November 16

Ezekiel 33:1-34:31, Hebrews 13:1-25, Psalm 115:1-18, Proverbs 27:21-22



Pray: Father, I seem to have my own problems, big ones, and they seem to overwhelm me for long periods of time. Help me to understand that in visiting and serving those in prison and helping those who have been mistreated that my problems will no longer overwhelm me. It is in giving and serving that I get set free.

Read: Review Hebrews 11:16. We are to do good and to share with those in need. These are the sacrifices that please God. One of the basic teachings of the Christian faith found in Hebrews 6 is that we are to “repent from dead works”. Dead works can be good things but not God things. Sharing with those in need is a God thing. This pleases God.

Edify: Obey your spiritual leaders. Know they are not perfect. But God has placed you under them. Honor them as you are commanded to honor your parents. The blessing and promise from God is the same. God promises you will live long upon the earth and that things will go well with you. Ask yourself this question: What kind of report would my pastor give to God about my life?

Practice: Participate in ministry to those just out of prison but who are in many cases in prisons far worse than the ones with high walls and barbed fencing. Sacrifice your time. Offer someone a job. Offer your skills, abilities, and talents. Serve at C.R. Help prepare meals. Visit with those fighting their way out of addictions and looking for God’s grace.

November 15

Ezekiel 31:1-32:32, Hebrews 12:14-29, Psalm 113:1-114:8, Proverbs 27:18-20



Pray: Thanksgiving and praise are exercise for my inner man, the real me, just as jogging or walking is exercise for my outer man, the part of me that will one day pass away. Lord, I don’t question for a minute the value of exercise for my physical body. Why then do I question the need for thanksgiving and praise to keep my inner man in shape? I Cor. 15 says first the natural and then the spiritual. Help me to understand just how much I need to worship.

Read: Hebrews 12:14 tells us that living in peace is WORK and living a holy life is WORK. The great enemy of living in peace with your neighbor is your tongue. The great enemy of living a holy life is bitterness. We need to WORK at being SLOW to speak. We need to WORK at being QUICK to forgive.

Edify: When we are talking we are not listening. What would happen if you actually let someone talk until they had nothing more to say? You would be shocked at how much they felt you valued them even though you said nothing at all. When we don’t forgive quickly we end up imprisoned by what the other person said or did. Forgiveness keeps us clean. It benefits us instantly. And it prevents the disease of hurt and hatred from destroying others. Forgiveness “saves”….but you already knew that!

Practice: Practice listening. Listening isn’t always easy when you have something you really want to say. But having something you really want to say or “get off your chest” is the surest sign that you should take time to listen before speaking. A great listener asks questions and then enters the “silent zone” until the person asked a question finishes talking. Practice forgiveness by giving to or blessing the person you forgave. Giving and blessing cause forgiveness to take hold.

November 14

Ezekiel 29:1-30-26, Hebrews 11:32-12:13, Psalm 112:1-10, Proverbs 27:17



Pray: Father, help me to delight in obedience. I want to learn quickly. I want to come into the things of God rejoicing and not kicking and screaming!

Read: In Psalm 112 we see what happens when we absolutely delight in obeying God’s word. The psalmist tells us that those who delight in obeying His commands will (1) have successful children, (2) will bless an entire generation, (3) will themselves be wealthy, and (4) their good deeds will be remembered forever. The key word here is DELIGHT.

There was a little boy attending church with his mom. Sitting in the pew and being a little guy he couldn’t see what was going on very well. So, he stood up on the pew cushion. His mom quickly told him to sit down which he RELUCTANTLY did. But there were all kinds of things going on up front and he wanted to see. So, again he stood up. And again, his mom told him to sit down even pulling him down with her outstretched arm. The little boy looked up at his mom and said, “I may be sitting down on the outside but I’m standing up on the inside.” This young man was RELUCTANTLY obeying his mom. He was not delighting in obeying her. DELIGHT is a choice far more than it is a feeling. We can choose to pursue obedience with everything we have and are, or we can be dragged into obedience kicking and screaming. Are you that little boy?

Edify: Proverbs 27:17 tells us that iron sharpens iron and friends sharpen friends. The New Testament declares pretty much the same truth when we are encouraged to PROVOKE one another to love and good works.

This is “kick each other in the rear” theology! We are to hold each other accountable for both attitudes and actions. Do you have an accountability partner? Do you have someone you trust and will tell you the truth about your attitudes and actions? Are you that person in another’s life?

Practice: Practice thanking God for all the hard places, difficult relationships, and trying circumstances you are in. Thanksgiving turns RELUCTANCE into DELIGHT. Thanksgiving needs to be practiced…a lot. In fact, the more reluctance you feel the more thanksgiving you must enter into in order to experience DELIGHT. Start conversations with others with, “I’m thankful for you. Let me tell you why.”

November 13

Ezekiel 27:1-28:26, Hebrews 11:17-31, Psalm 111:1-10, Proverbs 27:15-16 



Pray: Father God, as we read Your Word today help us to understand and gain new insight as to how we are to live. Then give us the strength and courage to be obedient and faithful to live our lives to glorify and honor You.

Read: In the passage from Ezekiel today we read messages of destruction for Tyre and Sidon. Tyre was a successful trading center for the world. They had it all, wealth, beauty and wisdom, but in chapter 28 verse 17 we see the heart of the reason for their fall. “Your heart was filled with pride because of all your beauty. Your wisdom was corrupted by your love of splendor. So I threw you to the ground and exposed you to the curious gaze of kings.” It was once said, “Pride comes before the fall.” Both Tyre and Sidon were destroyed, but God had restoration in mind for Israel.

Edify: Then in Hebrews 11, we find the hall of faith as we read of so many who walked in faith and were obedient. God blesses obedience every time. Is God calling me to step out in faith today? Is there a brother or sister you need to reach out to and forgive? Is there an apology you need to make? Is there a ministry that needs the skills that you have? Is there someone you need to serve today in Jesus’ name?

Practice: Lord, let me humble myself before You right now and surrender my pride so that you can bring healing, restoration and blessings. Let me take that step of faith to do whatever it is that You are asking me to do today.

November 12

Ezekiel 24:1-26:21, Hebrews 11:1-16, Psalm 110:1-, Proverbs 27:14

Pray: Lord there are still wars and rumors of wars. Lord, we pray for peace, we pray that wiser heads will prevail and that the United States will lead through strength and wisdom. We also pray for the war which is going on in homes, in communities and on the streets of our cities and communities. Families are divided over drugs, alcohol and dissolving marriages. 

Read: If we had just walked into the room and heard these words in Ezekiel being read on the T.V. we would be appalled. However, if we had read the two previous chapters and the words following we would realize that Israel has applauded the mockery of God in His very own Temple and has allowed the worship of false idols. God does not take a second seat to the man-made gods of humanity.  Nor should we waste our time in 2025 worshiping them either.

Edify: There is nothing more exciting as a child than to witness a parade of your favorite Disney characters. Our children always waved and nearly jumped out of their strollers when the parade of characters would come by. Here is the roll call from the Hall of Faith and every devoted follower of Christ should literally sit on the edge of our seat as these names are being read off and the testimony to their acts of faithfulness. Former murderers, liars, thieves, prostitutes and deceivers are on the list. God can use anyone who is willing to turn to obedience. 

Practice: God stands ready to honor those who have honored Him with their faithfulness. How can you be faithful to God today? What simple act of obedience, what act of kindness towards a stranger will touch the heart of God? Almost any kind, if it is done with compassion. So, what are you waiting for?

November 11

Ezekiel 23:1-49, Hebrews 10:18-39, Psalm 109:1-31, Proverbs 27:13



Pray: Lord, it is another day and one more moment in my life to seek clarity of thought, purpose and what Your direction is for me today. I ask that Your Holy Spirit speak to me through the reading of this text so I might truly hear Your voice. 

Read: Do you ever get the notion that God is not into playing second fiddle? Not because the Lord is overly sensitive, nor is it due to His low self-esteem issues. God has created us in His image, breathed into us life and provided for us to meet our needs. Therefore, God will not play second to anyone or anything. The story of the two sisters who became prostitutes is of course the story of Samaria and Jerusalem. God requires fidelity in our relationship. Is that really too much to ask?

Edify: You can knock if you want to, but Hebrews tells us that the door is already open and we are to boldly enter in. Yes, when you visit a place for the first time you do have some apprehension about entering such a place. This is no strange place for followers of Jesus. This is a place of welcome, a place where we have already encountered some hope, some forgiveness for our past sins and now we come boldly not because of anything we have done to earn such a posture—no, it is because Jesus’ death and resurrection has made us sons and daughters of God. Children can ask of their parents, not because they are always good, but because the parent is.

Practice: If there was ever a clarion call for the body of Christ not to “fall away”, it is here in Hebrews where we are commanded “not to neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another…for the day of his returning is drawing near.” The owner of the vineyard is returning. He will come when we least expect Him. This is all the more reason to prepare for His coming, and the best way to do this is to begin to invest in a relationship with Him now through prayer, reading of scripture, and each day we expect His return….this way when He does come….He will find us faithful.

November 10

Ezekiel 21:1-22:31, Hebrews 10:1-17, Psalm 108:1-13, Proverbs 27:12



Pray: Dear God, we often read of situations in Your Word which we find hard to understand and even harder to believe. We believe that You are good, that Your faithful love does endure forever. We ask for Your insight through the Holy Spirit that we would see Your will for our lives.

Read: All leaders are fallible. We all fumble the ball from time to time. However, Ezekiel describes premeditated extortion, and disregard for the very people they are to serve. The priests have made a mockery of God and their priesthood. Everything rises and falls with leadership. This was a fallen people due to fallen leaders.

Edify: At first glance the text is very hard to digest and even harder to try and find a “takeaway” from today’s reading in Ezekiel. However, we begin to understand why God says that He will destroy both the righteous and the unrighteous. Learning that men are raping their sisters, having sex with their daughter-in-laws and adultery is being committed as a way of life is appalling. Pride, arrogance and total disregard for God is at the heart of these sins. No wonder God is showing little patience for such behavior as it is devastating to everyone.

Practice: Jesus is the once and for all sacrifice for our sins. We are separated from God due to our sin, yet in Christ we can have full reconciliation through the cross. Jesus’ precious death on the cross paid our sin debt past, present and future. The old covenant was canceled so that the new covenant could be realized. Knowing that Christ’s sacrifice made possible our cleansing, our new life is possible because of His death should overwhelm us with gratitude. How will you show your gratitude to God today by the way you live?