Wherever you are...always honor God. (Daniel 1:8)

Daniel 1:8

New Living Translation (NLT)

⁸ But Daniel was determined not to defile himself by eating the food and wine given to them by the king. He asked the chief of staff for permission not to eat these unacceptable foods.

Daniel resolved not to eat this food, either because the meat was some food forbidden by Jewish law, like pork, or because accepting the kings food and drink was the first step toward depending on his gifts and favors. Although Daniel was in a culture that did not honor God, he still obeyed God's laws.

Joe

Dry Bones (Ezekiel 37:4-5)

Ezekiel 37:4-5

 

New Living Translation (NLT)

 

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!

 

The dry bones represented the people's spiritually dead condition. Your church may seem like a heap of dry bones to you, spiritually dead with no hope of vitality. But just as God promised to restore His nation, He can restore any church, no matter how dry or dead it may be. Rather than give up, pray for renewal, for God can restore it to life. The hope and prayer of every church should be that God will put His Spirit into it. In fact, God is at work calling His people back to Himself, bringing new life into dead churches.

Joe

 

 

 

 

 

 

A bad shepherd.... (Ezekiel 34:18-20)

Ezekiel 34:18-20

 

New Living Translation (NLT)

 

 

¹⁸ Isn’t it enough for you to keep the best of the pastures for yourselves? Must you also trample down the rest? Isn’t it enough for you to drink clear water for yourselves? Must you also muddy the rest with your feet? ¹⁹ Why must my flock eat what you have trampled down and drink water you have fouled?

²⁰ “Therefore, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will surely judge between the fat sheep and the scrawny sheep.

 

A bad shepherd is not only selfish but destructive. A minister who muddies the waters for others by raising unnecessary doubts, teaching false ideas, and acting sinfully is destroying his flocks spiritual nourishment.

 

Joe

 

 

 

 

 

 

Christian leaders must care for their flock. (Ezekiel 34:9-10)

Ezekiel 34:9-10

 

New International Version (NIV)

 

⁹ therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: ¹⁰ This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am against the shepherds and will hold them accountable for my flock. I will remove them from tending the flock so that the shepherds can no longer feed themselves. I will rescue my flock from their mouths, and it will no longer be food for them.

 

Those shepherds who failed their flock would be removed from office and held responsible for what happened to the people they were supposed to lead. Christian leaders must heed this warning and care for their flock, or total failure and judgment will be the results. True leadership focuses on helping others, not just getting ahead.

 

Joe

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

No one can serve two masters. (Ezekiel 33:31 & Matthew 6:24)

Ezekiel 33:31

 

New Living Translation (NLT)

 

³¹ So my people come pretending to be sincere and sit before you. They listen to your words, but they have no intention of doing what you say. Their mouths are full of lustful words, and their hearts seek only after money.

 

In your heart, do you really love God? These people gave the appearance of following God, but they loved their money more. Many today also give the outward impression of being religious while remaining inwardly greedy. Jesus warned that we cannot love God and money at the time (see Matthew 6:24 below). It's easy to say "I surrender all" when we don't have much. It's when we start gaining some money that it becomes difficult to avoid loving it.

Joe

Matthew 6:24

New International Version (NIV)

²⁴ “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.






 

Be faithful in delivering God's message. (Ezekiel 33:30-32)

Ezekiel 33:30-32

 

New Living Translation (NLT)

 

³⁰ “Son of man, your people talk about you in their houses and whisper about you at the doors. They say to each other, ‘Come on, let’s go hear the prophet tell us what the Lord is saying!’ ³¹ So my people come pretending to be sincere and sit before you. They listen to your words, but they have no intention of doing what you say. Their mouths are full of lustful words, and their hearts seek only after money. ³² You are very entertaining to them, like someone who sings love songs with a beautiful voice or plays fine music on an instrument. They hear what you say, but they don’t act on it!

 

The people refused to act upon Ezekiel's message. When people mock your witness for Christ or fail to act upon your advice, don't give up. You are not witnessing for them alone, but out of faithfulness to God. You cannot make them accept your message, you can only be faithful in delivering it.

 

Joe

 

 

 

 

 

 

Past good deeds will not save you. (Ezekiel 33:13)

Ezekiel 33:13

New Living Translation (NLT)

¹³ When I tell righteous people that they will live, but then they sin, expecting their past righteousness to save them, then none of their righteous acts will be remembered. I will destroy them for their sins.

Past good deeds will not save a person who decides to turn to a life of sin. Some people think they have done enough good deeds to overshadow the sins they don't want to give up. But its useless to try to be good in some areas so you can be deliberately bad in others. God wants wholehearted love and obedience.

Joe