

Contrast that with Jesus--God Himself--who walked up and physically touched lepers to heal them. Quite a different picture, right? Before Jesus, the lepers really couldn't connect with people except those who were also deemed unclean. Jesus' care and His simple touch changed that. It first gave them dignity and kindness. Then it changed their health, social status, and their eternal destinies forever.

Tomorrow: Leviticus 14-15