JMD Devotional 160 Ezekiel 2 Unwelcome Message
The Apostle John was not the first to eat a little scroll in a vision. Around 590BC Ezekiel had a similar vision. Consider how 'successful' we would have judged his ministry, were we his contemporaries.
AND HE said to me [Ezekiel], Son of man, stand upon your feet and I will speak to you.
And the Spirit entered into me when He spoke to me and set me upon my feet, and I heard Him speaking to me. And He said to me, I send you, son of man, to the children of Israel, two rebellious nations that have rebelled against Me. They and their fathers have transgressed against Me even to this very day. And the children are impudent and hard of heart. I send you to them and you shall say to them, Thus says the Lord God. And they, whether they will hear or refuse to hear--for they are a rebellious house--yet shall they know and realize that there has been a prophet among them. And you, son of man, be not afraid of them, neither be afraid of their words; though briers and thorns are all around you and you dwell and sit among scorpions, be not afraid of their words nor be dismayed at their looks, for they are a rebellious house.
And you shall speak My words to them whether they will hear or refuse to hear, for they are most rebellious. As for you, son of man, hear what I say to you; be not rebellious like that rebellious house; open your mouth and eat what I give you. And when I looked, behold, a hand was stretched out to me and behold, a scroll of a book was in it. And He spread it before me and it was written within and on the back, and written on it were words of lamentation and mourning and woe.
Dear God,
Please recalibrate the Church's definition of 'success'; may we define it as being and doing and going according to Your will, and not by the response of the population. May success be based more on separation, righteousness and integrity than inclusiveness, compromise and worldly acceptance. May your people be given utterance, and wisdom and courage to say (appropriately) "Thus says the Lord!" regardless of who it offends. May we not pick and choose or selectively obey Your counsel; but may we whole-heartedly 'eat the whole scroll' that You have given us to consume and may our lives be consumed by doing Your will. May we be 'successful' in pleasing and serving You.
Amen
All (but*) quotes are from The Amplified Bible, published by
the Lockman Foundation. (AMP)
Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation
*New International Version (NIV)
Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society
**Scripture taken from The Message. Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group. (Eugene Peterson's easy-to-read, contemporary Scripture translation)
If you know of someone who would like to subscribe to
my daily devotional, please forward.
jamesdinsmore_32907@yahoo.com
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More features:
http://SaintJamesPoetry.blogspot.com
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http://jamesezadventures.blogspot.com/
AND HE said to me [Ezekiel], Son of man, stand upon your feet and I will speak to you.
And the Spirit entered into me when He spoke to me and set me upon my feet, and I heard Him speaking to me. And He said to me, I send you, son of man, to the children of Israel, two rebellious nations that have rebelled against Me. They and their fathers have transgressed against Me even to this very day. And the children are impudent and hard of heart. I send you to them and you shall say to them, Thus says the Lord God. And they, whether they will hear or refuse to hear--for they are a rebellious house--yet shall they know and realize that there has been a prophet among them. And you, son of man, be not afraid of them, neither be afraid of their words; though briers and thorns are all around you and you dwell and sit among scorpions, be not afraid of their words nor be dismayed at their looks, for they are a rebellious house.
And you shall speak My words to them whether they will hear or refuse to hear, for they are most rebellious. As for you, son of man, hear what I say to you; be not rebellious like that rebellious house; open your mouth and eat what I give you. And when I looked, behold, a hand was stretched out to me and behold, a scroll of a book was in it. And He spread it before me and it was written within and on the back, and written on it were words of lamentation and mourning and woe.
Dear God,
Please recalibrate the Church's definition of 'success'; may we define it as being and doing and going according to Your will, and not by the response of the population. May success be based more on separation, righteousness and integrity than inclusiveness, compromise and worldly acceptance. May your people be given utterance, and wisdom and courage to say (appropriately) "Thus says the Lord!" regardless of who it offends. May we not pick and choose or selectively obey Your counsel; but may we whole-heartedly 'eat the whole scroll' that You have given us to consume and may our lives be consumed by doing Your will. May we be 'successful' in pleasing and serving You.
Amen
All (but*) quotes are from The Amplified Bible, published by
the Lockman Foundation. (AMP)
Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation
*New International Version (NIV)
Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society
**Scripture taken from The Message. Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group. (Eugene Peterson's easy-to-read, contemporary Scripture translation)
If you know of someone who would like to subscribe to
my daily devotional, please forward.
jamesdinsmore_32907@yahoo.com
Short, concise, thought-provoking.
More features:
http://SaintJamesPoetry.blogspot.com
http://recoverydevotional.blogspot.com/
http://jamesezadventures.blogspot.com/
posted by James M. Dinsmore at 6:15 AM
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