GraceNotes

Speak To These Bones

Ezekiel 37:4-6

Jim Stephens

09-14-08

Scripture:

4 Then he said to me, “Speak a prophetic message to these bones and say, ‘Dry bones, listen to the word of the Lord! 5 This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Look! I am going to put breath into you and make you live again! 6 I will put flesh and muscles on you and cover you with skin. I will put breath into you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord.’ ”  (Ezekiel 37:4-6 NLT)

Observation:

The valley of dry bones Ezekiel visited in his vision represented a real situation.  The nations of Israel and Judah were defeated and destroyed and nothing represented their spiritual, political, and economic situation better than a boneyard – a picture of what once had been full of life and energy and now was dead.

Then he asked me, “Son of man, can these bones become living people again?” “O Sovereign Lord,” I replied, “you alone know the answer to that.” (Ezekiel 37:3 NLT)

God asked Ezekiel a question the answer to which was known only to God and which God alone could fulfill.  But God gave Ezekiel a part to play in bringing life to a valley of death.  Ezekiel’s part was not medical – to heal, it was only to speak the words God gave him and to trust God alone for the results.

Application:

As Christ-followers we face situations that seem beyond help.  It may be a relationship gone wrong, a job lost, a business failed, a medical diagnosis that gives no hope.  If we tune ourselves to God’s thoughts and offer ourselves to speak God’s words, we can make a difference.  Our prayers and our spoken words can become words of life not only to ourselves but to others.  The caution?  To speak only God’s Spirit-words and not the wishes of our minds or the desires of our own hearts.

Prayer:

Father, Help me to stay tuned to your voice and sensitive to your Spirit-words.  Give me clarity and courage to speak your Spirit-words to others who need to hear a voice of help and hope and life.  Amen.

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No One To Buy

Revelation 18:11

Jim Stephens

09-13-08

Scripture:

The merchants of the world will weep and mourn for her, for there is no one left to buy their goods. (Revelation 18:11 NLT)

Observation:

Today’s reading in Ezekiel 33 tells of the fall of Jerusalem in 586 BC and the reading in Revelation tells of the fall of “Babylon” in the end of the ages.  I hadn’t really thought about the economic aspect of Babylon’s fall until today.

The Babylon of the end of days was a city and nation of consumers.  When this nation fell, the bubble burst and the economy collapsed because “there was no one left to buy the goods.”

As we read through the prophecies of judgment this year I’ve been noticing that when the economy booms or busts, the people at the lower end don’t notice the change as much.  They live for the basics while people in the upper economic levels both create the wealth and keep the economy flourishing by their consumption.

Application:

Anyway, I’m no economist, but I’m more aware than ever how fragile our economic prosperity is.   My house is worth far less than it was a few months ago and if I wanted to sell it, there’s no one to buy it because our town’s housing developments are full of brand new houses that no one is buying.

I’ve got to trust  and rely on God as my source no matter how good or bad things look.  God’s provision is not a bubble of blessing that could burst at any time.  God’s provision is as dependable as his promises.

Prayer:

Father, I trust you.  I depend on you.  I rely on you.  I believe you will never leave me nor forsake me.  Help me wisely make the adjustments that changing economic times require while never taking my eyes off your faithfulness.  Amen.

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Our God Is Able

Daniel 3:16-18, 26-27

Jim Stephens

09-12-08

Scripture:

16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you. 17 If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God whom we serve is able to save us. He will rescue us from your power, Your Majesty. 18 But even if he doesn’t, we want to make it clear to you, Your Majesty, that we will never serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up.”

26 Then Nebuchadnezzar came as close as he could to the door of the flaming furnace and shouted: “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out! Come here!” So Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego stepped out of the fire. 27 Then the high officers, officials, governors, and advisers crowded around them and saw that the fire had not touched them. Not a hair on their heads was singed, and their clothing was not scorched. They didn’t even smell of smoke! (Daniel 3:16-18, 26-27 NLT)

Observation:

I love this story!  I love everything about this story.  It’s got conflict and tension and even fire and smoke!  And I see four things in Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego that I want others to see in me:

·        Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego had a “We do not need to defend ourselves before you” approach to the conflict.

·        Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego had an “Our God is able to save us” faith.

·        Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego had an “Even if he doesn’t” commitment to God.

·        Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego had a “Didn’t even smell of smoke” attitude after the furnace experience.

Application:

I can see elements of each of these parts of their story in my trials and difficulties and I’m not as solid on all four as they were.  As I face my challenges, I’m tempted to waffle on any one of these and I want to do better.

Prayer:

Father, thanks for the example of these heroes’ “Our God is able” faith.  Please grace me with their other qualities as well.  I don’t want to go around “smelling of smoke” and complaining to others about how tough things are.  Keep my spirit sweet and my faith strong.  Amen.

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There Is A God

Daniel 2:27-28

Jim Stephens

09-11-08

Scripture:

27 Daniel replied, “There are no wise men, enchanters, magicians, or fortune-tellers who can reveal the king’s secret. 28 But there is a God in heaven who reveals secrets, and he has shown King Nebuchadnezzar what will happen in the future. Now I will tell you your dream and the visions you saw as you lay on your bed…” (Daniel 2:27-28 NLT)

Observation:

Daniel is one of the greatest heroes and noblest men of all time.  He served in various capacities as a ruler and an advisor to the King of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar and Belshazzar of Babylon, Darius the Mede and Cyrus, Emperor of Persia.  He left prophecies of world events that have been fulfilled and some that await the end time.

Daniel was personally humble and submitted to whatever authority he served under, but confident and bold in his faith in God.  What a guy!

Application:

Confidence with humility isn’t very common.  I want to live it and I love to see it in others.

Prayer:

Father, I am a submitted person.  You have taught me respect for authority and to use my gifts and abilities to serve well under authority.  Please give me confidence with humility like I see in Daniel.  Amen.

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My Loss

Lamentations 3:20-26

Jim Stephens

09-10-08

Scripture:

20 I will never forget this awful time, as I grieve over my loss. 21 Yet I still dare to hope when I remember this: 22 The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. 23 Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning. 24 I say to myself, “The Lord is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in him!” 25 The Lord is good to those who depend on him, to those who search for him. 26 So it is good to wait quietly for salvation from the Lord.  (Lamentations 3:20-26 NLT)

Observation:

Jeremiah poured out his pain and sorrow in this poem of grief – this lamentation.  He was lamenting the loss of his nation, his way of life, his friends, his livelihood – he had lost everything that defined who he was and where he fit in the scheme of things.

Application:

We don’t lament much – at least not publicly with our clothes torn and dust and ashes on our heads.  We “suck it up” and just get on with life.  I wonder what that does on the inside of us.

If we never express our grief over our loss – whether the loss of a loved one (last Saturday was the memorial service for Jean’s Mom), the loss of a relationship, the loss of an income, the loss of a business we invested our heart in, the failure of a project, loss of freedom due to failing health – if we never “lament,” we may never get through to the renewed faith Jeremiah found.

I don’t know much about the psychology of it all, but I know we can get messed up inside and stuck in our grief and loss if we never find expression for it.

Prayer:

Father, Thank you for Jeremiah’s Lamentation.  I’m sorry for him that he had to go through it all, but glad for us that he expressed the faith that comes after grief.  Help me to use all of life’s experiences to help others who are on the journey with me or coming along behind me.  Amen.

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You Stood Aloof

Obadiah 11

Jim Stephens

09-09-08

Scripture:

For you deserted your relatives in Israel during their time of greatest need. You stood aloof, refusing to lift a finger to help when foreign invaders carried off their wealth and cast lots to divide up Jerusalem. You acted as though you were one of Israel’s enemies. (Obadiah 11 NLT)

Observation:

The nation of Edom was descended from Esau and Israel was descended from Jacob, many centuries earlier.  There had always been some conflict between them, partly caused by the resentment Edom felt because of God’s preferential treatment of the Jews, his “chosen people.”

Now that Israel and Judah were experiencing judgment and tragedy, Edom was rejoicing with the attitude, “You finally get what’s coming to you!” and even joining in with Judah’s enemies in plundering the helpless.

Application:

We must be very careful not to allow jealousy or resentment or a judgmental attitude to develop toward someone we feel has hurt us, treated us unfairly, or received preferential treatment.  God alone is in a position to determine judgment and to administer corrective judgment with compassion and mercy.

My response to the misfortune of others should be to pray for them and to offer assistance where I can, but never to gloat or secretly approve of their suffering.  It’s a heart issue.

Prayer:

Father, I know that it is because of your great mercy we are not consumed.  Help me never to have an attitude of superiority or contempt towards someone who is suffering misfortune.  Help me not to assume that the misfortune of others is the judgment of God.

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Truth And Consequences

Jeremiah 43:4-7

Jim Stephens

09-08-08

Scripture:

4 So Johanan and the other guerrilla leaders and all the people refused to obey the Lord’s command to stay in Judah. 5 Johanan and the other leaders took with them all the people who had returned from the nearby countries to which they had fled. 6 In the crowd were men, women, and children, the king’s daughters, and all those whom Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard, had left with Gedaliah. The prophet Jeremiah and Baruch were also included. 7 The people refused to obey the voice of the Lord and went to Egypt, going as far as the city of Tahpanhes. (Jeremiah 43:4-7 NLT)

Observation:

I really admire Jeremiah’s commitment to the people God sent him to prophesy to.  After years of persecution for his unpopular messages of coming judgment, when the axe finally fell, Jeremiah was offered a life of ease and safety by the Babylonian conquerors.  He chose instead to stay with the Jews in Judea and when the rebels killed the governor and the Babylonian officials and the rest of the people decided to flee to Egypt, Jeremiah faithfully delivered God’s message to them.  When they determined to disobey, he went with them to Egypt and suffered the same judgment he had been warning them against for years.

Application:

It’s one thing to warn people of the consequences of their sinful actions.  It’s quite another thing to love them enough to stay with them through the consequences and remain a good and godly influence even in the worst of circumstances.

Prayer:

Father, Thank you for Jeremiah’s example of truth-telling even when it costs everything.  But I thank you for his example of loving identification with the people even more.  Help me to speak the truth in love.  Amen.

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Hard and Stubborn

2 Chronicles 36:11-13

Jim Stephens

09-07-08

Scripture:

11 Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eleven years. 12 He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord his God, and he refused to humble himself when the prophet Jeremiah spoke to him directly from the Lord. 13 He also rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar, even though he had taken an oath of loyalty in God’s name. Zedekiah was a hard and stubborn man, refusing to turn to the Lord, the God of Israel.  (2 Chronicles 36:11-13 NLT)

Observation:

This was Judah’s last chance.  Even after all that had happened, if Zedekiah had listened to God’s messages of warning and promise through Jeremiah and the other prophets, destruction could have been avoided.  Judah and Jerusalem could have lived at peace as part of the Babylonian Empire.

But Zedekiah was a hard and stubborn man.  The rest is history.

Application:

As long as God is speaking and warning, there’s still time – there’s still another chance.  The outcome is determined partly by God’s timetable and partly by the attitude of our hearts.

Prayer:

Father, I purpose to be pliable and responsive to your hand and your voice.  Please give me a heart of flesh on which you can write your word and your ways.  I don’t want to  be a hard and stubborn man.  Let my influence on others lead them to respond with openness and obedience to your word and your will.  Amen.

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It’s God’s World

Revelation 11:15-16

Jim Stephens

09-06-08

Scripture:

15 Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices shouting in heaven: “The world has now become the Kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign forever and ever.” 16 The twenty-four elders sitting on their thrones before God fell with their faces to the ground and worshiped him.  (Revelation 11:15-16 NLT)

Observation:

Revelation 11 tells of judgment to come upon the wicked world in the last days.  Our parallel reading in Ezekiel 29-32 from Ready, Set, Go is a prophecy written hundreds of years earlier about the decline and fall of Egypt’s Imperial power and of other strong nations and powerful empires crumbling under God’s judgment, never to achieve world power again.

Then, ultimately, the world becomes the Kingdom of our Lord and Jesus Christ will reign forever and ever.

Application:

God uses powerful leaders to build powerful nations and kingdoms and then he uses them for his purposes of advancement or of judgment.  But they’re only instruments in God’s hands and they’re only temporary.  All human power and wealth and influence and wisdom and glory and pride is temporary – only temporary.

And only Christ and his Kingdom is forever and forever.

Prayer:

Father, this morning I bow before you and I worship you with the words of the twenty-four elders who fell on their faces in your holy presence…

17 “I give thanks to you, Lord God, the Almighty, the one who is and who always was, for now you have assumed your great power and have begun to reign. 18 The nations were filled with wrath, but now the time of your wrath has come. It is time to judge the dead and reward your servants the prophets, as well as your holy people, and all who fear your name, from the least to the greatest. It is time to destroy all who have caused destruction on the earth.” (Revelation 11:17-18 NLT)

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Very Proud

Ezekiel 28:4-5

Jim Stephens

09-05-08

Scripture:

4 With your wisdom and understanding you have amassed great wealth— gold and silver for your treasuries. 5 Yes, your wisdom has made you very rich, and your riches have made you very proud. (Ezekiel 28:4-5 NLT)

Observation:

In this prophecy to and about the King of the island city-state of Tyre, Ezekiel uses some language that not only addresses the human king, but addresses Satan, whose pride and rebellion made him an enemy of God and good.

The King of Tyre was clearly a brilliant leader.  He had made his small city-state a center of world trade.  They produced little, mostly quality manufactured goods, but they bought and sold everything – and reaped a handsome profit from their business.

The King of Tyre had made his state and himself very wealthy by the application of his “wisdom” and he had become very proud.  He had become proud like Satan became proud before he was cast out of heaven.

Application:

When one is very wealthy, other people treat you differently.  Some are intimidated, others are impressed, some look for what they can get from you – but people really do treat you differently if you are very wealthy.  The big danger that Ezekiel is addressing is that when one is wealthy because one has amassed wealth through wisdom and skill, the next step is often pride.

There are a lot of people who have wisdom (skill, ability, drive, motivation) that don’t amass a lot of wealth.  Some work just as hard and skillfully to serve the poor, to address injustice, to ease suffering, to create art and beauty.

But in any case, the main issue here is pride.

Prayer:

Father, I pray for people I know who have wisdom and who use their wisdom to amass wealth, to achieve success, to accomplish goals, and to achieve some degree of fame or recognition.  I pray that they will not give in to pride.  I pray that you will protect me from pride.  I am your servant and I serve at the pleasure of my Lord Jesus.

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