When dry bones breathe

Today: Ezekiel 37-39

Today's passage included an amazing picture of God's heart for His people. Instead of a lot of my commentary, I thought it would be good for us to re-read the illustration...and think about a few questions (I'll add a few of those at the end).

Here we go....

God, the Master, told

the dry bones,

"Watch this:

I'm bringing the breath of life to you

and you'll come to life.

I'll attach sinews to you, put meat on your bones, cover you with skin,

and breathe life into you.

You'll come alive and you'll realize that I am God!"
I prophesied just as I'd been commanded.

As I prophesied, there was a sound and, oh, rustling!

The bones moved and came together, bone to bone.

I kept watching.

Sinews formed, then muscles on the bones, then skin stretched over them.

But they had no breath in them.
He said to me,

"Prophesy to the breath. Prophesy, son of man. Tell the breath,

'God, the Master, says, Come from the four winds.

Come, breath.

Breathe on these slain bodies.

Breathe life!'"
So I prophesied, just as he commanded me.

The breath entered them and they came alive!

They stood up on their feet, a huge army.
Then God said to me,

"Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel.

Listen to what they're saying:

'Our bones are dried up,

our hope is gone,

there's nothing left of us.'
"Therefore, prophesy. Tell them, 'God, the Master, says:

I'll dig up your graves and bring you out alive—O my people!

Then I'll take you straight to the land of Israel.

When I dig up graves and bring you out as my people,

you'll realize that I am God.

I'll breathe my life into you and you'll live.

Then I'll lead you straight back to your land

and you'll realize that I am God.

I've said it and I'll do it.

God's Decree.'"

Questions to think about:

• What did the dry bones represent in this passage?
  
• What do you think dry bones represent today?
  
• Why would God want to breathe life into dry bones?
  
• What are things that make people's lives like dry bones?
  
• How does God breathe life...what does that look like?

Life is not just for living

Today: Ecclesiastes 9-12

Awhile ago, I came to the realization that, "Life is not just for living--it's here for us to love." You'll find that line in my blogs' "About Me" sections because it's something I really take to heart and I think it has several meanings, one of which we read about in today's passage. Take a look:

Seize life!

Eat bread with gusto,

Drink wine with a robust heart.

Oh yes—God takes pleasure in your pleasure!

Dress festively every morning.

Don't skimp on colors and scarves.

Relish life with the spouse you love

Each and every day of your precarious life.

Each day is God's gift.

Life itself is a gift meant to be loved and cherished. I love just being with my family, playing catch with my crazy dog Harley, tasting the first few bites a really great molten lava chocolate cake, laughing like crazy with my friends, and wearing colored high heels that are completely impractical...just because I think they're beautiful.

The second meaning of my self-coined saying? We're not here on this planet just to live life for ourselves--we're here to love God and to love people. God's the One who gives us the gift of this life and eternal life. People make life on this Earth absolutely a pain at times, but also they make it meaningful. Life is nothing without love and love is nothing without some life. It's a beautiful thing. :)

Tomorrow: Song of Solomon 1-8

Wisdom and real life

Today: Proverbs 7-9

What makes life--well, come to life? What makes it real and amazing and enjoyable?

This excerpt (where the voice of Wisdom is speaking) gives a few answers that may be pretty unexpected to many people:

Mark a life of discipline and live wisely;

don't squander your precious life.

Blessed the man, blessed the woman, who listens to me,

awake and ready for me each morning,

alert and responsive as I start my day's work.

When you find me, you find life, real life,

to say nothing of God's good pleasure.

But if you wrong me, you damage your very soul;

when you reject me, you're flirting with death."

Interesting, right? Discipline and wisdom help us savor the beautiful moments in our lives. Wisdom gives life to our lives...and helps us to put a smile on God's face (so to speak). Keep going after wisdom.

Tomorrow: Proverbs 10-12

Rebuilding

Today: Ezra 1-3

When I hear the word "rubble," I think of The Flinstones. :)

But if I were one of God's people at the time today's passage was written, Barney and Wilma wouldn't come to mind. I'd picture the Temple of God and my beloved country--ravaged, forsaken and left in rubble.

One thing I know for sure about God? He doesn't like to leave things or people in shambles. In today's chapters, the people of Judah were actually sent back to rebuild their homes and God's House.

It's an interesting passage to read on Easter weekend. To be honest, there are a lot of people on this planet whose lives resemble piles of rubble. Some people feel like Humpty Dumpty--they believe that their lives are so broken that they can't be put back together again. Others don't see their brokenness, but that doesn't mean they're whole--piles of rubble might be all around them.

The good news is that God is a great rebuilder (He'd probably be REALLY good at puzzles, too!). He is able to take lives resembling piles of rubble and turn them into inside-out beautiful works of art. God heals the broken and He brings the dead to life.

What can He build in you? What can he resurrect in someone you care about?

I am forever grateful that God continually builds, shapes and molds me. I'm still a work in progress--but I'm thankful to be taken from the rubble and rebuilt. Happy Easter!

Tomorrow: Ezra 4-7

Fake and praise

Today: 2 Kings 15-17

I'm getting ready for a trip to a sunny destination. I've decided not to "fake and bake" in a tanning salon, so I'm trying self-tanning lotion. It looks pretty legit for the most part. But the first time I put it on, I had definitive lines between my snow-white skin and the faux glow. Not cute. I'm not normally into fake stuff, but when it comes to self-tanner versus wrinkles, faux glow is the way to go (does that sound like a really sick cheer or something?). :)

I'm not a fan of fake and bake...and as I read today's passage, I thought it's clear God isn't a fan of something I'll call "fake and praise." Take a look:

They don't really worship God—

they don't take seriously what he says

regarding how to behave and what to believe...

God made a covenant with his people and ordered them,
"Don't honor other gods:
Don't worship them, don't serve them, don't offer sacrifices to them.
Worship God,

the God who delivered you from Egypt in great and personal power.
Reverence and fear him. Worship him. Sacrifice to him.

And only him!

All the things he had written down for you,

directing you in what to believe and how to behave—

well, do them for as long as you live.

And whatever you do, don't worship other gods!

And the covenant he made with you, don't forget your part in that.

And don't worship other gods!

Worship God, and God only—

he's the one who will save you from enemy oppression."
But they didn't pay any attention.

They kept doing what they'd always done.

As it turned out, all the time these people were putting on a front

of worshiping God,

they were at the same time involved with their local idols.

And they're still doing it...

This passage piqued my interest for a few reasons. First, I'll say that faux worship is often something you can't see in other people. Sometimes, people are criticized as being "showy" in their worship when they might be genuine--or vice versa, they're criticized for being too stoic when they might be very sincere as well. Fake praise is not always visible. It's often a heart thing.

That said, faux worship has to do with more than what the modern church often labels as worship (e.g. singing during a church service). In this passage, God defined worship as behaving and believing in line with His instructions--that's a lifestyle. It's living for God exclusively every day instead of living for ourselves or an idol (which could really be anything that takes God's place in our lives).

Let's stop the fake and praise--it's even worse than wrinkles and the faux glow of my orangey hands as I'm typing this. :)

Tomorrow: 2 Kings 18-19

Mercy should make a difference

Today: 2 Kings 12-14

Webster's dictionary defines mercy as compassion or forbearance shown especially to an offender or to one subject to one's power.Translation: Mercy is compassion given to someone who doesn't deserve it--or granted to one by someone else with greater authority.

When you've experienced mercy, what was your response?

Today's chapters had a few interesting examples of God's mercy. This one stood out to me most:

Jehoahaz son of Jehu became king of Israel in Samaria—
a rule of seventeen years.
He lived an evil life before God...
Exasperated, God was furious with Israel
and turned them over to Hazael king of Aram and Ben-Hadad son of Hazael.
This domination went on for a long time.

Then Jehoahaz prayed for a softening of God's anger,
and God listened.
He realized how wretched Israel had become
under the brutalities of the king of Aram.
So God provided a savior for Israel
who brought them out from under Aram's oppression.
The children of Israel were again able to live at peace in their own homes.
But it didn't make any difference: They didn't change their lives...

A few things I noticed in this brief story? God was gracious enough to listen to an evil king--and even beyond listening, He provided an escape. You would think that life would be different for slaves granted freedom.

I picture it like a near-death experience: People who face death often re-think their lives...if they survive, they are changed forever. They have a different value for what's really important.

You would think that the freed slaves granted mercy by God Himself would face life with a different perspective. But they didn't. Mercy changed their circumstances, but they didn't allow it to change their lives.

When you and I are granted mercy--by God or other people--it should move us. Compassion and grace are not meant to be discarded or treated with a flippant response. When our lives are touched by mercy, our lives should be redefined. Mercy should make a difference.

Tomorrow: 2 Kings 15-17

One of these things is not like the other...

Today: Deuteronomy 17-20

"Stop trying to fit in when you were born to stand out," is a quote I remember from somewhere* that ties in to today's passage.

In these verses, Moses is trying to prepare God's people to enter the Promised Land--a land where they will meet and conquer people with different religions. Let's recap what Moses said:

When you enter the land that God, your God, is giving you,

don't take on the abominable ways of life of the nations there.

Don't you dare sacrifice your son or daughter in the fire.

Don't practice divination, sorcery, fortunetelling, witchery,

casting spells, holding séances, or channeling with the dead.

People who do these things are an abomination to God.

It's because of just such abominable practices that God,

your God, is driving these nations out before you.
Be completely loyal to God, your God.

These nations that you're about to run out of the country

consort with sorcerers and witches.

But not you. God, your God, forbids it.

In this passage, Moses instructs the people to be loyal to God--to not take up the religions and wackadoo spirituality (which even included human sacrifice!) of others.

I thought this passage was interesting in light of our current culture. Many people who claim to believe in God also believe in things (psychics, New Age philosophy, nature is God, etc.) that is completely contradictory to this message and other teaching in the Bible.

Perhaps it's because they don't know what the Bible says. Maybe it's because they don't really know much about who God is and His heart for us to love Him exclusively (to be loyal, to not put other gods before Him, to love Him with all our hearts, minds and souls). I believe part of the problem, though, is that many people who claim to love God are too afraid to stand up for Him. They don't want to appear narrow-minded, ignorant or judgmental. But in the process, they water down their core beliefs. They send mixed messages about God and about faith to friends, family members and acquaintances. They become lukewarm and ineffective--it's as if they are dimmer switches carrying the light of God.

Why do we try so hard to fit in when we're born to stand out? Why would we hide the light, the love, the wisdom of knowing and serving God?

Tomorrow: Deuteronomy 21-23

Seeing signs of God's presence

Today: Exodus 39-40

Sometimes I wish that God's direction and messages to me were a bit more obvious. It would be amazing to hear the audible voice of God say things like, "You should live here" or "You should be friends with this person" or "You should pursue this career." That would be cool, wouldn't it?

In this passage, we read about how God provided visible signs of His presence and guidance for His people through a cloud and pillar of fire:

The Cloud covered the Tent of Meeting,

and the Glory of God filled The Dwelling.

Moses couldn't enter the Tent of Meeting

because the Cloud was upon it,

and the Glory of God filled The Dwelling.
Whenever the Cloud lifted from The Dwelling,

the People of Israel set out on their travels,

but if the Cloud did not lift,

they wouldn't set out until it did lift.

The Cloud of God was over The Dwelling during the day

and the fire was in it at night,

visible to all the Israelites in all their travels.

You'd think that seeing visible signs of God's presence would make it very easy for people to follow His guidance. You'd think that it would be easy for them to trust Him.

And you'd be wrong. Even with obvious signs, the Israelites doubted God and often struggled to follow Him.

I don't know about you, but I don't have many visible signs of God's presence. And I think it's even rarer for Him to give obvious signs pf His presence to big groups of people (for example, I haven't heard reports of the big visible cloud or pillar of fire showing up at a church lately).

This could be my own theory, but I wonder if it's because God wants us to really trust Him. By definition, you don't need faith in something you can see plainly. However, I still believe that God provides signs of His presence and guidance...you just have to look for them.

Yesterday stood out to me for several reasons, but one being that I felt like I was getting the same repeated message (in a few different ways). At church, I saw clips from "The Family Man" and our pastor talked about the power we have to choose what's important to us. We choose how we spend our time and money. We choose what we think about. And at pivotal moments, we make destiny-altering decisions (like Nicolas Cage in the movie who chose to leave on a plane for a London internship at an investment firm versus staying with the woman he loved). At lunch, I had conversations with friends about career and life choices leading to the question, "What's really important to you?" Later, we saw "Up in the Air" with George Clooney--a movie about a guy whose views of life and work are challenged. It was as if God was saying (or shouting?) to me, "Your work is not your life. Choose what's important. Choose Me and what I'm calling you to." Even the fact that I read this passage today (one I've thought of or heard at previous life-altering moments) seems like another sign that God is promising His guidance.

I'm not suggesting that you (or I) read too much into things. It's entirely possible to do so. But I am saying that sometimes God speaks through things that may not seem obvious. His signs today are not always visible--but that's where your faith and trust in Him comes into play. Or in the words of one of my favorite questions (from The Truth Project): Do you believe that what you believe is really real?

Tomorrow: Leviticus 1-4

Love and life on the line

Today: Genesis 22-24

Have you ever been asked to give up something that meant the world to you?

In today's passage, Abraham was faced with that exact dilemma. God asked him to sacrifice his son Isaac...the promised miracle child Abraham had waited for years....and years...and years to receive (and did I mention that God was the one who promised Abraham the son?). Abraham trusted God and headed to a mountain to put his love and his son's life on the line:

They arrived at the place to which God had directed him.

Abraham built an altar. He laid out the wood.

Then he tied up Isaac and laid him on the wood.

Abraham reached out and took the knife to kill his son.
Just then an angel of God called to him out of Heaven, "Abraham! Abraham!"
"Yes, I'm listening."
"Don't lay a hand on that boy! Don't touch him!

Now I know how fearlessly you fear God;

you didn't hesitate to place your son,

your dear son,

on the altar

for me."
Abraham looked up.

He saw a ram caught by its horns in the thicket.

Abraham took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering

instead of his son.

Abraham named that place God-Yireh (God-Sees-to-It).

Abraham was willing to put something he dearly loved on the line for God. But instead, God saved Abraham's son by providing a ram for the sacrifice. Abraham called the entire place God-Yireh--which means basically "God sees and provides."

What's really interesting about this story when you think about it (and when you're reading the Bible in reverse like we are this year!) is the fact that God provided more than a ram. Not only did He spare Abraham from proving his love by killing his son, He actually went through the exact same thing. God proved His love by sacrificing His Son, Himself...for Abraham's descendants...and for all of us, too. He put His love and His life on the line.

Tomorrow: Genesis 25-26

Your life depends on...love

Today: 1 Corinthians 12-14

What does your life depend on?

If we asked people on the street, I think many would say things like, "Meeting my basic needs for food, water and shelter" or "Having a job that pays the bills." These things are important. But they're all just...things.

Have you ever thought that your life depended on love? Today's passage included what's known as "The Love Chapter" of the Bible--1 Corinthians 13. It's a chapter that describes love in its purest form. I love the end of the chapter and the (less famous) beginning of chapter 14). Take a look:

Trust steadily in God,
hope unswervingly,
love extravagantly.
And the best of the three is love.
Go after a life of love as if your life depended on it—
because it does.
Give yourselves to the gifts God gives you.
Most of all, try to proclaim his truth.

Life isn't just here for living--it's here for us to love. Love God. Love people. Because your life depends on it...and because your life and the lives of others will be always be enriched with a little bit of love.

Tomorrow: 1 Corinthians 15-16

Word to live by

Today: Romans 11-13

My intro. text today is really short because tonight's passage includes some pretty incredible Word to live by. So think about it. Live it. Here are a few of life's best instructions from the book of Romans:

Take your everyday, ordinary life—

your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—

and place it before God

as an offering.

Embracing what God does

for you

is the best thing you can do

for him.

Don't become so well-adjusted

to your culture

that you fit into it without even thinking.

Instead, fix your attention on God.

You'll be changed from the inside out.

Readily recognize what he wants from you,

and quickly respond to it.

Unlike the culture around you,

always dragging you down

to its level of immaturity,

God brings the best out of you,

develops well-formed maturity in you.

Love from the center of who you are;

don't fake it.

Run for dear life from evil;

hold on for dear life to good.

Be good friends who love deeply;

practice playing second fiddle.
Don't burn out;

keep yourselves fueled and aflame.

Be alert servants of the Master,

cheerfully expectant.

Don't quit in hard times;

pray all the harder.

Help needy Christians;

be inventive in hospitality.
Bless your enemies;

no cursing under your breath.

Laugh with your happy friends when they're happy;

share tears when they're down.

Get along with each other;

don't be stuck-up.

Make friends with nobodies;

don't be the great somebody.
Don't hit back;

discover beauty in everyone.

If you've got it in you,

get along with everybody.

Don't insist on getting even;

that's not for you to do.

"I'll do the judging," says God.

"I'll take care of it."

Love on the line

Today: Romans 4-7

"Attention! Attention, all associates!" a voice on the intercom blared in my office today. "Do not leave the building at this time. The police department has also asked that you back away from the windows facing the street. An investigation is actively underway. We will provide more information as soon as possible."

Of course, most of us had already looked out the windows before this announcement to see police blockading several streets with their large guns in tow, apprehending a suspect and containing a parking lot with a suspicious backpack. We watched Wall-E-like robots move and prod it. And we definitely heard the, "BOOM!" as the bomb squad proactively detonated the backpack (which didn't have a bomb by the way...I probably wouldn't be here writing this now if it did!).

It was amazing for me to see what the police and firefighters do to put their lives on the line...for hundreds of strangers.

In today's passage, Paul talks to the Romans about how God put His life and love on the line for all of us:

We can understand someone dying

for a person worth dying for,

and we can understand

how someone good and noble

could inspire us to selfless sacrifice.

But God put his love on the line

for us

by offering his Son

in sacrificial death

while we were

of no use whatever

to him.

That's pretty amazing, isn't it? The police and firefighters who protected my city today put their lives on the line for me. But they didn't put their love on the line, too. But God was willing to risk both His Son, His life--and His heart--for me (and you...and everyone in the whole world, too!).

Here's another way Paul explains it:

...sin didn't, and doesn't,

have a chance

in competition

with the aggressive forgiveness

we call grace.

When it's sin versus grace,

grace wins

hands down.

All sin can do is threaten us with death,

and that's the end of it.

Grace,

because God is putting everything together again

through the Messiah,

invites us into

life—

a life that goes on and on and on,

world without end.

The description of grace as "aggressive forgiveness" floors me. In the words of my favorite celeb stylist, Rachel Zoe, it's OOC (out of control!). That's what love on the line is all about. It's the "all in" bet where God threw Himself, eternal life and heaven into the pot. It's more mind-boggling than trying to count all the stars or really understand time, space and gravity. It's a promise that's backed up with the evidence of sacrifice.

Tomorrow: Romans 8-10

Words, light and life

Today: John 1-2

I'm a word nerd.

(Forgive me if you've read this statement before, but I don't think I've written it in this forum yet.)

Words make me laugh. Words tell stories. Words provide information. And words create.

Reading John 1-2 today was a great reminder of that last point. John 1 parallels the story of Creation in Genesis (we'll get to that later!) in this beautiful , poetic way that connects the dots of history, the power of words, and the united relationship of God the Father and Jesus--the Word come to life.

Because the Word itself is so amazing here, I'd rather highlight what it actually says than my own comments or interpretation today. Here we go:

The Word was first,
the Word present to God,
God present to the Word.
The Word was God,
in readiness for God from day one.
Everything was created through him;
nothing—not one thing!—
came into being without him.
What came into existence was Life,
and the Life was Light to live by.
The Life-Light blazed out of the darkness;
the darkness couldn't put it out.

...The Word became flesh and blood,
and moved into the neighborhood.
We saw the glory with our own eyes,
the one-of-a-kind glory,
like Father, like Son,
Generous inside and out,
true from start to finish.

Tomorrow: John 3-4

What stood out most to you?

Today: Matthew 27-28

"What stood out most to you?" is probably one of the best questions for starting a discussion. (Try it some time after a movie, art exhibit, vacation or at a small group meeting).

After I read today's passage, I asked myself that question. I can't think of a specific theme today, so this will be a somewhat random collection of things that stood out:

• What would it be like to be infamous--marked by history as part of something evil? I'll admit--this is a really odd question. But I thought of it after reading about how the Pharisees purchased a field with the money Judas was paid to betray Jesus. Their actions were prophesied by Jeremiah--but a priest part of the situation probably felt like he was just "part of the crowd."
  
  
• The actions of one generation impact the next...and beyond. The people who demanded Jesus' death pleaded with Pilate to crucify Him. They said, ""We'll take the blame, we and our children after us." What kind of actions are we taking today that will impact the next generation?
  
  
• The patient love of Jesus. It baffles my mind to think of what He endured--unjustly--on the cross. He was beaten, mocked, misunderstood, and tortured by people who just didn't see Him for who He is. Yet through it all, He remained strong, kind, compassionate and determined. Wow.
  
  
• Something I never noticed before--people who came to life as Jesus died. This was an interesting thing to discover. What would it have felt like to be one of those people or one of their family members? What would be like to suddenly come to life again because someone else lost His? How would your life be changed?
  
  
• The resurrected Jesus first appeared to women. This is kind of interesting to me because of the culture at the time--women were second-class citizens. Why would God in the flesh show up first to them? Why would He entrust the message of His resurrection to them? Maybe it's just because they were there and they were faithful. I honestly don't know--but I think it's interesting.
  
  
• Some of the disciples missed out on seeing and worshipping Jesus after He came to life. I never really noticed this before, either. It says, "Some, though, held back, not sure about worship, about risking themselves totally." Hmm...this reminds me of the "What kind of investor is God?" post from a few days ago. All of Jesus' friends and followers weren't ready to go "all in" or live "all out" for Him.
  
  Can you imagine being one of those people...a few days or a few years later? I think I would have always wondered, "What would have happened if I would have been there? What if I could have seen Jesus one more time? What if I had lived on the edge and worshipped Him?"
  
  
• Before He left for heaven, Jesus made a promise. When I started reading Matthew, one of my first posts was about how God keeps promises...and how the writer of Matthew continually reminded us of them. It's interesting that as Jesus left the earth, His last recorded words in Matthew are a promise to us, "I'll be with you...day after day after day, right up to the end of the age."
  

Tomorrow: Mark 1-3