Scripture:

Ezekiel 10:19

"While I watched, the cherubim spread their wings and rose from the ground, and as they went, the wheels went with them. They stopped at the entrance of the east gate of the Lord's house, and the glory of the God of Israel was above them"

Today, as  I walked through chapters 9-11 of Ezekiel, we see the judgment of God poured out on the people who, of their own choosing, had turned from Him in complete rebellion and wickedness, yet even in this time there was a remnant of people who did not, and those were spared the judgment.   But here in verse 19 of chapter 10 we see this movement of God that should wrench our hearts: it is God leaving the temple, His Glory leaving Jerusalem; the word here used (Hebrew  ‘ă·mōḏ ) it means to stand, to linger. God paused and lingered. It suggests that His sorrow was over what He had to do: to depart from Jerusalem, but we shouldn't lose heart, because God would follow them, His presence would go with them into the place of their exile, He would be with them.   

Let that simmer in your heart today: that God loves you so much that even in your rebellion He had been pursuing you, seeking to restore you, establish you, set you back in the place you belong.   That is the story of the Prodigal Son: God is always waiting for His children to turn back to Him, to have an ah-ha moment, a moment of self-reflection where they decide that there is no better place than in their father's house.

Today our God-Shot is just that, like Paul reminds us in Romans 8:28-29 that nothing can separate us from the Love of God.   Though that sad day, the presence of God left the temple in Jerusalem, He would go with them into the place of exile, to be with them in their difficulties, their suffering.    This should impact your hearts today: even when you get yourself into a mess, completely reject God with your lifestyle, your actions, and find yourself in a pit, God is seeking you out, looking to restore you, to redeem you from the pit, to return you to a place of His presence.  Like the loving father in the Prodigal Son's story, He is waiting for us to come home, so that He can restore us, give us a place at His table.   

Lord, thank you that in my darkest days you did not abandon me, that you pursued me while I was far from you, that you redeemed me from the pit, that you are still doing that today for your lost sons/daughters. I pray that those who are in their own personal pits that they come to their sense, surrender their lives, and come to know the God I serve, who is compassionate, slow to anger, abounding in love, who seeks and saves what is lost, whose love endures, that they would know the salvation I know, in Jesus' name, Amen!

Scripture:

Lamentations 3:22-25

Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed,
Because His compassions fail not.
23 They are new every morning;
Great is Your faithfulness.
24 “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul,
“Therefore I hope in Him!”
25 The Lord is good to those who wait for Him,
To the soul who seeks Him.

My Portion

Amidst the rubble, I am sure some of us can identify what that looks like: being in a mess that is sometimes caused by circumstances, sometimes caused by others, many times caused by ourselves, but none of us are strangers to the place we find the writer; in the mud.   Something so close to my heart in this portion today, and I pray it will hit you differently today too:

His Mercy is Not Consumed, and His Compassion Doesn't Fail

God is still merciful even when I am in a mess of my own doing.   Mercy is not getting what I deserve.   This is a just and compassionate God who loves me and recognizes my need for mercy.  And tomorrow when I wake up, His mercy is renewed; I get new mercies, new grace, to help me overcome my shortcomings.

He is Faithful

He is faithful; He will never fail us. He will accomplish all that He has said; His word stands firm as a foundation we can stand on.   Just as much as He was faithful in times when He had to drive us to the right decision, He is faithful to restore us when we turn back to Him.

My favorite portion of this scripture:

The Lord is My Portion

Everything had been stripped away from Judah because of their sin; they had lost everything. They were really in a desperate place, a time of loss, but here the author (believed to be Jeremiah) reminds you and I that no matter what our circumstance, we have never lost, because the Lord is Our Portion.

Our God-Shot today is to remember that no matter where life has you today, if you have the Lord, then He is your Portion, the promise for tomorrow, the promise for today, because He is faithful to do everything He says. You can stand on His promises, claim them for your life, the lives of your children; life and life more abundant is your portion, hope and a future, peace that passes understanding, joy in the mornings and love unfailing, just to name a few, 

Lord, I pray for those in the valley, in the mud today, that they would experience your mercy, your love your strength today, , that they would know with all that is with in them, that you are their portion, and that because of that they can expect joy in the morning, mercies renewed today and new ones tomorrow, be their rock, help them overcome, in Jesus' name, Amen!

Scripture:

"The LORD has done what he planned; he has fulfilled his word, which he decreed long ago. He has overthrown you without pity, he has let the enemy gloat over you, he has exalted the horn of your foes." — Lamentations 2:17

I know when we read this book of Lamentations, we might tend to wonder why this is important. It is important because it tells you and me that God understands emotion, and honestly, we should be sorrowful in our sin; we should also be sorrowful for those who are lost.  It is not that God does not tell us where we will end up, the trouble we will find if we stray from Him, and today in verse 17 of Chapter 2 we see that no matter what the circumstances are, God is faithful and just to keep His word. 

God is not acting randomly; He is fulfilling the consequences for disobedience that He warned about centuries prior 

In Lamentations 1:1, we see that Judah is lamenting over her greatness; rather than the depth of her sin, she has not turned her heart back and cried out because of her sin but rather because of her loss.   Something to grasp here is that while loss is always tough, we should consider that which brought us into the state we are in and get back to the Lord, repent, and allow Him to restore us, because He remains faithful and just, and He will keep His word.

Today's God-Shot is that our heart position, and that of the people around us, those who are lost, should impact us.  Two things: first, for ourselves, we should fear the Lord, and the word the bible uses for fear is not being afraid in the sense of being scared, but rather fear letting Him down; we should consider our sin, our distance, and get back to Him, repent quickly.   Second, we should be in great distress about the world around us, which motivates us to not only Lament, but to do something about it.

Lord, forgive us if we are distant, known or unknown sin; turn our hearts to you today, give us a passion for the lost, to see the redemption of your people; help us be part of your plan to redeem them from the patterns of the world, help us to share the good news with all that we encounter in Jesus' name, Amen!

Don't Lose Heart He is With You

Isn't that our go-to, that when trouble strikes it is often our first response, "Oh No! What will I do?" The circumstance often gets our attention, and I guess that is okay as long as that isn't our only response; our second response should be turning to the Lord, seeking Him in prayer, trusting Him for the outcome.   The Lord reminds His children and you and me, "Don't lose heart," don't let the rumors steal your strength, God's not dead, His arm is not short, His strength has not failed, your hope has not left.   Babylon was a fierce people, and their reign was over; God was about to do something that could cause people's ears to wiggle.   That is good news for you and I because it means that when God is going to deal with the enemy, you and I don't need to worry about the threats (rumors) of the enemy; we can stand sure, strong, and rest in Him.

Our God-Shot today is to not lose heart when life throws tough days and circumstances beyond your control; when trouble comes, it is then that we lean into the Lord, trust in His plan, His power, and His ability to handle the situation.  So, if you are in it today, trust Him, don't lose heart.

Lord, I pray for those who are in the battle today, that they would fully trust you and not lose heart, that they would find their strength renewed in you, set in you, that they would find peace amidst the storm, that you would keep them and they would glorify your name, in Jesus' name, Amen!

Scripture:

Jeremiah 50:20

In those days and in that time,” says the Lord,
“The iniquity of Israel shall be sought, but there shall be none;
And the sins of Judah, but they shall not be found;
For I will pardon those whom I preserve.

Only He Can Do It

As a guy who has a past, some wreckage that the Lord has brought me out of, I can identify with today's portion.  And if you read the Old Testament, you see how it's like a living roller coaster: the people of God serve Him, and everything goes well; then they turn from Him, and everything goes awry.   It becomes obvious how we struggle with "Sin."   That is why God the Father came up with a plan to redeem you and me from the cycle of sin.   The Bible says that Jesus set us free from the power of sin and death (Romans 8:2)  . You and I are not righteous, but because of Christ we can be; when we accept Christ, we accept His righteousness, His sacrifice atones for our sin.    

Notice that God acknowledges our sin, but pardons them in Christ. 

Listen to His word: “The iniquity of Israel shall be sought, but there shall be none;

And the sins of Judah, but they shall not be found;
For I will pardon those whom I preserve."

"They shall not be found"

Our God-Shot today is that we have been set free from the power and hold of sin and death; our sins have been pardoned; we are free to live for Christ, in Christ.   Our Past has no more hold on our lives.

Today, if there is something from your past, your old life that the enemy has continually reminded you of, condemning you, release that to the Lord, rest in the assurance that you have been pardoned, set free from it, tell the enemy this is done, it shall not be found.

Lord, I thank you that you are a loving Father, who loves His children, who has always looked for the best in us, who gives us what we don't deserve, thank you that you have done what none of us could accomplish, set us free from the power of sin and death and pardoned us, removed our sin as far as the east is from the west, Lord we praise you in Jesus' name, Amen!