A thought prompted by Ezekial

The Biblical book of Ezekial can be a difficult read. It is full of God's thoughts towards an unfaithful people, the people of Israel and Judah. And yet within its words and lengthy judgements on sin there is a lesson for us as well as many wonderful promises that relate to God's restoration for his people. We are told by Paul in his letters to Timothy that all scripture is useful.

2 Timothy 3:14-17 NLT
But you must remain faithful to the things you have been taught. You know they are true, for you know you can trust those who taught you. [15] You have been taught the holy Scriptures from childhood, and they have given you the wisdom to receive the salvation that comes by trusting in Christ Jesus. [16] All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. [17] God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.

If this is so; if Ezekial is written so that we can learn from it; if it is there for our correction, edification and equipping, then what do we learn from Ezekial?

Here's a couple of thoughts from my reading so far. God's main concern with his people is that they had turned away from him and were copying the customs of the people around them, customs that did not uphold justice or mercy or help people walk in a right relationship with him.

Ezekiel 11:12 NLT
and you will know that I am the LORD. For you have refused to obey my decrees and regulations; instead, you have copied the standards of the nations around you."

Does this sounds familiar to us? Paul's  words of encouragement to the people of Rome were very similar. He was exhorting them to live in a way that was different to the world and customs around them. He wanted them to know God's will for their lives and to allow God to do his transformative work in their hearts and in their minds and their thinking.

Romans 12:2 NLT
Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God's will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

So my first thought or question to us is this.

To what extent is my life conformed to the customs and patterns of behaviours in this world and is my life being transformed by God?

How am I allowing God to do his transformative work in me and am I letting him change me by addressing the way I think and the way I'm choosing to live in this world?

God calls his people to live in this world but to live differently in this world. Jesus prayed that we would know how to live in this world yet live for him.

John 17:15-18 NLT
I'm not asking you to take them out of the world, but to keep them safe from the evil one. [16] They do not belong to this world any more than I do. [17] Make them holy by your truth; teach them your word, which is truth. [18] Just as you sent me into the world, I am sending them into the world.

We are to live in this world, yet differently to the world. In fact Jesus clearly states that we are sent into the world. We are not to escape this world but to live in a way that honours and glorifies God in this world.

God's promise to the people of Israel was that he would place a new spirit within them. When they returned to follow him, and do away with the evil practices and customs of the world, he would change them from people with hard, stony hearts and transform them into people with a tender and responsive heart.

Ezekiel 11:19-20 NLT
[19] And I will give them singleness of heart and put a new spirit within them. I will take away their stony, stubborn heart and give them a tender, responsive heart, [20] so they will obey my decrees and regulations. Then they will truly be my people, and I will be their God.

This is also God's promise to us. It is a rebirth, just as Jesus told Nicodemus he must be born again (John 3). God wants us all to know this rebirth, to be born of the Spirit. He wants us all to be transformed. When we choose to become followers of Jesus, God gives us a new spirit within. We are a new creation.

My second set of thoughts then is around the nature of our hearts. Have we made the decision to be a follower of Jesus, handing our life over to him? (Or are we still holding onto bits of the old self wanting to rule our own lives?)

And if so, where are we holding onto old ways of stubbornness and hardness of heart when God wants to give us a tender heart that is responsive to him? Responsive to his transforming power in our lives and responsive to his heart for a hurting world.

It is only by allowing God's ongoing transformation (for it is an ongoing work) in our lives that we can become the people God has planned for us to be and to change the world in which we live by being examples of his love and grace in the world. It is both a work of grace which is a gift from God (Eph 2:8-10) and an application of that work in our lives (Phil 2:12,13).

Father I pray that we will live differently in the world around us and have a tender and responsive heart to you and to the people you love.

Thoughts from the writing of Peter.

A couple of quick thoughts from this morning's time with God.

1 Peter 3:15-16 NET
But set Christ apart as Lord in your hearts and always be ready to give an answer to anyone who asks about the hope you possess. [16] Yet do it with courtesy and respect, keeping a good conscience, so that those who slander your good conduct in Christ may be put to shame when they accuse you.

Set Christ apart as Lord

What does it mean to 'set Christ apart as Lord'? What does that look like in my life and in yours. I can only answer for me but as I read these verses it's important to look at what comes before because that is what gives context to this. The verses before are all about honouring other people, in the way we live, how we speak and in our actions.

So setting Christ apart is all about honouring him first and foremost. Giving Jesus first place means letting him have the way in our thoughts, attitudes and behaviour so our lives reflect his nature and not our own. Then when we are asked, we can give a reason for the hope we have in him. When Jesus has first place in our hearts, God's Spirit can produce in us the right fruit, the right speech, the right behaviour.

And then further on we read:

1 Peter 4:17 NET
For it is time for judgment to begin, starting with the house of God. And if it starts with us, what will be the fate of those who are disobedient to the gospel of God?

I always find this verse interesting. Jesus clearly calls us not to judge one another in Matt 7:1-3. So what could Peter mean here?

Remember the context is all about our attitudes. I believe God is asking us to take a look deeply into our own attitudes, motives and behaviours. We can judge our actions and behaviours in the light of the grace given to us through Christ.

I think we can sometimes find these verses to be not very palatable because we want to solely focus on God's grace. However God is going to make a judgement on how we live and how we have allowed his grace and love to transform us.

We are saved by faith. It is the only thing that saves. This is God's grace and nothing else as we see in Eph 2:8. But because of grace, our actions become part of the saving process of working out our salvation. Paul, after encouraging us to have the attitude of Jesus says to work hard to show the results of your salvation and to do so with awe and reverence, Phil 2:12,13 (NET)

So what does this mean for me and for you? How do we apply this to our lives?

Here is my take on this.

Am I living my faith by concentrating on and focusing on my journey and what I need to work on and deal with rather than judging others?

In other words - judge my own actions according to God's word and let God make a judgement on other people.

What about you?

Today if you hear his voice...

Today my thoughts turn to living in obedience. As a follower of Jesus true discipleship requires obedience to his Word, the teaching we find in the Bible about how we are to live.

Obedience, true obedience starts with a heart of worship and celebration.  It continues in knowing that we belong to him and are cared for by him. This requires us to trust him. Notice that the call to obedience begins with the conviction of God's care for us.

Psalm 95:6-9 CSB
Come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the LORD our Maker.
[7] For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, the sheep under his care. Today, if you hear his voice:
[8] Do not harden your hearts as at Meribah, as on that day at Massah in the wilderness
[9] where your fathers tested me; they tried me, though they had seen what I did.

The word 'hear' as in the phrase 'Today if you hear his voice' is to hear with intention. To hear with an expectation that you will act in obedience to what you hear. The Israelites heard, but hardened their hearts, the psalmist asks us to choose a different path and to hear God with intention and with obedience.

James also picks up on this in his writing on hearing and doing.

James 1:22-25 CSB
But be doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. [23] Because if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like someone looking at his own face in a mirror. [24] For he looks at himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of person he was. [25] But the one who looks intently into the perfect law of freedom and perseveres in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer who works-this person will be blessed in what he does.

It is the same understanding that we will hear and we will act intentionally on what we hear. We are not to be stubborn like the Israelites, but instead, choose to walk in obedience. Freedom and blessing is ours and comes through trust in the God who saves us and in obedience to his  guidance and direction for our lives.

Creating space for creativity

How creative are you and your team?

Allowing space for innovation and creativity are important to allow teams to grow and flourish. But how do we create space for innovation?

We've been taught to think that raising ideas in a group setting, brainstorming or pooling our thoughts, leads to more creative and innovative ideas. But does it?

Here's a great article debunking the myth that brainstorming builds greater innovation and creativity.

Why Brainstorming Groups Kill Breakthrough Ideas (and What To Do Instead) http://flip.it/dGjCHU

Thought of the day

Isaiah 30:20-22
God speaks - let us listen. God wants to teach us, guide us, direct us, and bless us. Listen for his voice - he will show you the way.

A thought about idols. What are the idols in our lives

Materialism - the stuff of this world

Comparrison - how do I measure up to others

Fitting in - to be accepted

Here's the thing: I think we spend so much time and focus on "fitting in" and "being accepted" that they have become the idols of our world.

Therefore - we worship at the "temple" of the materialist god - the shopping centre - and spend our lives on what does not nourish the soul.

We chase after relationships with people that will never fulfil our desire for acceptance because God is where we find acceptance.

Pay Attention

To all the amazing women I do life with, I'd like to share some thoughts. 

I read the following verse in my quiet time today and saw it in a slightly different light to how i I'd previously reflected on it. 

Galatians 6:4 NLT

Pay careful attention to your own work, for then you will get the satisfaction of a job well done, and you won't need to compare yourself to anyone else.

We often focus on the "you won't need to compare yourself" part and this is valid. Comparison is negative and destructive and we do need to focus on what God has called us to do and not compare ourselves to others. 

But today when I read this I thought about "pay careful attention to your own work". As leaders we can fall into the trap of picking up the pieces for what others are meant to do. I'm sure we've  all done it. I know I have. 

The trouble is, when we pick up the pieces for others and take responsibility for what they are supposed to do we don't have satisfaction in our own work. Instead we become tired and frustrated because our time gets pressured by trying to do all the extra stuff. And this impacts everything we do and we miss focusing on and paying careful attention to what we are called to do. 

Sometimes we are tempted to pick up the pieces  because we want to save face or protect our people or organisation from criticism. We want to see things happen and get things done and we don't want to let people down. 

But in doing so we don't do anyone any favours. We end up losing out and so do our team because they don't learn to take responsibility for their own work, and ultimately they also lose the satisfaction of a job well done. Sometimes this means some things will not happen and that is disappointing, but people learn and grow from failure if we allow them to. 

Let's build a culture in our own lives that  builds relationships and loves and cares for people but that also focuses on doing what we're called to do. Let's model what it means to pay careful attention to our work and find satisfaction in that. And let's bring other's with us on the journey.

Reflection

What has God called me to do and how am I paying careful attention to it? 

Where might I be picking up the pieces for others?

What would happen if I stopped picking up the pieces?

What conversations might I need to have?

Jill

Intentional faith

They devoted themselves

Acts 2:42-47

After the conning of the Spirit at Pentecost there are some key verses that speak of how the first Christians lived their life in relationship to God and each other. 

These simple words - they devoted themselves

This speaks of personal responsibility in their faith. They did not need others to "follow them up" as we westerners so often seem to think others should do. 

No, they took responsibility themselves and were intentional in devoting themselves to their relationship with God and with others in faith communities and temple worship. 

Later the writer to Hebrews tells his readers to not stop gathering together as some have done. (Hebrews 10:23-25) Why? Because when we choose not to gather we become subject to the schemes of the devil and our own ways of thinking that lead us astray and away from God's best for our lives.

There is an enemy of our soul and he prowls around trying to pick us off any which way he can, causing us to fill our lives or 'devote ourselves' to less than God's best and sometimes into things that are completely destructive. 

We get into patterns of behaviours and relationships that are unhealthy. We fill our lives with things that seem good to us but in fact are unhealthy for us as our families. 

I encourage you, whatever commitments you have, (and many of these are good and right) be they work, study or family, to always take time to "devote yourselves" to relationship with God and with one another and you encourage others to join with you on the journey. 

Read Acts 2:42-47 and Hebrews 10:23-25

All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper ), and to prayer. A deep sense of awe came over them all, and the apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders. And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had. They sold their property and possessions and shared the money with those in need. They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity — all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved.
Acts of the Apostles 2:42‭-‬47 NLT

http://bible.com/116/act.2.42-47.NLT

Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise. Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.

Hebrews 10:23‭-‬25 NLT

http://bible.com/116/heb.10.23-25.NLT

A couple of questions.
Be brutally honest with yourself as you challenge yourself. 

What are you really devoting your time and energy to? 

What changes can you  make right now to begin to devote yourself to God and to relationship in community with others?