Passage of the Day - November 8, 2013

Matthew 14:13-21

 

¹³ Now when Jesus heard about John, He withdrew from there in a boat to a secluded place by Himself; and when the people heard of this, they followed Him on foot from the cities. ¹⁴ When He went ashore, He saw a large crowd, and felt compassion for them and healed their sick.

¹⁵ When it was evening, the disciples came to Him and said, “This place is desolate and the hour is already late; so send the crowds away, that they may go into the villages and buy food for themselves.” ¹⁶ But Jesus said to them, “They do not need to go away; you give them something to eat!” ¹⁷ They said to Him, “We have here only five loaves and two fish.” ¹⁸ And He said, “Bring them here to Me.” ¹⁹ Ordering the people to sit down on the grass, He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up toward heaven, He blessed the food, and breaking the loaves He gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds, ²⁰ and they all ate and were satisfied. They picked up what was left over of the broken pieces, twelve full baskets. ²¹ There were about five thousand men who ate, besides women and children.

Jesus is not concerned with how little we bring to the table.  Christ will use our meager submitted means and do great and miraculous things.

 

Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®,
© Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation
Used by permission." (http://www.lockman.org/)

Passage of the Day - November 7, 2013

Matthew 14:1-12

 

At that time Herod the tetrarch heard the news about Jesus, ² and said to his servants, “This is John the Baptist; he has risen from the dead, and that is why miraculous powers are at work in him.”

³ For when Herod had John arrested, he bound him and put him in prison because of Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip. ⁴ For John had been saying to him, “It is not lawful for you to have her.” ⁵ Although Herod wanted to put him to death, he feared the crowd, because they regarded John as a prophet.

⁶ But when Herod’s birthday came, the daughter of Herodias danced before them and pleased Herod, ⁷ so much that he promised with an oath to give her whatever she asked. ⁸ Having been prompted by her mother, she said, “Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist.” ⁹ Although he was grieved, the king commanded it to be given because of his oaths, and because of his dinner guests. ¹⁰ He sent and had John beheaded in the prison. ¹¹ And his head was brought on a platter and given to the girl, and she brought it to her mother. ¹² His disciples came and took away the body and buried it; and they went and reported to Jesus.

 

Let us learn from the mistakes of Herod.  Do not commit adultery, especially with your brother’s wife.  Do not reject the rebuke.  Do not imprison those who righteously rebuke you.  Do not make choices out of fear.  Do not take pleasure in lustful behavior.  Do not make oaths and promises to the object of your lust. Do not make choices out of shame.  Do not make choices to impress people.

 

If you make these choices, you may end up making very stupid decisions and inflicting more evil than you ever intentioned.  Pride, lust, and vengeance can quickly snowball into a complete nightmare in a heartbeat.

 

Sorry, nothing too uplifting about this passage.

 

Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®,
© Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation
Used by permission." (http://www.lockman.org/)

Passage of the Day - November 6, 2013

Matthew 13:53-58

 

⁵³ When Jesus had finished these parables, He departed from there. ⁵⁴ He came to His hometown and began teaching them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished, and said, “Where did this man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers? ⁵⁵ Is not this the carpenter’s son? Is not His mother called Mary, and His brothers, James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? ⁵⁶ And His sisters, are they not all with us? Where then did this man get all these things?” ⁵⁷ And they took offense at Him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and in his own household.” ⁵⁸ And He did not do many miracles there because of their unbelief.

 

In showbiz, there is a term called typecasting.  An actor is so successful and beloved in one type of role, it is hard for the actor to find a different kind of role.  The same is often true in our family, among our friends, and our acquaintances. 

 

Jesus likely lived a fairly normal humble and quiet life before He began His ministry.  He did not seek attention.  He did not show off how much He knew about scripture.  He simply obeyed the law and honored his parents.  Then, after He was anointed by the Holy Spirit at His baptism, He began to fulfill His mission.  Again, He did not seek attention or show off how much He knew about scripture.  He simply preached the gospel, the Good News of the kingdom.  It was the Message that He spoke and the miracles He performed to help some and instruct others that garnered the attention.  This was out of character for the Jesus that the Nazarenes knew.  They painted their own mental picture of who He was and He was scribbling all over it.

 

What do we forsake when we focus more on meeting people’s expectations at the expense of the mission God has called and anointed us to?

 

Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®,
© Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation
Used by permission." (http://www.lockman.org/)

Passage of the Day - November 5, 2013

Matthew 13:44-52

 

⁴⁴ “The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid again; and from joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.

⁴⁵ “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls, ⁴⁶ and upon finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.

⁴⁷ “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet cast into the sea, and gathering fish of every kind; ⁴⁸ and when it was filled, they drew it up on the beach; and they sat down and gathered the good fish into containers, but the bad they threw away. ⁴⁹ So it will be at the end of the age; the angels will come forth and take out the wicked from among the righteous, ⁵⁰ and will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

⁵¹ “Have you understood all these things?” They said to Him, “Yes.” ⁵² And Jesus said to them, “Therefore every scribe who has become a disciple of the kingdom of heaven is like a head of a household, who brings out of his treasure things new and old.”

 

There are various ways you can look at verses 44-46.  You can view them from the perspective that the salvation God has to offer is so valuable, we would be fools to not give up everything we have to possess it.  You can also look at it from the perspective that the kingdom of heaven is us and it was Jesus who gave up everything to purchase us.

 

Verses 47-50 are pretty clear that in the day of reckoning, those not of Christ (the wicked and the pretenders) will be separated from those of Christ.

 

Verses 51-52 are interesting.  It is a strong argument for studying both the old and new testaments.  There is much to be gleaned from both and it is difficult to fully appreciate one without the other.

**Also, if there is a topic any of you want to do a deep study on, let me know.

 

Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®,
© Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation
Used by permission." (http://www.lockman.org/)

Passage of the Day - November 4, 2013

Matthew 13:36-43

 

³⁶ Then He left the crowds and went into the house. And His disciples came to Him and said, “Explain to us the parable of the tares of the field.” ³⁷ And He said, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man, ³⁸ and the field is the world; and as for the good seed, these are the sons of the kingdom; and the tares are the sons of the evil one; ³⁹ and the enemy who sowed them is the devil, and the harvest is the end of the age; and the reapers are angels. ⁴⁰ So just as the tares are gathered up and burned with fire, so shall it be at the end of the age. ⁴¹ The Son of Man will send forth His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all stumbling blocks, and those who commit lawlessness, ⁴² and will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. ⁴³ Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.

 

Over and over I have struggled with deciding which passage to use in Passage of the Day.  Well, I have decided to restart it using the daily readings of the Anglican Church.

 

This passage, along with the original parable in Matthew 13:24-30, give us a glimpse into why God allows sin and the sinful to flourish and multiply among us.  It is for our sake.  Look at the story of Lot and especially Abraham’s pleading with God to save Sodom and Gomorrah.  For the sake of ten people God would have withheld judgment.  He loves His people so much that he protects us from harm even if it means allowing evil to flourish.

 

Unfortunate things happen to all of us, but God’s judgment is withheld for the sake of His children.  However, the day of the final harvest is fast approaching when the weeds will be separated from the wheat. 

 

Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®,
© Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation
Used by permission." (http://www.lockman.org/)

Passage of the Day - April 25, 2013

John 1:29-34

²⁹ The next day he saw Jesus coming to him and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! ³⁰ This is He on behalf of whom I said, ‘After me comes a Man who has a higher rank than I, for He existed before me.’ ³¹ I did not recognize Him, but so that He might be manifested to Israel, I came baptizing in water.” ³² John testified saying, “I have seen the Spirit descending as a dove out of heaven, and He remained upon Him. ³³ I did not recognize Him, but He who sent me to baptize in water said to me, ‘He upon whom you see the Spirit descending and remaining upon Him, this is the One who baptizes in the Holy Spirit.’ ³⁴ I myself have seen, and have testified that this is the Son of God.”

The phrase “for He existed before me” is telling because we know that John the Baptist was born before Jesus was.

The phrase “I have seen the Spirit descending as a dove out of heaven, and He remained upon Him.” Shows that Jesus was one, through whom, God was going to work and therefore had godly authority.

John the Baptist also differentiated between his baptism in water and Jesus’ baptism in the Holy Spirit.  As we have seen, John’s baptism in water is the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins. 

Did John have the authority to remit sins?  Did baptism itself remit sins?  Or was God using the prophet (and more than a prophet) John the Baptist to bestow a washing away of sins through the act of baptism?  Through the water baptism, the people were cleansed from the dirt and grime of life on the outside by the water and the stain of sin on the inside by the grace of God.

This washing inside and out prepared the way into people’s hearts for Christ’s ministry of penetrating the peoples hearts with the Truth of God’s Word; the Gospel of God’s Love shown through God sacrifice of His Son on the cross, the crushing of Satan’s head, and victory over the grave; and the Faith, Hope, Wisdom, and Power of the Holy Spirit.

This is why the Church practices one baptism.  These two ministries are now united in the one baptism we receive.

Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®,
© Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation
Used by permission." (http://www.lockman.org/)

Passage of the Day - April 22, 2013

John 1:19-28

¹⁹ This is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent to him priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” ²⁰ And he confessed and did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.” ²¹ They asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” And he said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” And he answered, “No.” ²² Then they said to him, “Who are you, so that we may give an answer to those who sent us? What do you say about yourself?” ²³ He said, “I am a voice of one crying in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ as Isaiah the prophet said.”
²⁴ Now they had been sent from the Pharisees. ²⁵ They asked him, and said to him, “Why then are you baptizing, if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?” ²⁶ John answered them saying, “I baptize in water, but among you stands One whom you do not know. ²⁷ It is He who comes after me, the thong of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie.” ²⁸ These things took place in Bethany beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing.

Matthew 17 records that Jesus basically said that John the Baptist was Elijah who was to come.  Why the conflict?

Luke 1:17 clears it up.  John the Baptist will go as a forerunner in the power and spirit of Elijah.  John the Baptist was not the fulfillment of Malachi 4:5, but he is the fulfillment of Malachi 3 and Isaiah 40.

Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®,
© Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation
Used by permission." (http://www.lockman.org/)

Passage of the Day - April 19, 2013

John 1:14-18

¹⁴ And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. ¹⁵ John testified about Him and cried out, saying, “This was He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me has a higher rank than I, for He existed before me.’” ¹⁶ For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace. ¹⁷ For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ. ¹⁸ No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him.

How God’s Word became flesh is still quite the mystery.

I find it interesting that John says that they saw His glory full of grace and truth and later says the law was given through Moses and grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ.  Jesus is through whom we receive God’s grace and truth.  God chose to go through Moses to give us the Law and through Jesus to give us grace and truth. 

We know the technical definition of grace being unmerited favor, but what does that really mean?  As Pontius Pilate famously asked “What is truth?”

Truth is far more than merely what isn’t false.  Truth is reality with meaning properly perceived.  

Grace is the divine transformation of reality, regeneration of meaning, and corrected perception necessary to be in union with God through Christ.

Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®,
© Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation
Used by permission." (http://www.lockman.org/)

Passage of the Day - April 16, 2013

John 1:6-13

⁶ There came a man sent from God, whose name was John. ⁷ He came as a witness, to testify about the Light, so that all might believe through him. ⁸ He was not the Light, but he came to testify about the Light.
⁹ There was the true Light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man. ¹⁰ He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. ¹¹ He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him. ¹² But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, ¹³ who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

The right to become children of God.  This was the entire purpose of Christ’s mission on Earth.  He saved all of mankind from the penalty of sin and provided them with the right to become children of God.  Having a right and exercising a right are two totally different things.

This passage shows how Jesus broke down the national and genetic barriers to God.  No longer did the nation of Israel have exclusive access to God.  Genetics would no longer determine who is a child of God and who is not.  Rather, faith will determine this.  Those who faithfully remain in the Vine will be fruitful and those who are not in the Vine or are pruned out of the Vine will be useless and thrown into the fire.  The faithful at the earliest ages to the faithful starting at the eleventh hour will have the right to be and remain children of God.

Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®,
© Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation
Used by permission." (http://www.lockman.org/)

Passage of the Day - April 15, 2013

John 1:1-5

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ² He was in the beginning with God. ³ All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.

⁴ In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. ⁵ The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.

Today marks the beginning of a walk through the Book of John.  For those of you have been with me during my erratic journeys, I thank you.  It is now high-time we bring back some structure to Passage of the Day.

Understanding John chapter one is a challenge and yet essential to understanding the Bible.  God is eternal and His Message, His Word was there at the beginning of time.  God’s Message was with God in perfect unity because God’s Message was God’s and therefore God Himself.  God spoke, and by His very Word, the heavens and the Earth and all that was within them was created.  God gave us His Law, His Prophecy, and His Covenants all culminating in His Son, Jesus Christ.  We are to be ruled by this very Word of God sewn into our hearts.  

The pain and heartache of Man can always be traced back to Man’s desire to elevate a man above the Word of God.  Adam and Eve placed themselves above God’s Word to not eat of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.  The Israelites placed earthly kings above God’s Word given through the Judges.  The Israelites placed the empty promises of other nations above God’s Word given through the Prophets.  How often is our life directed by our own desires, the utopia of our version of government, or the promises of others as compared to the Word of God?

Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®,
© Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation
Used by permission." (http://www.lockman.org/)

Passage of the Day - April 9, 2013

II Corinthians 5:7

for we walk by faith, not by sight

It has been a little over a month since my last Passage of the Day.  I apologize for the delay, but I was getting way way way ahead of myself, and I apologize for that as well.  As we know from Scripture, we are to walk by faith, one step at a time.  I veered off course and acted like the little kid saying “Daddy!  Daddy!  Look over there!  I want to go over there!”  God eventually said “NO!”  What did happen over the course of the past month is that I found out I’m definitely not moving where I thought I was.  I also made the final decision to change churches and start attending Light of Christ Anglican Church in Kenosha, WI.  God wanted me to make the biblical step of faith He was calling our family to, not the unbiblical leap of faith He wasn’t.  This has been a lesson learned about my propensity to make mountains out of molehills and suffer paralysis by analysis.  I want to live my life the way God wants and that is walking with Him one step at a time.

Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®,
© Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation
Used by permission." (http://www.lockman.org/)

Passage of the Day - March 8, 2013

Ezekiel 38:1

And the word of the Lord came to me saying,

And…I don’t remember what I saw in Ezekiel 38 that led me to believe it relates to what I was talking about.

Moving on from Ezekiel (still my least favorite book of the Bible) and moving on from the topic of reunification (it’s been driving me a little nuts, lately.  You too, probably).

Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®,
© Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation
Used by permission." (http://www.lockman.org/)

Passage of the Day - March 5, 2013

Ezekiel 36:22-32

²² “Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘Thus says the Lord God, “It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am about to act, but for My holy name, which you have profaned among the nations where you went. ²³ I will vindicate the holiness of My great name which has been profaned among the nations, which you have profaned in their midst. Then the nations will know that I am the Lord,” declares the Lord God, “when I prove Myself holy among you in their sight. ²⁴ For I will take you from the nations, gather you from all the lands and bring you into your own land. ²⁵ Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. ²⁶ Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. ²⁷ I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances. ²⁸ You will live in the land that I gave to your forefathers; so you will be My people, and I will be your God. ²⁹ Moreover, I will save you from all your uncleanness; and I will call for the grain and multiply it, and I will not bring a famine on you. ³⁰ I will multiply the fruit of the tree and the produce of the field, so that you will not receive again the disgrace of famine among the nations. ³¹ Then you will remember your evil ways and your deeds that were not good, and you will loathe yourselves in your own sight for your iniquities and your abominations. ³² I am not doing this for your sake,” declares the Lord God, “let it be known to you. Be ashamed and confounded for your ways, O house of Israel!”

Here God is telling His people that when He gathers them from the far reaches of the world, He will baptize them, grant them a new spirit, remove their hard hearts towards their Messiah Jesus Christ, give them the Holy Spirit to cause them to walk in His statutes and obey His ordinances, remembering their evil ways and grieving the consequences of their sin, to repent and never repeat.

Am I way off base here?

Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®,
© Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation
Used by permission." (http://www.lockman.org/)

Passage of the Day - March 4, 2013

Ezekiel 37:24-28

²⁴ “My servant David will be king over them, and they will all have one shepherd; and they will walk in My ordinances and keep My statutes and observe them. ²⁵ They will live on the land that I gave to Jacob My servant, in which your fathers lived; and they will live on it, they, and their sons and their sons’ sons, forever; and David My servant will be their prince forever. ²⁶ I will make a covenant of peace with them; it will be an everlasting covenant with them. And I will place them and multiply them, and will set My sanctuary in their midst forever. ²⁷ My dwelling place also will be with them; and I will be their God, and they will be My people. ²⁸ And the nations will know that I am the Lord who sanctifies Israel, when My sanctuary is in their midst forever.”’”

One thing is crystal clear in this portion of Ezekiel 37; Ezekiel is not talking about Benjamin Netanyahu.  This is clearly talking about Jesus Christ.

When this prophecy is fulfilled, won’t it be amazing?  To tangibly be involved in a unified Church with our eternal High Priest?  To tangibly be a subject in Christ’s unified kingdom?

It is late as I write this, so please forgive my style.

One last thing.  In case you didn’t know it, Ezekiel 37 is smack-dab between Ezekiel 36 and Ezekiel 38.  This will be important in future Passages of the Day.

Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®,
© Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation
Used by permission." (http://www.lockman.org/)

Passage of the Day - March 3, 2013

Ezekiel 37:15-23

¹⁵ The word of the Lord came again to me saying, ¹⁶ “And you, son of man, take for yourself one stick and write on it, ‘For Judah and for the sons of Israel, his companions’; then take another stick and write on it, ‘For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim and all the house of Israel, his companions.’ ¹⁷ Then join them for yourself one to another into one stick, that they may become one in your hand. ¹⁸ When the sons of your people speak to you saying, ‘Will you not declare to us what you mean by these?’ ¹⁹ say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God, “Behold, I will take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel, his companions; and I will put them with it, with the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, and they will be one in My hand.”’ ²⁰ The sticks on which you write will be in your hand before their eyes. ²¹ Say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God, “Behold, I will take the sons of Israel from among the nations where they have gone, and I will gather them from every side and bring them into their own land; ²² and I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel; and one king will be king for all of them; and they will no longer be two nations and no longer be divided into two kingdoms. ²³ They will no longer defile themselves with their idols, or with their detestable things, or with any of their transgressions; but I will deliver them from all their dwelling places in which they have sinned, and will cleanse them. And they will be My people, and I will be their God.

The key to understanding this is verse 22.  “…one king will be king for all of them” is the key phrase.  Who, other than Jesus Christ, fits this prophecy?

Now there are a few possibilities here.  This prophecy can be about the return of the ethnic Jews to Israel.  This prophecy can be about a future return of Jews to Israel in the end times.  This prophecy can be about a reunification of the Church in the nearer term and returning to Israel.  This prophecy can be about an end times reunification of the Church and returning, with the believing and Spirit-filled Jews to Israel.  Right now I am leaning towards the last option.  However, I am going to take a better look at option 3 mainly because it is interesting me lately.

Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®,
© Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation
Used by permission." (http://www.lockman.org/)

Passage of the Day - March 2, 2013

Ezekiel 37:1-14

The hand of the Lord was upon me, and He brought me out by the Spirit of the Lord and set me down in the middle of the valley; and it was full of bones. ² He caused me to pass among them round about, and behold, there were very many on the surface of the valley; and lo, they were very dry. ³ He said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” And I answered, “O Lord God, You know.” ⁴ Again He said to me, “Prophesy over these bones and say to them, ‘O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord.’ ⁵ Thus says the Lord God to these bones, ‘Behold, I will cause breath to enter you that you may come to life. ⁶ I will put sinews on you, make flesh grow back on you, cover you with skin and put breath in you that you may come alive; and you will know that I am the Lord.’”

⁷ So I prophesied as I was commanded; and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold, a rattling; and the bones came together, bone to its bone. ⁸ And I looked, and behold, sinews were on them, and flesh grew and skin covered them; but there was no breath in them. ⁹ Then He said to me, “Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, ‘Thus says the Lord God, “Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they come to life.”’” ¹⁰ So I prophesied as He commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they came to life and stood on their feet, an exceedingly great army.
¹¹ Then He said to me, “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel; behold, they say, ‘Our bones are dried up and our hope has perished. We are completely cut off.’ ¹² Therefore prophesy and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God, “Behold, I will open your graves and cause you to come up out of your graves, My people; and I will bring you into the land of Israel. ¹³ Then you will know that I am the Lord, when I have opened your graves and caused you to come up out of your graves, My people. ¹⁴ I will put My Spirit within you and you will come to life, and I will place you on your own land. Then you will know that I, the Lord, have spoken and done it,” declares the Lord.’”

I was recently struck with this passage.  As I said, I often pray about what passage to use next in Passage of the Day.  This time, Ezekiel 37 came to mind.  This time, though, it came with a twist.  What if this passage has a dual meaning?  We have come to understand this passage as a prophecy of the re-establishment of the nation of  Israel, as many would say has happened.  After the extermination of millions of Jews by the Nazis, the State of Israel was established and Jews from around the world returned to the Holy Land.

But, what if this reunification of the ethnic Jews wasn’t the only reunification this passage was prophesying?  What if, and it is a big if, what if this passage also is prophesying a reunification of the remnant of Israel, the remnant that made Jesus Christ their Lord, Messiah, High Priest, and King, the remnant that became known as “The Church”?

Crazy you say?  Well, I hope to expose us to some verses that will clear it up for us (sometimes, more often than not, PoD clears my head of my wacky thoughts).

Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®,
© Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation
Used by permission." (http://www.lockman.org/)

Passage of the Day - March 1, 2013

Ephesians 6:10-20

¹⁰ Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. ¹¹ Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. ¹² For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. ¹³ Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. ¹⁴ Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, ¹⁵ and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; ¹⁶ in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. ¹⁷ And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
¹⁸ With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints, ¹⁹ and pray on my behalf, that utterance may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, ²⁰ for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in proclaiming it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.

So, after hammering on this passage for eight days, what does this mean for me and the issues of orphan care and human/sex trafficking?

I have begun the process of adding to my list of facebook/twitter friends/likes/followings to include different churches and organizations dedicated to these causes.  I have also done the same with a few U.S. ambassadors in this regard, as well.  This way, I can learn more and more about what is going on and where God might be blazing a trail for me to finally walk down.

I am going to prayerfully consider a few options during the month of March.  Some are small and some are big.  I will inform you to them as we go along and/or they come to fruition.

Overall, I am going to begin to put on the full armor of God and make decisions based upon Spirit-given wisdom through prayer and scripture as opposed to other reasons like fear, being overwhelmed, and ignorance.

Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®,
© Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation
Used by permission." (http://www.lockman.org/)

Passage of the Day - February 28, 2013

Ephesians 6:10-20

¹⁰ Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. ¹¹ Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. ¹² For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. ¹³ Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. ¹⁴ Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, ¹⁵ and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; ¹⁶ in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. ¹⁷ And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
¹⁸ With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints, ¹⁹ and pray on my behalf, that utterance may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, ²⁰ for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in proclaiming it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.

Verse 18 concerns prayer and petitioning.  Even the most heavily armed soldier is of little use without marching orders, coordination with fellow soldiers, and the ability to communicate back with headquarters.  This is why prayer and petitioning at all times in the Spirit is essential.  How will we know what to do if we do not ask?  How will we be properly supplied if we do not ask?  Prayer also helps us to be intrinsically involved with fellow believers doing the Lord’s work.  How can we see the trail being blazed by God if we pay little to no attention to those currently on the front lines?

Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®,
© Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation
Used by permission." (http://www.lockman.org/)

Passage of the Day - February 27, 2013

Ephesians 6:10-20

¹⁰ Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. ¹¹ Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. ¹² For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. ¹³ Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. ¹⁴ Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, ¹⁵ and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; ¹⁶ in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. ¹⁷ And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
¹⁸ With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints, ¹⁹ and pray on my behalf, that utterance may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, ²⁰ for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in proclaiming it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.

The sword of the Spirit, aka the Word of God, is our weapon.  Jesus used this weapon during the time of temptation in the wilderness.  When we are being strongly tempted to do something, it doesn’t take will power to resist.  Will power is fleeting and will not stand up to the barrage of attacks one can expect when doing the Lord’s work.

In addition, stumbling blocks and confusing situations will also be thrown our way.  The circumstances of a situation can also lead us to question “Is this God closing a door, or is this something to be endured and prayerfully rammed through by the power of the Holy Spirit?”  The Word of God will determine these things.  Left to our own devices and our blunt weapons, we will not be able to pierce through the veils of uncertainty.

Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®,
© Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation
Used by permission." (http://www.lockman.org/)

Passage of the Day - February 26, 2013

Ephesians 6:10-20

¹⁰ Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. ¹¹ Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. ¹² For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. ¹³ Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. ¹⁴ Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, ¹⁵ and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; ¹⁶ in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. ¹⁷ And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
¹⁸ With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints, ¹⁹ and pray on my behalf, that utterance may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, ²⁰ for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in proclaiming it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.

The helmet of salvation protects our head.  The best way to describe it is Magneto’s helmet.  In X-Men Magneto wears a special helmet to prevent Charles Xavier from getting into his head.  Our helmet of salvation prevents Satan from messing with our mind, making us doubt our purpose and salvation.  A soldier without a helmet is exposed and can be killed in one crushing blow. When going through a spiritual battle, crushing blows will come, but our salvation will not waver and the salvation God provides can absorb anything Satan chooses to unleash.

Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®,
© Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation
Used by permission." (http://www.lockman.org/)

Passage of the Day - February 25, 2013

Ephesians 6:10-20

¹⁰ Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. ¹¹ Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. ¹² For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. ¹³ Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. ¹⁴ Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, ¹⁵ and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; ¹⁶ in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. ¹⁷ And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
¹⁸ With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints, ¹⁹ and pray on my behalf, that utterance may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, ²⁰ for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in proclaiming it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.

The shield of faith is what we need for the initial onslaught.  At the beginning of battles, archers would fire arrows from long distances.  Those who were not properly protected were killed.  The same is true in spiritual warfare.  The Enemy will fire off a barrage of attacks in order to defeat us.  If we hide behind something besides our faith, we will be incapacitated.  The darts will be doubt, worry, fear, other priorities, grumbling, lack-of-heart, coveteousness, dissension, etc.  Without our faith protecting us, we will become non-participants very quickly.

The evils of sex/human trafficking, abortion, neglected orphans, etc. is the realm of Satan and he will fight us tooth and nail every step of the way.  We must be perpetually prepared.

Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®,
© Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation
Used by permission." (http://www.lockman.org/)

Passage of the Day - February 24, 2013

Ephesians 6:10-20

¹⁰ Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. ¹¹ Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. ¹² For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. ¹³ Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. ¹⁴ Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, ¹⁵ and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; ¹⁶ in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. ¹⁷ And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
¹⁸ With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints, ¹⁹ and pray on my behalf, that utterance may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, ²⁰ for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in proclaiming it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.

The most important part of battle is being able to do the right thing when you are in the right position at the right time.  The right footwear gives us the ability to fight after getting our position at the right time.  We can have footwear that allows us to stand our ground, but is too clunky for us to get in position.  We can have footwear that allows us to get there, but then we’d be slipping all over the place with any resistance.

The gospel of peace is similar.  Digging in and getting to know God’s message of peace to the world (not only between God and man, but also man and man) will help us to know where to go and will give us the tools to know what to do when we are there.  This is the message we are to share wherever we go.  We can often be listless in life because we embrace the cheap fire insurance gospel.  Where our feet go, we go.  Our feet are like our will.  If the gospel of peace does not penetrate our will, we will go nowhere and do nothing.

Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®,
© Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation
Used by permission." (http://www.lockman.org/)

Passage of the Day - February 23, 2013

Ephesians 6:10-20

¹⁰ Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. ¹¹ Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. ¹² For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. ¹³ Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. ¹⁴ Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, ¹⁵ and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; ¹⁶ in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. ¹⁷ And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
¹⁸ With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints, ¹⁹ and pray on my behalf, that utterance may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, ²⁰ for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in proclaiming it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.

Here’s the deal with spiritual warfare; sin is no longer an option.  The destructiveness of sin becomes severe when battling the evil forces of this world.  The Enemy’s attack will be relentless.  A knight without a breastplate would cower in a battle, much the same as we would cower without righteousness.  Don’t get me wrong.  It isn’t that our righteousness gives us boldness.  It doesn’t.  Boldness comes from God.  It is our sin that causes doubt and fear that can supersede boldness.

Therefore, we must arm ourselves with righteousness in order to unapologetically stand our ground and march where we are called to march.

Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®,
© Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation
Used by permission." (http://www.lockman.org/)