November 8

Ezekiel 18:1-19:14, Hebrews 9:1-10, Psalm 106:32-48, Proverbs 27:10



Pray: Lord, the world has become more frail, people are more fearful than ever at the thought of evil being unleashed upon crowds of innocent people in public places and even in the sacred house of worship. However, we take great hope that You are a God of justice and no evil deed will go unpunished, no act of betrayal will go unnoticed. This is why we too claim, seek not Your justice oh God, but we ask for Your grace. We too ask that You forgive our sins, prepare our hearts to hear Your will so we might live it today.

Read: The writer of Ezekiel is clear that the sins of parents will not be passed down to the children by way of them having to pay for their parents' sins. The parents will have to pay for their own sins. This is just, this is fair. God desires that we be set free from our sins, but if we fail to repent, if we refuse His mercy then what choice does God have but to leave us in our rebellion and our darkness. Let us seek to accept His invitation to walk in the light with Him.

Edify: The audience hearing this Hebrew letter read aloud would have understood the Old Covenant being restated by the writer. The High Priest would only be allowed to go behind the Holy of Holies. Yet, Jesus tore down that wall of separation when He breathed His last saying, “it is finished”. In other words, the sin debts of the world have been paid in full. Perhaps we should live more like free men and women. Free to serve, free to love our neighbor and free to invite others to partake of this relationship we can have with the High Priest, Jesus.

Practice: The wisdom of Solomon comes shining through in these few verses as we are not to “abandon a friend”. If we add value to the lives of our neighbors, those we work with, and others around us then when we find ourselves in need we will not have to ask for help—they will be ready to help those whom have invested in them all along. Folks, we can’t out-love God, we can’t out-serve God and we can’t out-give God. But, we can be absolutely amazed by God’s reciprocity.

November 7

Ezekiel 16:42-17:24, Hebrews 8:1-13, Psalm 106:13-31, Proverbs 27:7-9



Pray: Dear God we are thankful for Your kindness towards us even in our rebellion. We bless You for the privilege to spend time today in prayer and to hear Your voice through reading today’s scripture.

Read: Metaphors and rich imagery abound in Ezekiel. The story of two eagles gives us a deep image of God placing the people of Israel to prosper but the vine will be taken up by its roots because it does not deserve to remain in place. God does uproot us when we are no longer able to produce due to rebellion or mere apathy. What the people of Israel lacked was consistent obedience. This will open up God’s heart and strengthen our witness when people witness our simple and consistent obedience.

Edify: We have a great high priest who stands at the right hand of the Father and prays for us. This high priest has also gone before us to make a new covenant which means the “old one is obsolete” and the new one is now invoked. The new covenant is simple as we are to “love the Lord our God with all our heart, our soul, our strength and our mind. And the second commandment is to love our neighbor as yourself. All of the laws of the Old Testament hang on this one command." How often do you practice the one commandment of God? 

Practice: How true the writer put our human plight when he wrote, “They traded their glorious God for a statue of a grass eating bull." We are often tempted to worship that which we have made with our own hands instead of the One who created our hands in His image. The reference to Phinehas is sobering as he was the grandson of Aaron who thrust the spear into the man who was blatantly committing adultery in front of children and adults who were trusted with a sacred moment to worship God.

November 6

 Ezekiel 14:12-16:41, Hebrews 7:18-28, Psalm 106:1-12, Proverbs 27:4-6 

 

Prayer: Lord, as we read Your inspired Word written here in Scripture, we ask that You speak to us. Please allow our story to intersect with Your greater Story of new life and redemption. Whatever our needs, whatever our concerns, we pray that our hearts will be open to receive both Your truth and Your encouragement to us. 

 

Read: Ezekiel is clear that God’s judgment and accountability are sure. God is just. God is holy. God does not want His people to continue in destructive ways hurting themselves nor those around them. The writer gives two powerful metaphors. The first is the grapevine, which if it bears fruit is of good use. When the branches do not stay connected to its life source then it dies. When it does, like the people of Jerusalem, it is not good even for burning as it burns too quickly and is of little to no use at all. God is displeased with the people in regards to their disobedience of Jerusalem. The second image is that of a person who has been pursued with love and compassion, cleaned up and preserved like a bride for her husband. Yet, she prostitutes herself with so many gods, worshiping them and refusing to be obedient to the husband who has redeemed her. You too, would be upset if someone disrespected your devotion and love, would you not? 

 

Edify: Though judgment is pronounced against rebellious Jerusalem (not as a city but as a people), grace is pronounced through the ‘great high priest” Jesus Christ. The contrast is that fallible priests would offer continual sacrifices for the sins of the people on a regular basis. Jesus has made a once for all sacrifice for our sins. This sacrifice covered “at one moment” the sins of the world past, present, and future. Because Jesus has risen from the dead, and mortal priests die, Jesus is constantly interceding on our behalf. 

 

Practice: How practical Proverbs can be with three leadership lessons which are also powerful discipleship practices:

1.  “4 Anger is cruel, and wrath is like a flood, but jealousy is even more dangerous.” So let's check our anger in before God so its cruelty doesn’t hurt us and those we love. 
2.  “5 An open rebuke is better than hidden love!” How true that your words, said in love, might help someone from making an unwise decision, to consider redirection in their life. Now we should not get excited about sharing a rebuke or giving honest input. But it is often needed in certain seasons of our lives. 
3.  “6 Wounds from a sincere friend are better than many kisses from an enemy.” Again, we find the need for compassionate truth telling versus relationships where people tell us only what we want to hear. If we know someone cares, really cares, we will receive it more readily. If we really care, we will follow through with honesty coupled with love. 

November 5

Ezekiel 12:1-14:11, Hebrews 7:1-17, Psalm 105:37-45, Proverbs 27:3



Pray: There were so many people who claimed to be speaking on behalf of the Lord, but were simply telling people what they wanted to hear to gain popularity. In the time of exile, in this way, it is much like our day filled with social and 24-hour news media. Discern through prayer the voices that you are giving the most weight in your life and whether they are pleasing to God.

Read: Within the chaos, chatter, confusion and turmoil in the time of Ezekiel and the exile; take note of the mention all the way back to Abraham in both the New Testament and Psalm reading. What does this communicate about God’s ultimate plan that is bigger than the exile?

Edify: The author of Hebrews elevates the mystery and esteem of the King of Salem, Melchizedek, who also serves the role of a priest to Abraham. This means that Melchizedek is superior to Abraham, as Abraham tithed and received blessing from him. The mystery is that he was superior to Abraham from which the lineage would begin the priestly order through Aaron. Further, Melchizedek has no lineage, meaning he is eternal and superior to the lineage of Aaron. Melchizedek is an important, although mysterious, figure because he is a sign and symbol of the coming king and high priest prophesied in Psalm 110. This high priest and king is Jesus who has ended the old system of sacrifice with His own sacrifice on behalf of all humanity. As William Barclay says, Jesus inaugurates a priesthood of peace, righteousness, royalty, on His own merit (without lineage), and eternal with no beginning or end. Jesus has ended the ritual and sat down at the right hand of the Father. It is finished!

Practice: Fear is gone and sin is conquered through Christ. Your priest, and now you, have direct access to God. How does that change the way you live? Are you depending upon ritual? Are you living like a victim?  Depend on your eternal and superior high priest who has made a way of forgiveness and communion with God forever!

November 4

Ezekiel 10:1-11:25, Hebrews 6:1-20, Psalm 105:16-36, Proverbs 27:1-2



Pray: What’s your greatest hope? Hope is essential to faith, for faith is essentially a confident hope in things not yet seen. When God speaks, it is as good as God acting because God is faithful and His word never returns void. Begin in prayer by naming your hope that springs up from God’s word.

Read: Look for the undercurrent of hope throughout the Old and New Testament. What has God done? What has God said He will do?

Edify: Amidst all the looks into the spiritual world as well as a lot of doom and gloom in Ezekiel’s day; God begins to make promises of the people’s return to their homeland as well as their repentance for idolatry and rebellion. This “will” happen. And when this happens, God will do heart renovation, give them His Spirit in a new way, and they will no longer be rebellious. It’s so beautiful that God is revealing 600 years before Christ His plan to fulfill His ultimate promise that runs as a thread until Revelation that “they will truly be my people, and I will be their God” (Ezekiel 11:20). Hebrews tells us that Jesus fulfills the promise to Abraham, and this furthers our confidence in God’s promises because it is impossible for God to lie. This is why we have a confident hope as an “anchor for our souls” (Hebrews 6:19).

Practice: We are to follow the example of those who are going to inherit God’s promises through faith and endurance (Hebrews 6:12). In which area of your life do you need hope to increase your endurance? Share your need to endure with a trusted friend who will watch over you in love, encourage you, help you set goals, and hold you accountable. 

November 3

Ezekiel 7:1-9:11, Hebrews 5:1-14, Psalm 105:1-15, Proverbs 26:28 



Pray: Begin by thanking the Lord for His greatness. A greater thankfulness emerges from a greater comprehension of your need for the Lord to be great in your life. Thank Him!

Read: Have the same posture as the Psalmist as you approach His word. “Search for the Lord and his strength; continually seek him” (Psalm 105:4). Come to His word hungry and ready to eat on solid food.

Edify: Notice that the author of Hebrews expects maturation and progression in walking out our faith. Are you still being fed milk or are you actively feeding yourself solid food? Are you passively remaining “spiritually dull” or eagerly looking to learn and share the faith that you received in Christ Jesus? It is through actively being engaged in “training” that maturation comes. It is through actively teaching others about the Lord and utilizing the skill of recognizing the differences in right and wrong that are the marks of maturity. 

Practice: The engine of Christ Church is the Holy Spirit’s work of “developing fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ.” Are you being developed or are you stuck at the same level of spiritual maturity that you have been for last 12 months, 12 years, or more? What step do you need to take to grow in both knowledge and practice in your faith? Write that step down and resolve to take action during this month.

November 2

Ezekiel 3:16-6:14, Hebrews 4:1-16, Psalm 104:24-35, Proverbs 26:27



Pray: The Psalmist celebrates that it is the breath of God that gives life and also renews His creation. The breath of God placed a soul into the man He had created in the dirt and so the breath of God can renew that soul that He gave life to. Get quiet and ask God to breath renewal into your life and soul.

Read: Acknowledge and press through how difficult the reading from Ezekiel is today. Then contrast the coming devastation of Babylon with the hope of the “promised rest” in the New Testament reading.

Edify: It’s easy to see how oppressive Sabbath laws had become in New Testament times and to “throw out the baby with the bathwater.” As Jesus says in Mark 2, the Sabbath was made as a gift for man and not for man to slave and serve the Sabbath. God wants us to enter into His delight and rest, first seen in the seventh day when God rested. In all of the war, and working for survival, and striving; God invites us into His redeeming of time and to rest. And the deepest and fullest rest we can find is accepting the work of our High Priest Jesus by faith and entering into the rest of knowing that we are friends of God. The Gospel of Jesus unlocks the rest that God has prepared for us since the beginning, so our hearts can finally be at rest.

Practice: Would you describe your thought life, your schedule, your emotional health, and your relationships as “at rest”? If not, what fear, insecurities, or unbelief is holding your heart back from entering into God’s rest? Ask God to reveal your restlessness. Then take one tangible act of faith this week and take a day of Sabbath with nothing scheduled on the calendar except that which you know is life giving to your soul. Trust Him with your time and believe that He’ll redeem the other 6 days.