Eternally Minded

Ezekiel Chapter 4-5 There are four object lessons in this passage that display the type of judgement that was coming for Israel and Judah.  First (Ezekiel 4:1-3): Ezekiel was commanded to draw the map of Jerusalem on a clay brick and demonstrate how the city would be attacked and destroyed.  Second (Ezekiel 4:4-8): Ezekiel was commanded to lie on his left side for 390 days, symbolic of the 390 years Israel disobeyed God, and 40 days on his right side, symbolic of the 40 years Judah lived in rebellion against God; and do this while starring at the model of the siege of Jerusalem and prophesying against it. Third (Ezekiel 4:9-17): He was to prepare bread to ration out while he lied on his side and cook it over manure. This symbolized how God would make them eat defiled bread in the land of the gentiles where he would scatter them and where they would starve.  Fourth (Ezekiel 5:1-4): Ezekiel was commanded to shave his hair and divide it into three equal parts. 1/3 was...

Are you a zealous Christian? Or does your lack of passion scare you? I've read about the lukewarm Church in the book of Revelation and always wondered if it was me. Upon further study of this passage, I finally understood what it means and Christ has become more precious to me! I hope you will find similar comfort after reading this post. Revelation 3:14-21  Character of God "And to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write,‘These things says the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God:" Rev3:14 In the beginning of this passage, we see who the author of the letter to the Church of the Laodiceans is. Jesus is the Amen - all things He decrees will come to pass. Jesus is the faithful and true witness - He faithfully speaks the truth about our hearts. Jesus is the beginning of the creation or the first born of God – He has received the inheritance of God in becoming Lord of all. How we see ourselves vs ho...

We have heard of the pride of Moab —  he is very proud— of his loftiness, his pride, and his arrogance,  and the haughtiness of his heart.  I know his insolence, declares the Lord ;  his boasts are false,  his deeds are false. Jeremiah 48:29 & 30 In the rest of the chapter, we see the L ORD  dishing out destruction for Moab. He is angry with them - they sinned and would be thoroughly punished for it.  On all the housetops of Moab and in the squares there is nothing but lamentation, for I have broken Moab like a vessel for which no one cares, declares the L ORD . How it is broken! How they wail! How Moab has turned his back in shame! So Moab has become a derision and a horror to all that are around him.  (Jeremiah 48:39 & 39) But what was their sin?  PRIDE.  Moab shall be destroyed and be no longer a people, because he magnified himself against the L ORD .   (Jeremiah 48:42) ...

God is so great and holy! Too often we bring God down on our level as if He is just our buddy. I've been reading through Exodus and am seeing just how holy and majestic He is. When God came down to Mount Sinai, there was smoke and lightening and fire!Everyone needed to wash and purify themselves before God.  Anyone who came near to the mountain was ordered to be shot down so that God would not break out and consume the whole camp of Israel. Why would God make Himself fearful?  He doesn't have to make himself fearful,  He is fearful.  He is separate from everything else. No comes close to being compared with Him.  He is holy and just. Why don't we tremble in fear and worship anymore? Is He not the same God? "Serve the Lord with fear, And rejoice with trembling." Psalm 2:11 Do we worship God with trembling? Do we watch movies that take His holy name in vain? Do we speak of God in jest, or quote His holy words out of context?  Do we show our u...

Lately I’ve been reading 1 Timothy, a letter the apostle Paul wrote to a young pastor in Ephesus. As I read, I appreciated the wisdom and insight that Paul had; so I laboured on condensing the book into key passages that would help me remember the gist of the letter. I slightly paraphrased those passages, but sometimes I would copy word-for-word what the text said because I didn’t want to lose the meaning that was conveyed with the sentence structure and word choice. The idea behind this exercise was to go further into the text and really get a feel for what Paul was saying. By doing this, I learned many things I wouldn’t have seen otherwise. One thing that stuck out to me was the mentality of application Paul had near the end of the book. He’d say something like, “Set an example for the family of believers in your speech, the way you carry and conduct yourself, in your faith, and in your purity of heart” (paraphrase). I would think, “Hmmm. What does that look like for me? What changes...

"If ye love me, keep my commandments."John 14:15 David, the shepherd boy, loved his father, Jesse. When Jesse told David to bring food to his brothers in King Saul's army and see how they fared, he obeyed. He got up early and went. Jesus loved the Father. He displayed this in his greatest act of obedience, to lay down his life on the cross, so that we can be spared from the judgment our sins deserve. He submitted to the Father's will.  Do we love our heavenly Father? Do we keep His commands? Do we know what it is He commands us to do? We know the Father's will for us by reading the Holy Bible. Have we read it cover to cover? Do we know what God requires of us? Do we know God's will regarding how we are to treat our family, how to manage our money, where to pursue education, how to date or find a spouse, how to think, how to give an answer for the hope that lies within us, how to spend our time, etc.? If our answer is "no" and this is someth...

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With...