God gave a stunning, eerie vision to Ezekiel. He walked the prophet through a valley full of dry, human bones. Hard to imagine a scene more depressing, hopeless and desecrated; this was the picture of death. Yet, God was inviting Ezekiel into a miracle: “Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! This is what the Sovereign Lord says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life.’” (37:4-5). God told Ezekiel to speak in faith to a valley full of bones. To obey God, Ezekiel had to temporarily suspend his rational judgment, the obvious facts he saw with his eyes, and his own natural fear. He had to speak a promise of life to what conclusively was death. What would he do, trust God’s promise and speak in faith or live with current circumstances? “So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet – a vast army.” (37:10) Beyond the primary purpose of the vision (Judah’s future restoration to spiritual life) is a secondary lesson to learn: God wants you to live by faith, not by sight. Sometimes you must speak the promises and purposes and will of God into your situation that is out of synch with His plan. This is how faith expresses itself, by what you say. Your relationship with God begins by you speaking and believing what God promises (Rom.10:9 “If you confess with your mouth…and believe in your heart…you will be saved”). You can wallow in your circumstances and remain depressed and hopeless or you can speak God’s promises over your life, despite your circumstances. God is the one who “calls things that are not as though they were” (Rom.4:17). Try it. Use your mouth to speak in faith a promise from God’s word directly into your situation – see if faith doesn’t grow a bit in your heart!

Distinction. God does not see all people in the same way. Those outside of his saving mercy are lost in the spiritual darkness of unbelief. Those who trust in Christ are inherently different and unique. So God calls his people to live out their distinction: “Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? ‘Therefore come out from them and be separate’, says the Lord” (II Cor.6:14, 17).You are fundamentally different in spirit, worldview, purpose and eternal future from the unbelievers of the world. Therefore, God calls you to be discerning in your close associations. In the Corinthian context, the main concern was to not associate closely with teachers who contradict the established truth of the gospel (false teachers). Yet the principle applies to a wide range of relationships – any close friend or partnership should be based on a common faith in Jesus Christ. Attempting to form an intimate association with someone who does not trust and follow Christ mixes two elements that fundamentally don’t mix (i.e. light and darkness). Be the light of righteousness Christ has recreated you to be. How have you experienced this idea?

Promise of a new heart. Even though Judah is currently away from God and away from their homeland, God has a promise for them: “I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws” (36:25-27). Think of the imagery God uses to describe the current condition of Judah’s heart – a stone. Stones are hard, heavy, lifeless and inflexible. Their stone hearts are beyond repaired or reformed; a transplant is the only hope. That is the plan of God! He will remove the old, rebellious, unresponsive heart of stone and replace with a tender, flexible God-formed heart. He makes all things new. A new spirit that now desires God; a new heart that desires to trust and obey God; a new heart that loves God. When people receive the Spirit of God into their lives, change begins to happen! Are you experiencing transformation in your life as a result of God’s Spirit alive in your life?

Cost of Leadership. Paul’s commitment to serving God was amazing. Consider the price he was willing to pay to help the Corinthian people who largely criticized and marginalized him: “We put no stumbling block in anyone’s path, so that our ministry will not be discredited. 4Rather, as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: in great endurance; in troubles, hardships and distresses; 5in beatings, imprisonments and riots; in hard work, sleepless nights and hunger; 6in purity, understanding, patience and kindness; in the Holy Spirit and in sincere love; 7in truthful speech and in the power of God; with weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left; 8through glory and dishonor, bad report and good report; genuine, yet regarded as impostors; 9known, yet regarded as unknown; dying, and yet we live on; beaten, and yet not killed; 10sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything” (II Cor.6:3-10). When the people you serve do not appreciate or even receive your service, it is easy to withdrawn and become cynical. Be careful. The ministry is about doing the will of God, not seeking the affirmation of people. We are to pour out our lives for others because of God pouring out his life for us and in us. Paul appeals to the people to open their hearts to him, but nevertheless, considers himself a “servant of God.” Have you allowed the mild rejections of others to discourage you from serving? Allow the Holy Spirit to encourage your heart once again and experience the adventures of ministry leadership. It is what you were made for.

Do you really want to know? Judah had been reduced to a small remnant of people, desperate to survive. Outwardly, it would appear that the Babylonians were the enemy and only in Egypt could they survive. Additionally, Judah was so compromised, the women were drawn to the Egyptian goddess, the Queen of Heaven. So though they approached Jeremiah with a desperate plea for help and guidance, it was also disingenuous. “All the people from the least to the greatest approached Jeremiah the prophet and said to him, ‘please hear our petition and pray to the Lord your God for this entire remnant.’” (42:1-2) Jeremiah heard from the Lord and reported what God had to say: “If you stay in this land…I am with you and will save you.” (42:11). Here is the problem – the people already had their heart set on going to Egypt, not remaining in their destitute homeland. From all appearances, Judah looked hopeless; Egypt looked promising. What is a person to do when they hear guidance from the Lord they disagree with? Depends on their attitude. If your heart is proud, you blame other people: “All the arrogant men said to Jeremiah, ‘You are lying!’” (43:2). Simple. Just call the messenger a liar. However, if you will live by faith, not sight, God will bring a mighty deliverance. This is easy to say, but very difficult to do. We are hardwired to live by sight, not faith. But God knows all things. He was prepared to richly provide for them if they obeyed him. But Judah missed their opportunity. They rejected God’s word, went off to Egypt as they had planned to do, and lost their lives in the process. Funny thing – seeking God’s will. If you come to Him with your mind already made up, you are wasting your time. But if you come prepared to obey, whatever God says, you will discover his peace. George Mueller, the 19^th century British evangelist and orphanage director had this to say about finding the will of God. “I seek at the beginning to get my heart into such a state that it has no will of its own in regard to a given matter. Nine-tenths of the trouble with people generally is just here. Nine-tenths of the difficulties are over come when our hearts are ready to do the Lord’s will, whatever it may be.” Where have you struggled to know God’s will? How has God provided direction?

Reconciliation. You were completely lost and spiritually dead in your sins. But God took the initiative to mercifully be your sin substitute, to purchase your salvation and offer it to you as a gift. He adopts you as his child, gives you Himself as your inheritance and his Spirit as the seal of more to come. When you receive his gracious gift by faith, He completely transforms you into a new species of person who has never existed before. Everything of your old life is gone. You are completely new, made alive in your spirit. He brought you to himself – reconciled: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us” (II Cor.5:17-20). Not only did God reconcile you to himself, he now shares with you the amazing privilege of reconciling others to Him – as an ambassador. What better news could the world ever hear, that God is not counting their sins against them! You are not only the messenger, you are the living message – an example of one forgiven and reconciled to God. How can you more purposefully function in your God-given identity as a reconciler?

Jars of Clay. Paul and his mission team faced unimaginable suffering and persecution. Yet his hope was in Christ, who made the light of the gospel shine through his life. He saw himself as a ‘container’ of God’s power: “But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us” (II Cor.4:7). The reality of Christ filling and overflowing from his life gave him a unique perspective on his difficulties: “Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal” (II Cor.4:16-18). He saw his troubles as benefits because of the opportunity they presented to trust more in the all-sufficiency of Christ. The brilliant light and love of Christ (glory) continued to increase in Paul’s ministry. Paul made the decision to focus his attention on the unseen Christ and live each day for what would matter for eternity. Are you wasting your life trying to keep yourself entertained and amused? You are created to contain in ever-increasing measure the glory of Christ. Allow him to renew you inwardly every day. Discover the value of your troubles. Jesus is the One who can fill your life.

What do you say when your world is crumbling around you? “Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.” The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.” (Lam.3:22-26). Jeremiah’s environment could not have been worse. His city was destroyed. People were hopeless, desperate, starving and dying. Yet Jeremiah remembered God’s unfailing compassion. The Lord would be his portion and the Lord would prove to be all-sufficient. Have you experienced God at this level? To know that He is all you need especially during times when He is all you have? If you are in a difficult place today, remember: His compassions never fail; He is faithful and He is worth waiting upon. What hopeless experience have you had that caused you to fall upon God’s compassion?

Worthless Ministry. Judah was now destroyed. The unthinkable has happened. Jeremiah, along with few other prophets, had predicted Jerusalem’s fall unless the people turned away from their idolatry. However, there were many other voices predicting just the opposite. Most of the religious leaders were bringing visions, messages and prophecies of peace and prosperity. Most telling of all was this: “The visions of your prophets were false and worthless; they did not expose your sin to ward off your captivity” (2:14). All the bluster of the popular prophets of the day was worthless because it did not help people recognize their rebellion against God. Independence from God’s leadership in your life may give you the illusion of freedom. However, God is the only truly free being in the universe. If you are in right relation to him, you are truly free. To the degree that you have accommodated sin in your life, is the degree of your bondage. Sin brings no freedom; only bondage. If the voices you listen to rarely or never challenge your heart to greater fidelity to the Lord, find a new source. Truth brings freedom. What messages have you heard that caused you to turn away from sin?

Reflection. Unbelief is like a blanket we keep over our hearts, preventing us from knowing the spiritual truth and freedom God intends for us. But through his Spirit, we can be liberated from the bondage of unbelief and reflect the beauty and light of Christ. “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit” (II Cor.3:17-18). God’s will for you is to be transformed into his likeness. The more you meditate upon, wholeheartedly trust, adore and worship Jesus Christ – the more pure his reflection will shine from your life. Allow the Holy Spirit to purge from your life all the interference of selfishness, pride, worry and unbelief that diminishes his beauty from shining through your life. How have you seen the Holy Spirit transform you over your journey with him?

Setting things straight. God had been patient in his appeals to Judah to repent. However, the day finally came when the Babylonians broke down the physical wall of Jerusalem, killed nearly all the people and destroyed the Temple and all the key buildings. The physical destruction also served as an illustration of the internal, spiritual destruction that had already taken place within the hearts of God’s people. Judah had compromised and devalued her worship of God; so God allowed the Temple to be destroyed and its treasures stolen. Judah had followed spiritually lost kings; now King Zedekiah was imprisoned and blinded. Judah had preferred its lifeless existence to the life-giving word of God; so God brought death in judgment. God was giving people what they wanted – complete independence from him. God was also bringing things back into line with his design: Judah had abused its own poor countrymen; now with the rich deported God saw to it that the poor were given land. Judah had ignored the Sabbath rests; now “the land enjoyed its Sabbath rests and all the time of its desolation it rested until the seventy years were completed in fulfillment of the word of the Lord spoken by Jeremiah” II Chron.36:21). God had the final say. Even Jeremiah who had been abused, ignored, beaten and imprisoned was now released from Judah’s prison by the Babylonian king and treated as a dignitary: “the commander gave him provisions and a present and let him go” (Jer.40:5). It didn’t have to end so badly for Judah, if they would have only listened to the warnings God had been sending through his prophets. What would you say God has been impressing on you lately, to adjust in your life?

Aroma. Our Lord intends us to live in spiritual victory, and for our personal victory to translate into an ever-increasing positive influence on others: “But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him. For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life” (II Cor.2:14-16). The depth of Christ’s influence in your life determines the quality of your influence on others. If you are receptive to his leadership, correction and truth – if you trust, love and obey him – then others will sense the fragrance of His life in you. Those who rebel against God will react to your spiritual influence because you are a reminder of their moral accountability to Him. But those who are seeking to know God will be drawn to your life-giving fragrance. We are continually giving a scent of that which is most dominant in our thoughts, choices and emotions – either spiritual life or spiritual death. It depends on your moment-to-moment response to Christ. Trusting Him brings victory and stirs an interest in others to know that same spiritual victory. So, what is the aroma of your life?

Used and Abused. Jeremiah was speaking for God, warning the people of Jerusalem that the Babylonians were coming to destroy the city. But that was not what the people, the officials or the king wanted to hear. As Jeremiah left the city, an official falsely accused him of desertion. Though he denied it, “they were angry with Jeremiah and had him beaten and imprisoned. Jeremiah was put into a vaulted cell in a dungeon, where he remained a long time” (37:16). With the king’s approval, Jeremiah is later thrown into a well and left to starve to death. Only a foreigner’s appeal to the king saves Jeremiah. Thirty men pull him out with a rope made of old rags. The king decides to ask for Jeremiah’s counsel. The prophet says, “If I tell you, you will kill me; plus, you won’t even receive what I say” (38:15). Nevertheless, Jeremiah challenges the king to obey the Lord. This prophet was used and abused. He defended himself against the false accusations and wrong motives of others, even though his life was in their hands. What was God’s purpose in all of his pain? There is no indication that Jeremiah had crippling sin in his life. No, the suffering he tried to avoid but had to endure provided the striking contrast to the sinfulness of the people accusing him. Only the foreigner saved Jeremiah, using rags others had discarded. Sometimes in the ministry, things do not work out so well. Maybe you have been falsely accused, mistreated or attacked by others. If you find yourself in a pit of despair, take hope – God is there with you. Jesus understands unjust suffering. He will meet you there.

Promises. God is always good and his promises can be trusted: “For no matter how many promises God has made, they are ‘Yes’ in Christ. And so through him the ‘Amen’ is spoken by us to the glory of God. Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come” (II Cor.1:20-22). God’s many promises in the bible are to help you mature in your faith. The promises call us to believe what God says despite what our circumstances may tell us. By agreeing with God’s promises, we stand firm in Christ, unmoved by the ‘facts’ of our circumstances. As long as we believe our circumstances will not change and we doubt God’s promises, we are bound to fall in our spiritual journey. But trusting him, believing and speaking his promises, verify that we are his ‘anointed’ possessions. Learn the new habit of speaking the promises of God rather than the worries, doubts and fears of this world. Standing firm is much better than falling and stumbling along through life. What promise from the bible has God challenged you to believe?

Devilish Pride. The King of Tyre had a serious character problem – he was proud. God expands the prophetic judgment to include not only the king, but also Satan: “Your heart became proud on account of your beauty, and you corrupted your wisdom because of your splendor. So I threw you to the earth” (28:17). Did you catch the characteristics that had soured? Beauty, wisdom and splendor – all can be touched of God and used in a wonderful way to reflect His excellence. But separated from Him, all attributes become a curse. If you are basing your security in your appearance, your knowledge (even bible knowledge), or your network of friends, you will someday experience severe loss. Some of the most miserable people on earth are listed among the rich & famous. None of those things have lasting meaning apart from a life-giving relationship with Jesus Christ. How have you experienced God leading you away from trusting in lesser things like appearance, knowledge and reputation?

Pressure. Paul and his mission team hit the wall hard: “We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about the hardships we suffered in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life. Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us, as you help us by your prayers” (II Cor.11:8-11). He felt a death sentence, but God delivered him. In the process, he learned a critical lesson for Christ-followers: do not rely on yourself, but on God. His comparison is that if God can raise the dead, he can certainly handle whatever trouble I may find myself in. Plus, God is faithful and dependable; he has delivered us from the problems of the past so we can trust him to do the same for us in the future. One essential part of God’s deliverance for you is the prayer support of others. The prayers of the saints provide the help Paul needed; apparently, the prayers moved the hand of God to deliver them from their opponents. Certainly if these Corinthians had neglected to pray, Paul would have survived somehow. Possibly God would have impressed upon other believers to pray for him. But without the partnership of prayer by one group and mission work by another – the task would not have been accomplished. When pressure touches your life, rely on God for your deliverance and seek partners to pray for you. Do you have a small group of trusted friends who sincerely pray for you on a regular basis? How can you foster more prayer support for the cause of world mission?

Open Door. As Paul concluded his letter to the Corinthians, he was communicating his future plans to come and visit them. He hoped to stay with them for a season to strengthen their faith and give them opportunity to help him financially with his ministry. But for now his plans were to remain at Ephesus: “But I will stay on at Ephesus until Pentecost, because a great door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many who oppose me” (I Cor.16:8-9). Two reasons he believed it to be best to remain in Ephesus: one, there were receptive people responding to his ministry; two, there were unreceptive people, reacting to his ministry. For the receptive audience, Paul saw the positive impact of his teaching and leadership. This was the open door that caused him to remain. However, the detractors were opposing him, making life and ministry difficult. But the opposition did not deter Paul; rather he saw it as an opportunity to persevere. Critics, detractors and enemies alone should not be the reason you give up or move on. If God has given an open door of ministry to receptive people – assume that is his recommendation for you, even if there are many who oppose you. Where do you feel the Lord is calling you to persevere?

Arrogance and Demotion. God had raised up godless Egypt for his own purposes, including using them to judge other godless nations. But Egypt had become quite proud of its conquests and power: “Because it towered on high, lifting its top above the thick foliage, and because it was proud of the height, I handed it over to the ruler of the nations, for him to deal with according to its wickedness. I cast it aside, and the most ruthless of foreign nations cut it down and left it” (31:10-12). God wanted Egypt to know that He had raised them up and he would bring them down. This happened 60 years later at the hands of the Persian Empire. As a basis of comparison, he pointed Egypt to its neighbor, Assyria. Assyria had risen and fallen as a world power. God was telling Egypt, ‘you’re next.’ Jesus said, “everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted” (Luke 14:11). Have you experienced this yet? God wants us all to know that He is the one who promotes, and he is the one who demotes. And the demotion is redemptive – he uses it to help us see our need for him – so he can promote us into his service with the right heart. How do you see God doing this today in the church, government, entertainment, education, or business?

New Body. Your natural, physical body is the house of your spirit and soul. It functions only for your physical life on earth. Because of the sin curse you inherited from your ancestor Adam, your body is destined to break down and die. But God intended you to exist for eternity, so you must have an entirely new existence – spirit, soul and body: “If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. So it is written: ‘The first man Adam became a living being’; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit” (I Cor.15:44-45). Jesus Christ is Himself our new life. First your spirit is reborn at the moment you commit yourself in faith to his grace. Next your soul is renewed day by day as his truth transforms your thinking, emotions and decisions. Finally, when Christ returns to the earth, he transforms your body: “We will all be changed – in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed” (I Cor.15:51-52). Wow, what a phenomenal expectation we have! Our response? “Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain” (I Cor.15:58). Live at full speed for his cause and purposes in a bold and fearless way. God is all that matters and he will take care of you (even giving you a new, permanent body) for eternity. How does the prospect of your new, supernatural body inspire you to live more purposefully today?

External or Internal? There was total failure on Israel’s part to keep her covenant agreement with God. Judgment followed. But with God’s forgiving love, there is a new plan in his heart for Israel’s future: “This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time,” declares the Lord. “I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people” (31:33). God was creating a new covenant between Himself and man, a permanent agreement that would supernaturally impart God’s word into the minds and hearts of people. God’s law externally was so perfect and righteous, no one could ever fully obey it. But God always wanted his people to not simply admire his law, but to experience it. The law of God represented his wisdom, holiness, power, and sovereignty. The only way people could experience God’s law was if God supernaturally implanted that law into their spirit and soul. That is exactly what he does with the new covenant. The Lawgiver himself enters into the person who trusts him by faith. The Holy Spirit who fills the believer is the internal law of God as well. Now we have the power and desire to completely fulfill the law at its highest expression – to love one another. Are you experiencing the freedom of the internal Lawgiver and Savior in your life? How do you struggle to overcome the cycle of failure, guilt, regret in your experience?

Your Resurrection. Everything about the Christian faith hinges on the resurrection of Christ. If he did not rise from the dead, then we have no certainty that our sins have been forgiven or that we will have eternal life. But Christ has risen from the dead; that changes everything: “If Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith…For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive” (I Cor.15:14, 21-22). Since our sinful, condemned, hopeless condition was inherited from our ancestor Adam, God now provides our way of salvation through a “new” ancestor, Jesus Christ. Because of the new birth available by faith in Christ, we gain a new Father, a new history, a new nature and a new future. Your sins are in fact forgiven, your old life is erased and your future eternity is secure because Christ has been raised from the dead. The resurrection of Christ is the validation of our faith and hope in him. Therefore, we can live fearlessly and boldly for his purposes, knowing he is our all in all. Do you recognize how secure you are in Christ?

Hope. Generations of rebellion brought God’s judgment against Judah. The people were exiled to Babylon, their homeland overtaken by foreigners, their cities now empty and in ruins. But with God there is always hope: “This is what the Lord says: ‘You say about this place, “It is a desolate waste…” Yet…there will be heard once more the sounds of joy and gladness, the voices of bride and bridegroom, and the voices of those who bring thank offerings to the house of the Lord, saying, “Give thanks to the Lord Almighty, for the Lord is good; his love endures forever.” For I will restore the fortunes of the land as they were before,’ says the Lord.” (33:10-11). Sometimes you may feel like your situation is a “desolate waste.” But our God restores what has been lost. Listen for his promises of restoration in the mess of life. He is always good and his love for you does endure, regardless of your failures. Let God speak his words of hope into your soul. How do you need God’s restoration to work in your life?

“I am the Lord, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me?” (32:27). This statement is all the more remarkable because of Jeremiah’s historical setting. Jerusalem was under attack as they spoke! Babylonians were ransacking the city, putting the citizens to the sword and destroying everything. Jeremiah was in jail due to yet another one of his prophecies offending Judah’s king. From that lowly place, God brought an amazing future vision for a people who have experienced his discipline: “I will surely gather them from all the lands where I banish them in my furious anger and great wrath; I will bring them back to this place and let them live in safety. They will be my people, and I will be their God. I will give them singleness of heart and action, so that they will always fear me for their own good and the good of their children after them. I will make an everlasting covenant with them: I will never stop doing good to them, and I will inspire them to fear me, so that they will never turn away from me” (32:37-40). God promises dramatic change. He will change the hearts of people so that they have a new desire to respond to him. That was certainly their only hope – a new heart. The people had proven repeatedly that on their own, they would always rebel. Yet, God intends to redeem rebellious, hopeless people. He plans to never stop doing them good. He makes this promise in the midst of the most painful and horrifying circumstances imaginable. God intends to never stop doing good to you, even when the circumstances look impossible. There is nothing too hard for the Lord! How do you see God doing you good despite difficult circumstances?

Reminder. Some things are so important we need to be reminded of them often, to reinforce their value. The good news of Jesus Christ is of ultimate importance. Paul reminds the Corinthian believers of what they probably know but need to hear again and again; the pure and simple gospel: “Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures” (I Cor.15:3-4). Our resurrected Savior is the One who is wonderfully transforming me – this is ‘grace.’ Grace is the power of Christ within me, empowering me to love, trust and obey him. Grace impacted Paul’s life: “But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me” (I Cor.15:10). Paul cooperated with God’s grace working within him, and it changed him. Be reminded that everything good in your life, including the ongoing spiritual growth, is evidence of his good news of grace that he has given you. Be reminded of just how overwhelmingly wonderful he is for you today.

Ezekiel’s wife becomes the object lesson. Incredibly, God reveals to Ezekiel that his wife will be dying soon. Her death will be a sign to Judah that the very thing they delight in (their hometown city, Jerusalem) is about to be taken from them. “Son of man, with one blow I am about to take away from you the delight of your eyes” (24:16). How painful for Ezekiel to suffer the loss of his loved one, then not be allowed to grieve openly. This is the intensity of God’s enormous pain over the unfaithfulness of Judah. Judah will be overtaken and her capital city destroyed. Her captors will disallow any grief, but will haul them away in exile. Eventually, the people will see what they have lost. The day will come when they will grieve and mourn the loss of what God had lovingly provided – namely, Himself. Application for us might be to consider all the great things God has done. Maybe this is a day to be grateful and not take for granted the richness of God’s love?

No spectators. Wonder what a first-century church meeting looked like? “When you come together, everyone has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. All of these must be done for the strengthening of the church” (I Cor.14:26). Nothing about ‘sit back and relax’ or ‘let the professionals do it.’ The emphasis here is on full participation by every attender. Obviously, this description fits the small gathering in a home rather than the large crowds of believers who met in the temple courts. Nevertheless, no one is allowed a pass when it comes to the very important priority of strengthening the church. Every person should come prepared to contribute, to share, to serve and to do whatever he or she can to improve the health of the church. To be part of the church meant to be a contributor – no spectators allowed. The full experience of what it means to be a follower of Christ includes a meaningful connection to a small group of other believers. This small group should be a Christ-focused group that is joined in relationships of love and service. If you are not yet part of such a group, find one or start one. Become a contributor to the health and strength of Christ’s body. How have you grown in your service to the body of Christ?

Speak Up. Paul brings clarification on the use of the verbal gifts of the Holy Spirit: prophecy, tongues and the interpretation of tongues. Though he encourages all to speak in tongues because it is personally edifying, he emphasizes the greater value of prophecy: “But everyone who prophesies speaks to men for their strengthening, encouragement and comfort. He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself, but he who prophesies edifies the church” (I Cor.14:3-4). Prophecy is an encouraging message from God to a person or group to reinforce his good intentions for their lives. The one gifted with prophecy discerns the will of God in the current situation and then shares their insight by faith. If it renews strength, brings encouragement and comforting reassurance to the hearer, then there is high probability that the message was from God. Speaking in tongues is a supernatural ability where the person voluntarily speaks in a language unknown to him or her. Again, with this gift of tongues, there is encouragement to ‘speak up’ and use this gift (along with the gift of interpretation) so the body may be strengthened. Throughout the chapter, Paul gives guidelines but not restrictions. There is implied latitude and opportunity for experimentation in using these gifts. So, speak up! Share graciously and lovingly what you sense God has put on your heart. What do you sense God has put on your heart to share with others?

God is pretty upset. He compares Israel and Judah to two sisters who become prostitutes. They brazenly disregard God’s morality and fidelity, and sell themselves over to lust for the godless nations around them. God responds with this: “I will stir up your lovers against you” (23:22). Isn’t that ironic? The very thing that the people thought would be their exciting indulgence would eventually become their destruction. We sin when we are no longer satisfied with God. We think some other experience, relationship or possession will fulfill us. Why do we believe that? Because we do not believe God is good. We doubt he is really going to satisfy, or that he has our best interest at heart. So off we go looking for life among the dead, only to experience great suffering and loss after the “god substitution.” Only God can satisfy your soul. Don’t waste your life running to everything but him.

Love is. The context for this ‘chapter of love’ is resolving disunity within the church and specifically how to use your gifts to benefit others, rather than yourself. However, the description of genuine love has broad applications: “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres” (I Cor.13:4-7). Demanding your own way will inevitably produce strife. Love is the opposite of selfishness. The solution to disunity, conflict, and broken relationships is love. Using the I Cor.13 definition, the question to ask yourself is, “am I demonstrating genuine love to others?” Taking personal responsibility to genuinely love others is the key to healing conflicts in marriage, family, church, business, etc. The only problem is that you in your humanness are incapable of genuine love. Only God is love and only God, by his Spirit, can enable you to genuinely love others. Trust the Holy Spirit now to fill your heart with the love of God that you might be a living demonstration of His love. How is God challenging you now to be the channel of his love in your circle of relationships?

Judah had forgotten God. The evidence God brought against her was her many acts of rebellion including no care for the foreigners, orphans, or widows; idolatry, shedding innocent blood, dishonoring parents, various acts of immorality and taking financial advantage of one another. Judgment was hanging over their heads like a dark cloud. God’s broken heart prompted the prophet Ezekiel to speak to the physical land – the Promised Land – because the people were no longer listening: “I looked for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it but I found none” (22:30). The desperate need was not to judge everyone else for not being good, but to address one’s own sin. But nobody was interested in that kind of repentance. God was hoping someone would care enough to build a wall of protection from evil and serve as a connector to righteousness. No one was interested or available. Very sad day for the people; very sad day for God. Sometimes the only solution is personal repentance. That’s the starting point of being useful to God.

Structure. The body of Christ has structure; it is built upon the foundation of the Lord Jesus Christ as the head. Flowing from Him are the gifted individual members of his body: “Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, also those having gifts of healing…helps…administration…tongues” (I Cor.12:27-28). The head of the body is Christ. The apostles, prophets and teachers form its backbone. Nothing of the Spirit begins new without the sending of a leader (apostle) to establish ministry. Additionally, prophets and teachers equip the body to know the will of God and grow in truth. Finally, the beautiful varieties of gifts are expressed as each one contributes to the health and growth of the body. Clearly, each body part (member) is critically important to the overall body. When even one part is unavailable it diminishes the potential usefulness and glory of the body. You are an important, indispensible part of the body of Christ. Without your contribution, service and ministry, the body will never be as strong or effective as it could be. The simple step to take is to get involved in serving wherever you see needs. Do what you can to help others trust and love Christ more – in this way you will discover the beautiful gifts of God at work through you. What would you consider your spiritual gift(s)?