EXODUS 22:16-24:18

Posted by Joel_Zeh on Thu 12 Feb 2009 9:12:48 am     | no comments

EXODUS 13:1-15:27

Posted by Joel_Zeh on Sat 7 Feb 2009 11:26:47 am     | no comments

 EXODUS 10:1-12:51

Posted by Joel_Zeh on Fri 6 Feb 2009 10:06:08 am     | no comments

Posted by Joel_Zeh on Tue 3 Feb 2009 9:25:00 am     | no comments

 JOB 35:1-37:24

Posted by Joel_Zeh on Mon 2 Feb 2009 9:28:34 am     | no comments

 JOB 30:1-31:40

Posted by Joel_Zeh on Tue 27 Jan 2009 9:16:07 am     | no comments

 JOB 26:1-29:25

Posted by Joel_Zeh on Mon 26 Jan 2009 9:22:38 am     | no comments

 JOB 15:1-18:21

Posted by Joel_Zeh on Fri 23 Jan 2009 9:04:47 am     | no comments

 JOB 12:1-14:22

Posted by Joel_Zeh on Thu 22 Jan 2009 10:09:48 am     | no comments

 JOB 8:1-11:20

Posted by Joel_Zeh on Wed 21 Jan 2009 8:14:05 am     | no comments

Posted by Joel_Zeh on Tue 20 Jan 2009 8:45:04 am     | no comments

 JOB 1:1-4:21

• Was Job an Israelite? I'm note sure that the official nation was established at this point. I left off with Joseph taking care of the descendants of Isaac in Egpyt.
• God's conversation with Satan seems to indicate that Satan roams all over the earth.
• Eliphaz from Teman to Job: "No truly innocent person has ever died young." Yeah, right.

Posted by Joel_Zeh on Mon 19 Jan 2009 12:54:35 pm     | no comments

 GENESIS 42:1-45:15

Posted by Joel_Zeh on Fri 16 Jan 2009 9:49:59 am     | no comments

 GENESIS 37:1-38:30

1 CHRONICLES 2:3-6

1 CHRONICLES 2:8

GENESIS 39:1-23

Clearly, Joseph benefitted from God's hand in his life. Is it possible that he might have saved himself some suffering if he had kept his dreams to himself? Come on, Joseph. God's going to make you the best among your family. Do you really need to flaunt it?

At any rate, God used Joseph's suffering as an instrument of mercy.

Also, Judah got his dead son's wife pregnant. With twins. Weird.

Posted by Joel_Zeh on Wed 14 Jan 2009 9:37:09 am     | no comments

 GENESIS 32:1-35:27

So, what exactly precipitated a wrestling match between Jacob and God? Did Jacob bump into God at a well? Was God going easy on Jacob?

Usually when I say I'm "wrestling" with something, it's negative (or at least it feels negative at the time). Was this some sort of God-man bonding time?

The aftermath was the beginning of the nation of Israel. Jacob had twelve sons who started the twelve tribes, and it seems that Israel continues to wrestle today.

Posted by Joel_Zeh on Tue 13 Jan 2009 9:11:45 am     | no comments

 GENESIS 28:6-30:24

The more I read about people like Abraham and Jacob and Laban, the more I wonder about families and faithfulness in Genesis. Maybe I need to cut them some slack, but it seems that the founders of the longest surviving nation in the world might be a little more hesitant to jump to lying and polygamy. I'm positive that I'm missing something that might make their lives more clear.

Thank you, God, for using screwed up people to complete your purposes.

Posted by Joel_Zeh on Mon 12 Jan 2009 8:44:27 am     | no comments

Both Isaac and Abraham lied about their relationships with their wives. They both said that their wives were their sisters to avoid being killed. Later, the rulers that they lied to called them on the lies, complaining about being wrapped up in unwitting guilt. Did God want Abraham and Isaac to lie?

Speaking of lying, Jacob also lied, this time to receive his father's blessing intended for his older brother. In this case, though, the blessing of Jacob seems to match up with God's promise that his brothers will be his servants. Did God want Jacob to lie to his father? If Esau received his rightful blessing, would God still have placed Jacob at the top?

Posted by Joel_Zeh on Fri 9 Jan 2009 8:56:28 am     | no comments

I wonder about the process of believing the Lord.  Genesis 15:6 says "Abram believed the LORD, and the LORD was pleased with him." What exactly did Abram do when he "believed". Was it mostly a mind thing, or more of a state of his heart?

Later in Genesis, God promises Abram that his descendants will take the promised land, but only because the occupants are so sinful that they deserve to be punished. Not exactly a situation worth celebrating. It's almost like God is using Israel to punish other nations, rather than blessing Israel's obedience and trust.

Finally, God promises Abram a son and many descendants and changes his name to Abraham. Then the circumcisions begin. Why are circumcisions still practiced? It's essentially a cosmetic procedure, yet we had our son circumcised. It seems like a really old command that became a tradition, and now it's just kind of a cultural norm.

Posted by Joel_Zeh on Thu 8 Jan 2009 8:31:10 am     | no comments

 GENESIS 11:1-26

1 CHRONICLES 1:24-27

GENESIS 11:27-31

GENESIS 12:1-14:24

It seems strange that God would want to confuse people from working together. It reads a little menacing. I've heard that God's action was actually a move to prevent men from anonymizing themselves in their effort become god-like.

There's nothing wrong with building a tower. It just depends on the purpose of the tower and the method of building. Does the tower bring honor and glory to God? Are the workers treated with dignity, or are they simply human work horses.

Posted by Joel_Zeh on Tue 6 Jan 2009 8:56:05 am     | no comments

 GENESIS 7:1-10:5

1 CHRONICLES 1:5-7

GENESIS 10:6-20

1 CHRONICLES 1:8-16

GENESIS 10:21-30

1 CHRONICLES 1:17-23

GENESIS 10:31-32

God acknowledges that all people "have evil thoughts from the time they are young," but he commits to never destroying everything that breathes after the flood.

I wonder how long it took Noah's children to branch out into the nations listed in Chronicles.

Posted by Joel_Zeh on Mon 5 Jan 2009 9:07:32 am     | no comments

GENESIS 4:1-5:32
1 CHRONICLES 1:1-4
GENESIS 6:1-22

According to Genesis 4:26, people didn't start worshipping the Lord until after Seth was born, polygamy had been practiced (by Lamech), and Cain had killed Abel. 

I'm curious about the Nephilim in Genesis 6:1-4. Apparently, they were the children of human daughters and supernatural beings. What? Why did God allow this? Who were the supernatural beings? Angels?

Noah was the only person who lived right and obeyed God. How did he do this without the Levitical law? Not that it can't be done. I'm just wondering how it looked in Noah's life.

Posted by Joel_Zeh on Sun 4 Jan 2009 12:55:00 pm     | no comments

BibleGateway.com - Passage Lookup: Ezekiel 44:1-45:12;1peter 1:1-12;psalm 119:17-32;proverbs 28:8-10

Posted by Joel_Zeh on Thu 18 Dec 2008 9:33:33 am     | no comments

 BibleGateway.com - Passage Lookup: Ezekiel 42:1-43:27;james 5:1-20;psalm 119:1-16;proverbs 28:6-7

Posted by Joel_Zeh on Wed 17 Dec 2008 9:29:35 am     | no comments

BibleGateway.com - Passage Lookup: Ezekiel 40:28-41:26;james 4:1-17;psalm 118:19-29;proverbs 28:3-5

• So let God work his will in you.
  • I think of this as active openness. It's not just being "open-minded" or having an "open heart". It means daily praying and reading and listening for God. comment by joelzehring
• If you desert God's law, you're free to embrace depravity;
     if you love God's law, you fight for it tooth and nail.
  • How does it look to fight for God's law? Is this a fight in the political sphere to enact laws that reflect God's values?
    
    Is this a fight waged in relationships with co-workers who want to cut corners?
    
    Is this a fight to obtain and maintain a pure mind in my own life? comment by joelzehring

Posted by Joel_Zeh on Tue 16 Dec 2008 9:08:18 am     | no comments

BibleGateway.com - Passage Lookup: Ezekiel 39:1-40:27;james 2:18-3:18;psalm 118:1-18;proverbs 28:2

• You can no more show me your works apart from your faith than I can show you my faith apart from my works. Faith and works, works and faith, fit together hand in glove.
• Do I hear you professing to believe in the one and only God, but then observe you complacently sitting back as if you had done something wonderful?
  • Sometimes I wonder if this is what happens in a typical church service. Believers sing, and then they sit back because they aren't invited to work. They're invited to listen. comment by joelzehring
• Pushed to the wall, I called to God;
        from the wide open spaces, he answered.
     God's now at my side and I'm not afraid;
        who would dare lay a hand on me?
  • How do I know when I've hit the wall, when I can't go any farther? comment by joelzehring
• When the country is in chaos,
     everybody has a plan to fix it2014
  But it takes a leader of real understanding
     to straighten things out.

Posted by Joel_Zeh on Mon 15 Dec 2008 9:21:10 am     | no comments

BibleGateway.com - Passage Lookup: Ezekiel 37:1-38:23;james 1:19-2:17;psalm 117:1-2;proverbs 28:1

.

• Lead with your ears, follow up with your tongue, and let anger straggle along in the rear.
• God's righteousness doesn't grow from human anger. So throw all spoiled virtue and cancerous evil in the garbage. In simple humility, let our gardener, God, landscape you with the Word, making a salvation-garden of your life.
  • I really don't like landscaping. I'd pay someone to do it, but we don't have that kind of money. So it doesn't get done. Or it gets done very slowly. I would guess God is more efficient than me in that respect. comment by joelzehring
• You do well when you complete the Royal Rule of the Scriptures: "Love others as you love yourself."
  • This takes empathy. comment by joelzehring
• Praise God, everybody! Applaud God, all people!
     His love has taken over our lives;
     God's faithful ways are eternal.
  • Take over my life today, God. comment by joelzehring

Posted by Joel_Zeh on Thu 11 Dec 2008 9:15:33 am     | no comments

BibleGateway.com - Passage Lookup: Ezekiel 35:1-36:38;james 1:1-18;psalm 116:1-19;proverbs 27:23-27

• Son of man, when the people of Israel lived in their land, they polluted it by the way they lived. I poured out my anger on them because of the polluted blood they poured out on the ground. And so I got thoroughly angry with them polluting the country with their wanton murders and dirty gods.
  • Pollution isn't just a matter of air quality and water quality. It's also a matter of life quality, and I'm not talking about the quality that comes from average incomes and tax cuts. I'm talking about the quality of a people's trust and obedience. comment by joelzehring
• I'll pour pure water over you and scrub you clean. I'll give you a new heart, put a new spirit in you. I'll remove the stone heart from your body and replace it with a heart that's God-willed, not self-willed. I'll put my Spirit in you and make it possible for you to do what I tell you and live by my commands.
  • This sounds like an exciting prophecy. It's even more exciting because God promises this to the corporate body of people that repent. The receive a shared heart. comment by joelzehring
• You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don't try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way.
  • Bail out? What bail out? Tough times become a shout out to God that I believe he's got me covered. comment by joelzehring
• , God, here I am, your servant,
        your faithful servant: set me free for your service!
  • America loves the word freedom. Freedom is connected by prepositions to other things. What are we free from? What are we free to? In God, I am free to serve and trust that my needs will be met as a look out for the needs of others. comment by joelzehring

Posted by Joel_Zeh on Wed 10 Dec 2008 9:27:09 am     | no comments

BibleGateway.com - Passage Lookup: Ezekiel 33:1-34:31;hebrews 13:1-25;psalm 115:1-18;proverbs 27:21-22

• 'As sure as I am the living God, I take no pleasure from the death of the wicked. I want the wicked to change their ways and live. Turn your life around! Reverse your evil ways! Why die, Israel?'
• Your people say, "The Master's way isn't fair." But it's the way they're living that isn't fair. When good people turn back from living good lives and plunge into sin, they'll die for it. And when a wicked person turns away from his wicked life and starts living a just and righteous life, he'll come alive.
• God, the Master, says: From now on, I myself am the shepherd. I'm going looking for them. As shepherds go after their flocks when they get scattered, I'm going after my sheep. I'll rescue them from all the places they've been scattered to in the storms. I'll bring them back from foreign peoples, gather them from foreign countries, and bring them back to their home country.
• I'll appoint one shepherd over them all: my servant David. He'll feed them. He'll be their shepherd. And I, God, will be their God. My servant David will be their prince. I, God, have spoken.
• God takes particular pleasure in acts of worship2014a different kind of "sacrifice"2014that take place in kitchen and workplace and on the streets.
  • God never asked for praise in a big room with a few hundred people and flashy band. He just wants trust and obedience. comment by joelzehring
• Be responsive to your pastoral leaders. Listen to their counsel. They are alert to the condition of your lives and work under the strict supervision of God.
  • Are we talking about the modern-day "lead pastor"? Or is this a reference to a "campus" or "associate" pastor?
    
    Maybe he's referring to "elders" or "life group leaders".
    
    Or maybe the author is simply referring to anyone that has been walking with Christ for a little longer than me. Someone who's interested in helping me know Christ better and walk with him daily. comment by joelzehring
• Not for our sake, God, no, not for our sake, but for your name's sake, show your glory.
  • Branding and marketing and outreach are all fine and good, but there's only one name in town that matters, only one church: Christ's Church. comment by joelzehring
• The purity of silver and gold is tested
     by putting them in the fire;
  The purity of human hearts is tested
     by giving them a little fame.
  • It's easy to poke fun at the tabloid regulars. It hits a little closer to home when we start talking about Christian pastors and speakers. comment by joelzehring

Posted by Joel_Zeh on Tue 9 Dec 2008 8:47:18 am     | no comments

BibleGateway.com - Passage Lookup: Ezekiel 31:1-32:32;hebrews 12:14-29;psalm 113:1-114:8;proverbs 27:18-20

• Watch out for the Esau syndrome: trading away God's lifelong gift in order to satisfy a short-term appetite.
• For God is not an indifferent bystander. He's actively cleaning house, torching all that needs to burn, and he won't quit until it's all cleansed. God himself is Fire!
  • God, what are you torching in my life? In the lives of those around me? In our church? In our country?
    
    Give me courage to see past the cleansing to the day when it's just you and your kingdom. comment by joelzehring
• Just as water mirrors your face,
     so your face mirrors your heart.
  • Hmmm. How does water mirror my face? Did the proverb-er have a mirrors as clear as we do now?
    
    I would guess not. The surface of a still pool of water is very reflective, but water that is wavey and ripply just distorts everything. comment by joelzehring

Posted by Joel_Zeh on Mon 8 Dec 2008 9:22:09 am     | no comments

BibleGateway.com - Passage Lookup: Ezekiel 27:1-28:26;hebrews 11:17-31;psalm 111:1-10;proverbs 27:15-16

• 'Look! I'm against you, Sidon.
     I intend to be known for who I truly am among you.'
  They'll know that I am God
     when I set things right
     and reveal my holy presence.
  • God shares that this revelation will come in an epidemic and murder and mayhem.
    
    Do we really know what we're asking when we ask to see God's glory? comment by joelzehring
• Abraham figured that if God wanted to, he could raise the dead. In a sense, that's what happened when he received Isaac back, alive from off the altar.
  • Death is never the final word with God. comment by joelzehring
• He's so personal and holy, worthy of our respect.
     The good life begins in the fear of God2014
     Do that and you'll know the blessing of God.
  • I wonder how the word fear compares with the original text.
    
    I've heard that fear means a healthy, trusting respect for God's power.
    
    Somehow, I wonder if there's more to that, because he is a personal god. comment by joelzehring

Posted by Joel_Zeh on Fri 5 Dec 2008 8:53:10 am     | no comments

BibleGateway.com - Passage Lookup: Ezekiel 24:1-26:21;hebrews 11:1-16;psalm 110:1-7;proverbs 27:14

• wanted to clean you up, but you wouldn't let me. I'll make no more attempts at cleaning you up until my anger quiets down. I, God, have said it, and I'll do it. I'm not holding back. I've run out of compassion. I'm not changing my mind. You're getting exactly what's coming to you. Decree of God, the Master.
  • Does God still get to this point with people? Could he get to this point with me?
    
    Protect me from myself, God. Lead me in obedience. comment by joelzehring
• The fundamental fact of existence is that this trust in God, this faith, is the firm foundation under everything that makes life worth living.
  • No faith, no life.
    
    What's the difference between faith and optimism. I think I fall on the optimism side too much.
    
    I think it's funny when Christians clamor over new scientific discoveries that "prove" God exists or the Bible really happened.
    
    Sure, evidence can be a great thing, but if God wanted to provide proof of his existence, he would have done it a long time ago. In fact, he has given us proof in the form of creation, but some people interpret this proof inaccurately. comment by joelzehring
• Each one of these people of faith died not yet having in hand what was promised, but still believing. How did they do it? They saw it way off in the distance, waved their greeting, and accepted the fact that they were transients in this world.
  • I need to remember not to get too comfortable here in this world. I'm just passing through. comment by joelzehring
• If you wake your friend in the early morning
     by shouting "Rise and shine!"
  It will sound to him
     more like a curse than a blessing.
  • The Bible can be funny, right? comment by joelzehring

Posted by Joel_Zeh on Thu 4 Dec 2008 9:27:49 am     | no comments

Posted by Joel_Zeh on Mon 1 Dec 2008 11:19:44 am     | no comments

Posted by Joel_Zeh on Fri 28 Nov 2008 11:29:58 am     | no comments

Posted by Joel_Zeh on Thu 27 Nov 2008 10:11:35 am     | no comments

(I'm trying out Youversion.com today.)

Ezekiel 18:1-19:14 Hebrews 9:1-10 Psalm 106:32-48 Proverbs 27:10

"The soul that sins is the soul that dies. The child does not share the guilt of the parent, nor the parent the guilt of the child."

Is this a case for personal accountability and salvation? How does this passage relate to commands to corporately work out my faith with my church brothers and sisters?

"But a wicked person who turns his back on that life of sin and keeps all my statutes, living a just and righteous life, he’ll live, really live. He won’t die. 22 I won’t keep a list of all the things he did wrong. He will live. "

and

"I don’t keep a list of all the things this person did right, like money in the bank he can draw on. Because of his defection, because he accumulates sin, he’ll die."

No lists in God's book. Karma is dead. If it's not about what I do, then it must be about something else...

"Clean house. No more rebellions, please. Get a new heart! Get a new spirit! Why would you choose to die, Israel?"

God is in the business of creating new hearts.

"Under this system, the gifts and sacrifices can’t really get to the heart of the matter, can’t assuage the conscience of the people, but are limited to matters of ritual and behavior. It’s essentially a temporary arrangement until a complete overhaul could be made. Pointing to the Realities of Heaven"

Overhaul complete. Jesus made it happen.
 

Posted by Joel_Zeh on Wed 26 Nov 2008 12:15:59 pm     | no comments

BibleGateway.com - Passage Lookup: Ezekiel 16:42-17:24;hebrews 8:1-13;psalm 106:13-31;proverbs 27:7-9

• The sin of your sister Sodom was this: She lived with her daughters in the lap of luxury2014proud, gluttonous, and lazy. They ignored the oppressed and the poor. They put on airs and lived obscene lives. And you know what happened: I did away with them.
  • If America isn't the lap of luxury, I don't know what is.
    
    Not that God will definitely do away with anyone in this country. But luxury affects people today the same way it affected people years ago. comment by joelzehring
• You'll remember your past life and face the shame of it, but when I make atonement for you, make everything right after all you've done, it will leave you speechless.'" Decree of God, the Master.
  • Maybe not speechless. Thanks, God. comment by joelzehring
•  They won't go to school to learn about me,
        or buy a book called God in Five Easy Lessons.
     They'll all get to know me firsthand,
        the little and the big, the small and the great.
     They'll get to know me by being kindly forgiven,
        with the slate of their sins forever wiped clean.
  • I know God because he has forgiven my sins. Now I'm speechless. comment by joelzehring
• They only cared about pleasing themselves in that desert,
        provoked God with their insistent demands.
     He gave them exactly what they asked for2014
        but along with it they got an empty heart.
  • Which desert was that again? Certainly not the Tucson desert. comment by joelzehring
• When you've stuffed yourself, you refuse dessert;
     when you're starved, you could eat a horse.
  • Is this supposed to be some kind of deep spiritual metaphor?
    
    I guess common sense counts as wisdom. comment by joelzehring

Posted by Joel_Zeh on Tue 25 Nov 2008 9:12:40 am     | no comments

BibleGateway.com - Passage Lookup: Ezekiel 14:12-16:41;hebrews 7:18-28;psalm 106:1-12;proverbs 27:4-6

• Or, if I make wild animals go through the country so that everyone has to leave and the country becomes wilderness and no one dares enter it anymore because of the wild animals, even if these three men were living there, as sure as I am the living God, neither their sons nor daughters would be rescued, but only those three, and the country would revert to wilderness.
  • Can I call a sentence in the Bible a run on?
    
    Anyway, this reminds me of some kind of mix between the Charleton Heston movie Omega Man and Discovery Channel. comment by joelzehring
• Son of man, how would you compare the wood of a vine with the branches of any tree you'd find in the forest? Is vine wood ever used to make anything? Is it used to make pegs to hang things from?

   4 "I don't think so. At best it's good for fuel.

  • God, grow me into a branch. Firm up my fibers so that I sway in the breeze. comment by joelzehring
• And then you took your sons and your daughters, whom you had given birth to as my children, and you killed them, sacrificing them to idols. Wasn't it bad enough that you had become a whore? And now you're a murderer, killing my children and sacrificing them to idols.
  • As if the indictment of prostitution wasn't enough, God calls Israel out on its mistreatment of its children.
    
    God seems obsessed with sex. He refers to it in analogies a lot. Maybe intercourse is a better word. The intercourse connection happens in more places than just between the sheets. comment by joelzehring
• You're just the opposite of the regular whores who get paid for sex. Instead, you pay men for their favors! You even pervert whoredom!
  • Wow, Israel (and myself) were pretty messed up. comment by joelzehring
• Unlike the other high priests, he doesn't have to offer sacrifices for his own sins every day before he can get around to us and our sins. He's done it, once and for all: offered up himself as the sacrifice.
  • There's nothing I can do to make God love me anymore. And there's nothing I can do to make God love me any less.
    
    Thank you, Jesus, for taking my death and adding eternal life to it. comment by joelzehring
• Hallelujah! Thank God! And why?
        Because he's good, because his love lasts.

Posted by Joel_Zeh on Mon 24 Nov 2008 8:54:39 am     | no comments

BibleGateway.com - Passage Lookup: Ezekiel 12:1-14:11;hebrews 7:1-17;psalm 105:37-45;proverbs 27:3

• God's Message came to me: "Son of man, what's this proverb making the rounds in the land of Israel that says, 'Everything goes on the same as ever; all the prophetic warnings are false alarms'?

   23-25 "Tell them, 'God, the Master, says, This proverb's going to have a short life!'

  • Sometimes the naysayers aren't just harping. They're warning of a crash. comment by joelzehring
• God's Message came to me: "Son of Man, these people have installed idols in their hearts. They have embraced the wickedness that will ruin them. Why should I even bother with their prayers?
  • Idols aren't just objects to look at. They are distractions and obsessions and curiosities that live first in my heart.
    
    God, cleanse my mind and my heart today. comment by joelzehring

Posted by Joel_Zeh on Sun 23 Nov 2008 9:57:54 am     | no comments

BibleGateway.com - Passage Lookup: Ezekiel 10:1-11:25;hebrews 6:1-20;psalm 105:16-36;proverbs 27:1-2

• I'll give you a new heart. I'll put a new spirit in you. I'll cut out your stone heart and replace it with a red-blooded, firm-muscled heart. Then you'll obey my statutes and be careful to obey my commands. You'll be my people! I'll be your God!
  • The true promised land. comment by joelzehring
• We who have run for our very lives to God have every reason to grab the promised hope with both hands and never let go. It's an unbreakable spiritual lifeline, reaching past all appearances right to the very presence of God
  • Hope is a real, valuable thing. Hope in God is worth any sacrifice. comment by joelzehring
• Don't brashly announce what you're going to do tomorrow; you don't know the first thing about tomorrow.
  • Organization with 5 year plans, take note. comment by joelzehring
• Don't call attention to yourself;
     let others do that for you.
  • Should the Church advertise? Is mass media a valid method for advancing the kingdom?
    
    I'm not sure that advertising achieves what Christ commissions us to do: make disciples. Advertising might influence a one-time decision (Buy this household cleaner!), but I don't feel that advertising is strong enough to draw people to God. Only God can do that, and he has chosen his method: Christ-followers. comment by joelzehring

Posted by Joel_Zeh on Wed 19 Nov 2008 9:00:25 am     | no comments

BibleGateway.com - Passage Lookup: Ezekiel 7:1-9:11;hebrews 5:1-14;psalm 105:1-15;proverbs 26:28

• Though he was God's Son, he learned trusting-obedience by what he suffered, just as we do.
  • God uses any suffering in my life to teach me trusting obedience. Even the suffering that I bring on myself. comment by joelzehring
• Hallelujah! Thank God! Pray to him by name!
        Tell everyone you meet what he has done!
  • I'm not sure I could pull this off without sounding phony. I need to think more about how this might look. comment by joelzehring
• Keep your eyes open for God, watch for his works;
        be alert for signs of his presence.

Posted by Joel_Zeh on Mon 17 Nov 2008 8:41:59 am     | no comments

BibleGateway.com - Passage Lookup: Ezekiel 3:16-6:14;hebrews 4:1-16;psalm 104:24-35;proverbs 26:27

• If I say to the wicked, 'You are going to die,' and you don't sound the alarm warning them that it's a matter of life or death, they will die and it will be your fault. I'll hold you responsible.
  • I don't think this is quite true of believers today, but how much responsibility are we on the hook for? And, what are the consequences for not "sounding the alarm?"
    
    And what in the world is stopping us from sounding the alarm? comment by joelzehring
• "Next lie on your left side and place the sin of the family of Israel on yourself. You will bear their sin for as many days as you lie on your side. The number of days you bear their sin will match the number of years of their sin, namely, 390. For 390 days you will bear the sin of the family of Israel.
  • Just before God commands this, he tells Ezekiel to build a model of Jerusalem under siege. Ezekiel is supposed to lie next to it for over a year and preach repentance to Israel. comment by joelzehring
• The people will live on starvation rations, worrying where the next meal's coming from, scrounging for the next drink of water. Famine conditions. People will look at one another, see nothing but skin and bones, and shake their heads. This is what sin does.
  • I need to think more about this analogy. I'm not sure I understand entirely. comment by joelzehring
• In the foreign countries where they're taken as prisoners of war, they'll remember me. They'll realize how devastated I was by their betrayals, by their voracious lust for gratifying themselves in their idolatries. They'll be disgusted with their evil ways, disgusting to God in the way they've lived. They'll know that I am God.
  • God will do anything to get me to know him. He will destroy anything in my life that is keeping me from knowing him. comment by joelzehring
• God keeps renewing the promise and setting the date as today, just as he did in David's psalm, centuries later than the original invitation:
  
     Today, please listen,
        don't turn a deaf ear . . .
• His powerful Word is sharp as a surgeon's scalpel, cutting through everything, whether doubt or defense, laying us open to listen and obey. Nothing and no one is impervious to God's Word. We can't get away from it2014no matter what.
  • God, open me up, remove my sin-cancer, and infuse me with obedience to you. comment by joelzehring

Posted by Joel_Zeh on Sat 15 Nov 2008 10:52:32 am     | no comments

BibleGateway.com - Passage Lookup: Ezekiel 1:1-3:15;hebrews 3:1-19;psalm 104:1-23;proverbs 26:24-26

• Within the fire were what looked like four creatures vibrant with life. Each had the form of a human being, but each also had four faces and four wings.
  • Oh man, here we go with Ezekiel. I definitely going to need help with this one. comment by joelzehring
• From what I could see, from the waist up he looked like burnished bronze and from the waist down like a blazing fire. Brightness everywhere! The way a rainbow springs out of the sky on a rainy day2014that's what it was like. It turned out to be the Glory of God!
  • The figure was the Glory, or the bright light? At any rate, whoa. comment by joelzehring
• A builder is more valuable than a building any day. Every house has a builder, but the Builder behind them all is God.
  • When I think I'm building some thing, *I* am not really building anything. God is building in me and through me. comment by joelzehring
• Now, if we can only keep a firm grip on this bold confidence, we're the house!
  • A key statement for any group of Christ-followers, especially those working toward building dedicated physical meeting places. comment by joelzehring
• Oh yes, God brings grain from the land,
        wine to make people happy,
     Their faces glowing with health,
        a people well-fed and hearty.
  • In these "tough" economic times, I need to remember that God has got our needs covered. comment by joelzehring

Posted by Joel_Zeh on Fri 14 Nov 2008 9:36:18 am     | no comments

BibleGateway.com - Passage Lookup: Lamentations 4:1-5:22;hebrews 2:1-18;psalm 103:1-22;proverbs 26:23

• Since the One who saves and those who are saved have a common origin, Jesus doesn't hesitate to treat them as family, saying,
     I'll tell my good friends, my brothers and sisters, all I know
        about you;
     I'll join them in worship and praise to you.
  • There's a song going on right now, full of praise to God. Am I singing along? Or have I lost the tune of trust, obedience, and thankfulness in my life? comment by joelzehring
• O my soul, bless God. From head to toe, I'll bless his holy name!
     O my soul, bless God,
        don't forget a single blessing!
• He forgives your sins2014every one.
        He heals your diseases2014every one.
        He redeems you from hell2014saves your life!
        He crowns you with love and mercy2014a paradise crown.
        He wraps you in goodness2014beauty eternal.
        He renews your youth2014you're always young in his presence.
  • Sounds like a car salesman on TV. comment by joelzehring
• He doesn't treat us as our sins deserve,
        nor pay us back in full for our wrongs.
  • This truth is enough to make every day a stellar day. But it gets better. comment by joelzehring
• God's love, though, is ever and always,
        eternally present to all who fear him,
     Making everything right for them and their children
        as they follow his Covenant ways
        and remember to do whatever he said.
  • See, I said it got better. comment by joelzehring

Posted by Joel_Zeh on Thu 13 Nov 2008 8:59:02 am     | no comments

BibleGateway.com - Passage Lookup: Lamentations 3:1-66;hebrews 1:1-14;psalm 102:1-28;proverbs 26:21-22

• But there's one other thing I remember,
     and remembering, I keep a grip on hope:

   22-24God's loyal love couldn't have run out,
     his merciful love couldn't have dried up.
  They're created new every morning.
     How great your faithfulness!
  I'm sticking with God (I say it over and over).
     He's all I've got left.

  • Words to live through. comment by joelzehring
• God proves to be good to the man who passionately waits,
     to the woman who diligently seeks.
  • Passionate waiting, diligent seeking. When I don't know what to do next, at the very least I must return to what I know God has already asked. comment by joelzehring
• When life is heavy and hard to take,
     go off by yourself. Enter the silence.
  Bow in prayer. Don't ask questions:
     Wait for hope to appear.
  Don't run from trouble. Take it full-face.
     The "worst" is never the worst.
  • Wow, what an encouraging lamentation. Kind of a "buck up and kneel down" pep talk. comment by joelzehring
• By his Son, God created the world in the beginning, and it will all belong to the Son at the end.
  • I belong to Jesus, as well. comment by joelzehring
• He holds everything together by what he says2014powerful words!
  • Another little reminder of laminin. When I think that things are going bad, I have to remember that even "bad" circumstances are held together by Jesus. It could be a lot worse. comment by joelzehring

Posted by Joel_Zeh on Wed 12 Nov 2008 8:30:40 am     | no comments

BibleGateway.com - Passage Lookup: Lamentations 1:1-2:22;philemon 1:1-25;psalm 101:1-8;proverbs 26:20

• erusalem, who outsinned the whole world, is an outcast.
     All who admired her despise her now that they see beneath the surface.
     Miserable, she groans and turns away in shame.
  • This following the Babylonian exile. comment by joelzehring
• He wove my sins into a rope
     and harnessed me to captivity's yoke.
     I'm goaded by cruel taskmasters.
  • That's God, weaving that rope of sin. comment by joelzehring
• ld women eat their own babies, the very children they raised?
  • No. Definitely no. comment by joelzehring

Posted by Joel_Zeh on Tue 11 Nov 2008 12:34:57 pm     | no comments

BibleGateway.com - Passage Lookup: Jeremiah 51:54-52:34;titus 3:1-15;psalm 100:1-5;proverbs 26:18-19

• The Babylonians captured Zedekiah and marched him off to the king of Babylon at Riblah in Hamath, who tried and sentenced him on the spot. The king of Babylon then killed Zedekiah's sons right before his eyes. The summary murder of his sons was the last thing Zedekiah saw, for they then blinded him. The king of Babylon followed that up by killing all the officials of Judah. Securely handcuffed, Zedekiah was hauled off to Babylon. The king of Babylon threw him in prison, where he stayed until the day he died.
  • I'm thankful that we have better practices than these, and I pray that you would give us courage to hold to those practices. comment by joelzehring
• Remind the people to respect the government and be law-abiding, always ready to lend a helping hand. No insults, no fights. God's people should be bighearted and courteous.
  • Especially now, with new administration heading into the Oval Office, Christ-followers must maintain respect and faith. comment by joelzehring
• It wasn't so long ago that we ourselves were stupid and stubborn, dupes of sin, ordered every which way by our glands, going around with a chip on our shoulder, hated and hating back.
  • That about sums up my history. comment by joelzehring
• But when God, our kind and loving Savior God, stepped in, he saved us from all that. It was all his doing; we had nothing to do with it.
  • This is the reason that my primary expressions should be thanks-filled. comment by joelzehring
• Enter with the password: "Thank you!"
        Make yourselves at home, talking praise.
        Thank him. Worship him.
  • Huh. There you go. comment by joelzehring

Posted by Joel_Zeh on Mon 10 Nov 2008 9:44:48 am     | no comments

BibleGateway.com - Passage Lookup: Jeremiah 51:1-53;titus 2:1-15;psalm 99:1-9;proverbs 26:17

• "God has set everything right for us.
     Come! Let's tell the good news
  Back home in Zion.
     Let's tell what our God did to set things right.
  • It's all good. comment by joelzehring
• But the Portion-of-Jacob is the real thing;
     he put the whole universe together,
  With special attention to Israel.
     His name? God-of-the-Angel-Armies!
  • And special attention to each of his children. comment by joelzehring
• God's readiness to give and forgive is now public. Salvation's available for everyone! We're being shown how to turn our backs on a godless, indulgent life, and how to take on a God-filled, God-honoring life.
  • I never would have known unless someone showed me. And I never would have understood what I was seeing unless God taught me.
    
    Thank you, God. comment by joelzehring

Posted by Joel_Zeh on Sat 8 Nov 2008 11:53:45 am     | no comments

BibleGateway.com - Passage Lookup: Jeremiah 49:23-50:46;titus 1:1-16;psalm 97:1-98:9;proverbs 26:13-16

• Look at what's come of you! A nothing nation!
     Rubble and garbage and weeds!
  • Speaking of Babylon. I think that this might apply to any empire, eventually. comment by joelzehring
• hese people that I've saved will start out with a clean slate.
  • This time speaking of Israel and Judah, but also of anyone who follows Jesus. comment by joelzehring
• Receive everything God our Father and Jesus our Savior give you!
  • Paul writes this because receiving is not automatic, and it's not passive. To receive, I have to open myself, know the giver, know the gift, and then use/share/enjoy the gift. comment by joelzehring
• The heavens announce that he'll set everything right,
     And everyone will see it happen2014glorious!

Posted by Joel_Zeh on Fri 7 Nov 2008 9:23:39 am     | no comments

BibleGateway.com - Passage Lookup: Jeremiah 48:1-49:22;2timothy 4:1-22;psalm 95:1-96:13;proverbs 26:9-12

• "Turn Moab into a drunken sot, drunk on the wine of my wrath, a dung-faced drunk, filling the country with vomit2014Moab a falling-down drunk, a joke in bad taste.
  • God was not happy with Moab. I'm thankful that he spared me from this wrath. comment by joelzehring
• You're going to find that there will be times when people will have no stomach for solid teaching, but will fill up on spiritual junk food2014catchy opinions that tickle their fancy. They'll turn their backs on truth and chase mirages.
  • Is this happening now? In our church? comment by joelzehring
• God's looking after me, keeping me safe in the kingdom of heaven.
  • Even in the midst of physical danger and death, I am safe on a whole different level in God's country. comment by joelzehring
• Come, let's shout praises to God, raise the roof for the Rock who saved us!
  • I really need to shout more. comment by joelzehring
• or God is great, and worth a thousand Hallelujahs.
  • What if our church spent an entire service saying a thousand Hallelujahs? comment by joelzehring

Posted by Joel_Zeh on Thu 6 Nov 2008 9:03:45 am     | no comments

BibleGateway.com - Passage Lookup: Jeremiah 44:24-47:7;2timothy 2:22-3:17;psalm 94:1-23;proverbs 26:6-8

• God's servant must not be argumentative, but a gentle listener and a teacher who keeps cool, working firmly but patiently with those who refuse to obey.
  • I need to learn this in practice. comment by joelzehring
• Through the Word we are put together and shaped up for the tasks God has for us.
  • Is Paul refering to us as individuals who are saved and "put together" by Jesus? Or is he referring to the Church, whose members are drawn together for corporate tasks? comment by joelzehring
• If God hadn't been there for me,
        I never would have made it.
     The minute I said, "I'm slipping, I'm falling,"
        your love, God, took hold and held me fast.
  • Thank you, God, for holding me tight and never letting go. comment by joelzehring
• A proverb quoted by fools
     is limp as a wet noodle.
  • Just quoting scripture isn't enough to qualifying me as wise. I need God's Spirit to guide me into love and understanding. comment by joelzehring

Posted by Joel_Zeh on Wed 5 Nov 2008 9:38:16 am     | no comments