TRUE DISCIPLESHIP IS ACTION!

Good day dear friends.
Here is our study guide for today:
Friday: Mark 1, 2, 3People sometimes call Mark “the Gospel of action.” As you read these opening chapters, consider why this phrase seems appropriate.
Any sharing of the Gospel requires action. One must hear, receive, accept, believe, and live the "Good News." To live the good news means a complete life change and a move from inaction to action as was evidenced by the folks in Mark's gospel.
Mark shares how John the Baptist comes with a message of action. He calls people to repent of their sins, to come forward and admit that, and be baptized publicly so that they could live lives that showed they belonged to God. As he proclaims the coming of Christ he tells of what Christ was to do. Then Mark introduces Jesus and He comes with a call for people to follow Him! Once they follow, they are taught and sent to do good works for the sake of God's kingdom.
To sit in a pew Sunday after Sunday for one hour is NOT discipleship. Sure it counts if you truly worship and glorify God and ask God to bless you and cleanse you of your sins, but to leave the church and do nothing that even resembles your being a disciple is NOT discipleship. To serve on a committee to vote and make decisions is NOT discipleship either. One has to go beyond voting and deciding, to doing something that blesses the kingdom of God. One must share the good news and invite others to come and learn about God through Jesus.
PRAYER: Lord, fill our churches with the desire to do what your gospel asks. Make us uncomfortable beyond that which we can stand so that we will at last do something that helps rescue the perishing. I ask this for myself, my church, my family, and others in Jesus' Name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
e.v.

WE CHOOSE ANYONE BUT JESUS!

Good day dear friends.
Here is our study guide for today:
Thursday: Matthew 26, 27, 28From Matthew 27, describe the various responses of persons and groups to Jesus in his crucifixion.
The death of Jesus was caused by you and me. We sometimes sell Jesus out for the highest bidder. And it isn't necessarily for money all the time. We all have a little bit of Judas in us; we hold on to Jesus while the going's good, but if we hit some turbulence or find ourselves in a rough spot, we sell Jesus for "thirty pieces of silver." Then there are the times we ask Jesus the hard question, "Who are you really?" We know. We've heard. But we haven't received, so we ask and we ask. We sometimes sound like questioning children, who have heard the answer but keep asking anyway. But unlike children we have no excuse for still asking and not doing. And then we ask for anyone but Jesus. We may be hurting or we may be confused and saddened, and we know Jesus is the answer, but we ask, "Is there anybody else out there?" We become just like the crowd on that day, they could have chosen Jesus, but they chose the more popular, the most reckless, the most wild man they could find, the thief, upriser, rebel Barrabas. And in so letting him loose, we imprison ourselves.
PRAYER: Lord, you know better than I, that many have been the times I have been guilty of all the above. Forgive me and love me. Help me to choose You above all else today in all that I say, think, and do. I pray in Your precious Name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
e.v.

JOYFUL OBEDIENCE

Good day dear friends.
Please keep Bilha Alegria, of Nashville, TN, in your prayers. She underwent painful surgery to have her achilles heel tendon reconnected. As you can imagine recovery has been quite painful.
Here is our study guide for today:
Tuesday: Matthew 21, 22, 23List the questions addressed to Jesus in Matthew 21 and 22. What seems to be behind the various questions?
The various questions asked of Jesus resemble some that we ask from time to time of Him as well. Who are You? Who gave You authority over my life? Why have You made some of the claims You have made? Can You really do the things You claim?
We know or should know from personal experience Who Jesus is and what He is about. We know or should know His power and authority. We know or should know the good He has come to bring into our lives if we let Him. And we should know Him as Lord and Savior of our lives.
PRAYER: Come, Lord Jesus today, now, into my heart and life. Let the special holy days approaching have more meaning and significance in those areas where materialism and greed have for so long had a hold. Set me free for joyful obedience, I pray in Your name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
e.v.

THE PURPOSE OF THE MESSIAH

Good Sunday everyone.
Here is our study guide for today:
Sunday: Matthew 15, 16, 17What is the significance, as you see it, in Jesus’ predicting his crucifixion just after Peter has recognized him as the Christ?
Prayer Time: Here are some elements in my own personality that I want to bring prayerfully before God daily:
Peter, like us, does not yet recognize the fullness of God's plan. The Messiah would be He who would die for our sins. Peter sees the Messiah as one who would fulfill the dreams and desires of Israel as a nation in a political sense. Jesus came in a spiritual sense to bring us the fullness of life now and the promise of life eternal.
How do you see Jesus?
PRAYER: Lord God, let me see Jesus as my Lord and Savior, as He who loved me, like You, so much that He gave His body and blood for me. Let me live my life in a way that give You glory. Amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
e.v.

WHAT'S YOUR PRICE?

Good day dear friends.
Please be in prayer for our brother Don Smith. Don recently underwent surgery and awaits more on November 28th. Don reports his wife Helena is declining rapidly. Pray also for the survivors of the cyclone in Bangladesh. Pray for the families that have been affected by this natural disaster. Also, the tv reported that "Mr. Whiffle" played by Dick Wilson, died.
Here is our study guide for today:
Tuesday: Matthew 3, 4How would you compare the temptations of Jesus in the wilderness with temptations any Christian might experience?
Someone once said we can all be bought; it's just a matter of knowing our price. What's your price? Another way of stating that is to ask what would we do if we found ourselves in desperate need, for instance hunger? Most would say, well, for me I could go days without eating and I would be all right, but if it was my child, I would do almost anything to make sure that my child gets fed. The first temptation of Christ in the wilderness was that of hunger. Jesus fasted for forty days and forty nights. At the end of that time he found himself completely hungry. Satan comes along and tempts him with Jesus' own power. Satan recognized Who Jesus was and what he was capable of, and so says, knowing full well He was, "If you are the son of God, turn these stones to bread." The rocks in that region look like the bread of Jesus' day and to be hungry and to have a morsal of bread would be enough to sustain one. This was not Jesus' price. Jesus responds how important it is to be fed by the word of God. Those forty days Jesus spend "nourishing" himself on the word of God and in prayer with God.
The second temptation of Christ was that of trusting and tempting God. Jesus was taken to His Father's House and then told to jump, again with the temptation "If you are the son of God, throw yourself down. You know God's angels will protect you." How much or how far do you trust God is the question. And is it necessary to prove that? The answer of course is no. One lives one's life trusting God but not by tempting God or putting God to the test. We are called to live responsible lives, yes at times risking to do God's will, but it is not God's will to throw yourself down from a high place just to prove that God will take care of you.
The last tempation of Christ in the wilderness was that of power and influence. This time Satan doesn't question Jesus' Sonship, but he does say that he will give to Jesus all the kingdoms of the world (and that makes you wonder, does Satan control them or is he just doing what he normally does - lie?) if Jesus would bow down and worship him. Would you worship Satan to gain earthly possessions and power? I heard a podcast last night where the commentator said while leaving Dallas to return home he saw a huge billboard advertising a church and besides no mention of God or Jesus on it, the biggest word on the ad was the word "success." He went on to say, "Forget about putting Christ back into Christmas, put Christ back into Christianity!" Sadly, a lot of folks forget about Christ and His worship, to worship at the feet of power and prestige. What's your price?
The price of Jesus was to pay our price. The price of our sinfulness. All that He endured and suffered was because He knew your price and mine. And He paid it.
PRAYER: Loving God, help me this day be a person of faith, who is fed by You, protected and guided by You, and blessed by You. Let me seek to worship You today in all ways. I pray this in the Name of He who paid my price, Jesus my Lord. Amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
e.v.

THE NEW TESTAMENT!

Good day dear friends. We're in the New Testament!
Here is the study guide for today:
Monday: Matthew 1, 2
How often in these two chapters and for what reasons does the writer refer to the Hebrew scriptures?
Matthew is the first gospel. Most scholars do not believe it was the first gospel written, but placed there by the wisdom of church fathers and mothers as the gospel that introduces Jesus to the church. Some believe Matthew was written primarily for Jewish Christians and thus uses a lot of references to Hebrew (Old Testament) Scriptures. For fun, compare the family trees of Jesus in Matthew with those shared in Luke's Gospel. Matthew stresses the Jewish roots of Jesus and goes back to Abraham. Where does Luke take Jesus? Watch also for the prophetic formula, that which Matthew employs to say "in this Jesus fulfilled Hebrew (OT) prophecy." (See verse 23).
Matthew also found it proper that the Son of God should be visited by royalty. Early versions of his gospel employ the word "King" thus the hymn, "We Three Kings." They're also called the Magi, wise men, or as this version calls them "scholars." Where do we find the visit of shepherds?
PRAYER: Loving God for all for which we are thankful, we are most thankful for Your gift of Jesus Christ for us. May we count Him as the first for which we give thanks this week. I pray in Jesus' Name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
e.v.

KILLING BABIES, KISSING GOLDEN CALVES

Good day dear friends.
Please remember Billy Hardesty in your prayers this morning. I was able to pray with her just as she was to be taken into surgery at Seton in Austin. Thanks to an Emmaus brother at my 6:30 am reunion group, I was reminded she was to undergo surgery and so I left at 6:30 and got to the surgery area at 7:37, nothing like early morning Austin traffic! She's in great spirits and we pray the Lord grant the doctors and she a victory in Christ' Name.
Here is our study guide for today:
Thursday: Hosea 13, 14What about this book have you found most appealing? What is its dominant characteristic?
I don't know what it is about golden calves and their attraction. I've shared before that one of my childhood highlights of traveling from Kingsville to the Valley was the drive on Highway 281 as it turned the corner through Edinburg at the Golden Jersey Creamery. And yes, true to their name (and what were they thinking?) they had a golden cafe above the doorway leading into their building. Once we saw that marvel we knew we were close to our aunt's house. The calf now sits, or it did the last time I walked through the Edinburg Historical Museum. You could not, in those days, convince me that that calf was not a relation to the one Moses had to put up with in the desert.
How often do we go back to that which we know we shouldn't? If you've tried giving up that habit you know is bad for you and those around you, it's very tough to quit. If it's a channel on cable that you know you shouldn't be watching because of the negative influence it has on your life, you still pause there when you're channel surfing. It seems this was the case with the people of Israel as Hosea is trying to share with them what God wanted for their lives.
The saddest thing to read is from the Subject/Title for today: They kill babies, and they kiss golden calves." That pretty much sums up how lost and how far down they had gone. To kill a living, precious child, and then show devotion to a graven image. That's a serious indictment of where they were.
What's the indictment against us? What have we killed when we should have given life? Have we used a negative or hurtful word against someone when we know we should be using our energy and time praying for that person? Where have we shown our devotion? To the living God or to the idol of idle time, such as gossip, slander, half-truths, etc?
The lesson being taught to the people of Israel should be the lesson we need to be taught as well. God is still our God and He loves us and wants us all to turn away from the things that "kill, steal, and destroy" and turn our whole lives back to the fullness of life.
PRAYER: God of life, bring me back to life and that in its fullness. Lead me away from the things that kill, steal or destroy. I ask this in Jesus' Name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
e.v.

MISS KITTY'S CHARACTER?

Good day dear friends.
Our sister, Billy Hardesty from FUMCSM, is to undergo surgery on Thursday morning in Austin. Please keep her in prayer.
Here is our study guide for today:
Tuesday: Hosea 7, 8, 9Work out a short description of the soul of Israel as revealed in Hosea’s word in these three chapters.
"Gunsmoke" was one of the most popular series of its time. Some churches rearranged their evening worship hours to accommodate people's viewing preferences. I have to admit I never thought much about who or what Miss Kitty was in this much-loved television show. I thought, being a child at the time and quite honestly not giving that show much thought since it either went off the air or I lost interest in it, that she was a friendly lady who handed out little glasses of tea (at least that's what my mother said they could only serve on television) to thirsty customers. That she had many rooms upstairs made me think she also ran a hotel. I thought quite innocently that she was Marshall Dillon's girlfriend. And she might have been, along with all the others, as was being discussed on a radio show that I was listening to on the car yesterday as I returned home from a meeting in San Antonio. Hmmm. Miss Kitty was a ...? No! Well, maybe.
Hosea was called by God to live a sermon. God asked him to marry a prostitute and this was to live out what God was experiencing with the unfaithfulness of God's people towards God. Gomer, Hosea's wife, was inclined to give or sell her body to whomever she chose, and God told Hosea that's the way these my people are acting and living. Instead of the faithfulness that I seek, they are seeking only after their own pleasure. Your job is to live this sermon so that people will see how foolish their lives are, have been, and will be, if they don't turn back to me!
The short description of Israel's soul can be a description of ours. We seek that which pleases us and sometimes we don't even worry or consider the cost. The cost is an alientation from God and if we're not careful that can be an eternal decision.
PRAYER: Loving God help me to come to my senses about You and about me. Let me seek Thee in all ways. Let my life glorify You. I ask this in Christ Jesus' precious Name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
e.v.

HOW DO YOU SHARE FAITH WITH YOURS?

Good day dear friends.
Please keep Jim Scarborough in your prayers. Doctors have discovered he has prostate cancer and he asks for our prayers in determining his treatment and all that is before him. He also asks prayers for his wife, Jane, as she stands beside him during this time. May the Lord bring him complete healing!
Here is today's study guide. The Scriptures will follow a devotional thought:
Monday: Hosea 4, 5, 6Outline the people’s case, and God’s answers, in Hosea 6.
Last week I shared a devotional based on training up a child, etc. And this past weekend while driving in Austin I saw a "typical" Austin car, the kind with more bumper stickers than you can count, let alone read. Well, one of them jumped out at me for it read: National Atheist's Day, November 4th. I shared that thought with the congregation in our Contemporary service and one gentleman asked, "Are they still around?" I said I would not ask for a show of hands and my thought that atheists were not liked because since they don't have to go to church they're always first in line at Luby's. Well, I came home and wondered what information I could find about this national day for nonbelievers and Google revealed that the "real" day for atheists is April 1st, because "the fool says in his/her heart there is no god" and realized that that was not very nice nor true. But I found nothing on any celebrations or anything closely related to a national atheist day. But when I opened the NY Times Sunday magazine I found an interesting article on Antony Flew, a noted British philosopher, who at the age of 27 read a paper he had written called "Theology and Falsification." He read this paper at C. S. Lewis' Socratic Club and from that date in 1950 til the recent few years was noted for being a nonbeliever. He wrote several books that became the intellectual standards for atheists. All from the mind and hand of the son of a Methodist minister, who decided during his teens that he would rebel against dad by becoming a nonbeliever.
It turns out that a new book is coming out called "There is a God: How the World's Most Notorious Atheist Changed His Mind." This book is co-authored by Roy Abraham Varghese, a noted Christian apologist. It seems now Flew is convinced that there can be scientific proof for explaining God. Flew was changed from nonbeliever to believer by seeing that the "fine tuning" of the laws of nature are too perfect to have been the result of an accident as well as the "intelligent design" argument that human biology cannot be explained by evolution to various computations mean to show that probability favors a devine creator. Some believe that "There is a God" is perhaps the handiest primer shared with society on the science of religious belief.
Nellie and I discussed the article and wondered how Antony Flew, now 81, and his father ended their life. Did "Tony" and Dad have a discussion prior to the parson's death about faith and the lack thereof? Was there forgiveness needed to be shared by either person and if so, was it shared? The article goes on to say that Tony won't be singing in any church's choir for he still rejects Christianity and the God of the Jews, Muslims, and Christians. He doesn't accept Jesus as God, etc., but to have come this far in his journey still is a victory, in a sense, for believers. And certainly a reinforcement of that verse that does say, "Train up a child in the way he or she should go, and when he/she is old s/he will not depart from it." Proverbs 22:6 (Revised Standard Version)
PRAYER: Living God, we thank You for this day. I pray that as the day progresses I would show through my words, actions and thoughts to those around me the faith that I have in You. I especially pray for the "little ones" in my life that need my witness. Make my faith stronger, for I ask this in Jesus' Name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
e.v.

OUR EXAMPLE FOR OUR CHILDREN

Good day dear friends.
Here is today's text (and by the way, there was no University of The Way this week in order to allow you to catch up on your readings!):
Proverbs 22:6 Train children in the right way, and when old, they will not stray.
All of my children make me proud, but I was especially proud of Carli, who is on the road this week in Houston, recruiting students for Texas Lutheran University. Prior to her visit to my alma mater, James Madison High School (yes, home of UT's Vince Young), she went by to see my dad and then told him she was going to go and buy lunch for the two of them. After the school fair, for lunch she went and bought food for the two of them. My dad called just to say how Carli had made his day and how happy he was. My dad lives alone and is paralyzed on his left side. A once active, strong man, a stroke left him in this way. He is very lonely and misses my mom terribly. He looks forward to "going home" and being with the Lord and with Mom. He appreciates all visits. Carli making time to be with her grandpa made me very proud.
The Bible makes an incredible promise that if we "train children in the right way," when they are old, they will not stray. I suppose most of us know it from the Revised Standard Version, "6 Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it." The key word is train. Our children learn from example and ours is the best teaching one available. Didn't you want to be just like your dad or mom? And didn't you enjoy the day when you realized that mom and dad weren't so dumb after all, they did know what they were talking about?
The "right way" is the way of the Lord. If your child sees that Christ and His church matter to you, it will matter to them. If you child hears positive comments about those who work for the Lord, they will have positive comments about them too. You will shape their perspectives and perceptions about life for the better. The list goes on: Is Sunday school a priority for you? If tithing something you've already trained your children about? We sat next to a cute little girl in church on Sunday and her mother gave her a dollar to place in the plate as it came around. The little girl hesitated and the mom held the girl's hand and showed her that now is the time and here is the place to give.
PRAYER: Loving God, for the precious gifts of children we are thankful. For the gift of knowing the right way, the way to life, we are thankful as well. May we continue to set the example for others in all that we say, think, and do. We ask this in Jesus' Name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
e.v.

GOD CRIED FIRST

Good day dear friends.
Here is the text for today: 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; teach and admonish one another in all wisdom; and with gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God. Colossians 3:16 NRSV).
Every Sunday or Monday, I try to go over all the prayer cards and visitor's cards. As I am sorting through them I am silently praying for every member and visitor. When I have a pile of member cards with prayer requests I take these and all visitors' cards and go to the altar to pray. I pray for each person by name and by listed need. Some of the names later appear on our prayer list, some are listed just for the pastors to pray over. Yesterday one told of a young couple's loss of an unborn child, so I prayed for them and I made a note to visit them last evening, which I did.
It is a devastating thing to lose a child as many in the church know from personal experience. Nellie and I know that experience personally, as does our daughter Sarai and our son-in-law, Eric. I visited this couple in their home and we both shared the sadness that comes with such an unexpected loss. And the thing that spoke to me was that the mom as this was happening remembered a sermon in which I had said, "God cried first." It was a reference to a story by William Sloan Coffin on the death of his son in a tragic accident in New York City. He was the pastor of Riverside Church, a large interdenominational church, and he had also been chaplain at Yale University, and he had many that came to try to comfort him and one particular woman said that it was God's will for this loss. Rev. Coffin said, "Madam, it was not God's will for my son to go and drink excessively. Nor was it God's will for him to get behind the wheel of a car. And it was not God's will for him to drive off that pier and into the water, but I do know that God's heart was the first to break and God was the first to cry when my son died."
This loss of the unborn child happened on the night the cold front came in, with wind and rain, and every drop of the rain reminded this mom of God's tears for us. Such is the wonderful, eternal love of God for you and me.
PRAYER: Loving God thank You for your love and the many ways You speak to us. Comfort those who are crying and mourning. Bring Your peace into every heart that turns to You. We ask it in Jesus' Name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
e.v.

BLESSED ARE THE MEEK...

Good morning dear friends. We are supposed to be going through The Bible in 52 weeks, mas o menos, and now it will be mas. The Children's Sabbath allowed us a week to catch up with our readings and this coming Sunday we'll start our trek once again.
This weekend allowed Nellie and I time to visit Caty in Denton and on Sunday we visited her second favorite preacher, Dr. Tony Evans of Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship. Tony is a nationally heard radio preacher and Caty hears him on a regular basis. (I had to remind Caty her favorite preacher is available on-line at our website http://www.fumcsm.org/.)
The text for this particular Sunday was Matthews 5:1 When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. 2 Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying: 3 "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 "Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. 5 "Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship is a huge church. We had to park across the street, busy Camp Wisdom Drive in Oak Cliff. But even the Dallas police officers who help worshippers cross the street are nice and friendly. They act as greeters. Once inside the church we were greeted by all those wearing greeter badges. The ushers counted that we were three and sat us near the front, people gladly scooting down to allow us to sit on "their pews." We arrived at 10:50 a.m. and the music was already in session. It was Pastor and Wife Appreciation Sunday and did they shower them with gifts. Dr. Evans has been there for 31 years and the ministry is a result of God working through his vision for this particular area of Dallas.
Dr. Evans' sermon was the third in a series on The Beatitudes: How to Be Truly Blessed and this Sunday's was the one on meekness. Tony explained that being meek is not about being weak, it is about power under control. Among the many examples he used the NFL soup commercial was the most humorous, about how a huge, powerful man, who is paid to be as mean and tough as he can be, is told by his momma to sit down and eat soup. Tony said that man as he sits to eat his soup is no less mean, tough, fast, powerful than he is on the field, but his power is under control while he relates to his mother. In the same way we should seek to be under God's control to be blessed.
This does not mean we lose our individuality, nor do we lose anything, in fact, putting ourselves under God's authority and direction will bring us God's favor and blessing.
PRAYER: Slow me down enough Lord God, to realize how we need to be under Your authority and direction. Help me to be meek when I should. I ask this in Jesus' Name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
e.v.

LIKE A TREE PLANTED BY THE RIVER'S EDGE

Good morning dear friends.
An update on Rodney: He's home. If you can prepare a meal for him to freeze and use as he recovers please send an email to sslavik@grandecom.net. We thank God for his having been released from the hospital. We ask continued prayers for Aline Roberts, mom to Richard (Karen) Roberts. She is in ICU at Guadalupe Valley Hospital in Seguin.
Here is today's study guide:
Tuesday: Ezekiel 46, 47, 48What is Ezekiel 47 telling us about the role of worship in the life of society?
I don't know why this passage has been on my heart the last couple of days: "Then they (the disciples) left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name (of Jesus). 42 And every day in the temple and at home they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ." Acts 5:41
Ezekiel 47 deals with water and the subtitle for this passage is The Two Trees. It takes a lot of water to sustain a tree and those trees planted alongside a river do best for their roots are able to tap directly into the flowing waters of the river. In the same way the idea of worship is to tap into the flowing waters of life that God offers to us. If we would stop to think of all the blessings that are ours when we go into God's house, we wouldn't have second thoughts about going to worship. If we are thirsty after a rough week and we feel dried out by all that we've encountered, the only place to be renewed and refreshed is in the present of He who give living water. We read this in Jeremiah 17:8 "He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit."
Are you in a spiritual drought or have you been enjoying the blessings of "living waters?" If it's the former, then get back to church. If it's the latter, then rejoice and give thanks for having a place to plug in and be refreshed. If more would come to worship and let God speak to them, we would be living in a different world.
PRAYER: Loving God of living waters, flow fresh into my heart today. Let me know that with You and in You I can find that which refreshes and renews. I pray this in Jesus' Name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
e.v.

LIVING IN GOD

Good day dear friends.
Here's an update on Rodney Swan. He continues to heal. I visited with him late yesterday afternoon and he was ready to come home (in his opinion!). Doctors may release him today. His main worry was what his students in his classes did on Friday! He was also watching the Cowboys on tv so he's coming along. Please continue to pray for his complete recovery.
Here is our study guide for today:
Monday: Ezekiel 43, 44, 45Why do you suppose such strict regulations are laid out for the priests in Ezekiel 44?
There is no room for both God and evil in a person's life. God will not share the space of your heart with anything that is not of His. And this is more true for those whose job it is to worship Him. Ezekiel knew from experience and from recent history that some of the Levite priests left their sacred job of tending to the things of God to become the priests for idol gods. Only the Levite priests who descended from Zadok were to now serve in the most sacred areas of God.
No matter how much we may try to justify our being involved with things that are not of God, the reality is that God will not want to share His sacred space with filth. And if we believe ourselves to be Christian our lives should only be filled with God and the things of God. The job of the priest is to educate and train by example. That is our job as well. Can people know we've been in the presence of God yesterday and today? Can people learn from the way that we live or do we do such a poor job that they learn nothing?
PRAYER: Loving, Holy God, help me to live a holy life. May the words, thoughts, actions of my life reflect my commitment to You. I ask this in Jesus' Name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
e.v.

GOD SEES THINGS THAT CAN BE AND SAYS GET TO WORK!

Good Lord's Day everyone! This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it! I was glad when they said unto me, let us go into the House of the Lord!
May those two Bible verses speak to our souls this Lord's Day. The day was made for Him and we should gather in His house to praise and worship Him!
Update: Rodney Swan is still in the hospital in Austin and he was able to open his eyes a bit late afternoon yesterday. Jessica was sent home and is doing fine. Please keep Rodney in your prayers.
Here is our reading for today:
Sunday: Ezekiel 40, 41, 42Why would the details of the Temple be so significant to Ezekiel’s audience?
Those who love the Lord seek to be in relationship with Him all the time. And to those who love the Lord and are in relationship with Him receive from God visions of what can be. Usually these concern His church, for God loves His church and wants the best for those who make up the church, represented in this first vision in chapter 40 by the building of the Temple. God presents a vision and with it comes the question, "why not?" This becomes hard for those who don't know the Lord to say, "we've never done it that way before, why would we change now?" Or the most classic form of that, "this is the way we've always done it before, why change now?" And sadly this is also the way some folks see their own lives. "I can't be any better, I've tried!" Wrong! "I don't see where what I've done or the way I've lived is wrong." Wrong again! "God couldn't possibly want me!" Wrong still again!
God's vision for us is to keep bettering ourselves and to take "God-risks" letting God have His way and His say in our lives and in the lives of our churches. See the vision of God reaching all people. Receive the vision of God changing you!
PRAYER: Loving God of all possibilities, thank you for the vision that You will share in my life for myself and for my church. Help me not be limit Your power but to receive what You have shown as the things that can be. I ask this in the Name of He who can do all things, Jesus my Lord, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord in the Lord's House!
e.v.

LOOKING FOR GOD IN ALL THE WRONG PLACES

Good day dear friends.
Here is our study guide for today:
Monday: Ezekiel 23, 24, 25The language in Ezekiel 23 is direct and explicit. Draw from it a description of the apostasy and faithlessness of Israel and Judah addressed in this allegory.
I doublechecked the language in the New Revised Standard Version with The Message version, and they're both pretty much alike. It is very explicit language and with a reason. God's anger in his message comes through about Samaria and Jerusalem's behavior when it comes to God. Instead of being faithful to God they have become like slaves to sex in their worship of idols and other false gods. They even have gone so far as to sacrifice children to appease their idol worship. None of this was acceptable to God. All went against what God expected from His children.
To be faithless to God is a serious offense even today. We know of His love for us yet we go seeking love, as the songs says, in all the wrong places. And to quote yet another song (I'm on a roll today!) we end up looking in low places. Ours is a higher calling. Ours is to follow Heaven. And what do we do? We follow the here and now and the instant gratification. We know little of sacrifice, patience, and obedience. We seldom think in spiritual terms any more. And we pay the price.
PRAYER: Living God, remind me again and again of the things that are Yours. Remind me that I am Yours and should live my life in that way. Help me to be a light and beacon to others about You. I ask this in Jesus' Name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
e.v.

A LIFE LIVED IN LOVE

Good day dear friends.
Here is today's study guide:
Thursday: Jeremiah 46, 47, 48, 49What consistent elements, if any, do you find in these judgments upon the several Gentile nations?
The consistent element in God's message to all the Gentile ("godless" in this version) was the same: You're being judged for your transgressions against others. You've preyed on the weak and helpless and you do it for your own personal, selfish gain.
God is the God of all nations and people. God's message is the same today as it was yesterday: Love others as you love yourself. And this means treat them in that way, a way of love. Sadly, when it comes to nations and power, they tend to exercise that against others for greed and gain.
How do you treat others? How do you treat those members of your family? Are you known as a loving person? Or are you agressive and prideful and selfish? God's call for us all it to live a life of love.
PRAYER: Loving God, forgive me for my sins. Forgive me those times that I've trespassed against others. Help me this day live a life of love. I ask this in Jesus' name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day!
e.v.

TRUE WORSHIP

Good day dear friends. Let me say how much I appreciate you and your willingness to get deeper into God's Word. It has been a difficult journey for some to even understand The Message version (and yes, the translator's choice of some words have disturbed even me!), but I thank God for you and your willingness to be a student of the most precious word there is, and that is the love letter from God to you and me.
If you like a particular devotion, please forward it to a friend. And if you get someone to subscribe to ConCafe, it won't hurt my feelings. It's up to us to awaken the sleeping giant that is the Christian nation, too comfortable in their sleeping and inactivity; imagine what would happen if all of God's people prayed and lived His Word!
Here is our study guide for today:
Wednesday: Ezekiel 7, 8, 9, 10Ezekiel 8 tell’s one of Ezekiel’s dramatic visionary experiences. What connection do see between Ezekiel’s extraordinary visions and the circumstance of his ministry in exile?
Imagine the holiest place you can and then imagine arriving there and finding all that had once made it such a holy place is now the exact opposite. And imagine yourself standing up and speaking against it. You would find that your message to those in that once holy place would be unwelcomed and ridiculed. You would soon find yourself outside that holy place and standing somewhere else.
Ezekiel saw in his vision exactly what had happened to The Temple. The once majestic symbol of Israel's faith and might had now been turned into a worship place for Asherah, the sex goddess, whose religious "practice" attracted so many. In another part of the Temple Ezekiel finds paintings on the walls of reptiles and animals and monsters as worshiped by the Egyptians. And he found men worshiping them. And these God called the "elders." He also found a woman weeping for another goddess. And then he found men worshiping the sun.
Are you shocked? Would you be shocked to know that some people have quit worshiping God and started "worshiping" other things while in worship services? Their minds distracted, they cannot focus or center themselves on God, instead they fret and worry about what they should be doing. Others think of places they could be and soon leave the worship of God to be out in the "worship" of sun, surf, etc. You might argue that this is not to be compared with the terrible atrocities being committed by the so-called people of God, but what is the difference? If we're there in body but not in mind and spirit, then we're not truly in worship. God deserves and wants our full attention and devotion. What are you going to do this coming Sunday?
PRAYER: Loving Father, let me center myself completely in You today and all days. Let my days in church be days where I do worship You in spirit and truth. Let those days be days when You truly speak to me and my life and help me be the person You want. I ask this in Jesus' precious and mighty name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
e.v.

AN EXAMPLE FOR OTHERS

Good day dear friends.
Here is our study guide for today:
Tuesday: Ezekiel 4, 5, 6In what sense was Jerusalem “in the center of the nations” (Ezekiel 5:5)?
The people of God were called to be a nation of priests. They were called to be a "light to all nations," never to be one like all the rest. Their lives, their worship, their manner of dealings with others, was to be an example of what it means to be a nation of God, ruled by God, and guided by Him. Jerusalem as their capital was to be the "center of all nations" so that in the capital city they could see the leaders, the chief priests, the leading citizens doing what it was that those who belong to God do.
But it was not that way. Jerusalem became just like all the cities of the world, lost, misguided, sinful.
You and I when we became Christians were called to be like those original people of God; an example to others, not like the others. We are to be the salt and light to others, having the positive impact on our neighbors, coworkers, relatives and friends, not the other way around. Sadly, quite too often, we give in and say, what's the use, I'll just be like everybody else. No one will ever see a better way to live in us, because we've given up and we live just like those who don't know Christ.
PRAYER: Loving Jesus, let me live like You and may You be seen in me. Give me strength to hold on and to be like You in all things. May others see in me a better way to live! I pray this in Your precious name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
e.v.

YOUR CALL FROM GOD

Good day dear friends.
I'm sorry I was not able to send ConCafes for this weekend. While at the Leadership Institute I did not have internet access at the hotel where we stayed. But that's another story. To continue to read your scriptures online, please visit bibleresources.bible.com, type in the requested scriptures, then the version you prefer (The one I use to these devotionals is The Message). The scriptures for Friday thru Sunday were Jeremiah 50, 51, 52; Lamentations 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.
Here is today's study guide:
Monday: Ezekiel 1, 2, 3Compare Ezekiel’s call in Ekekiel 1-3 with those of (Isaiah 6) and Jeremiah (Jeremiah 1
Ezekiel experienced a call a bit different from Jeremiah, but still a call. Ezekiel had a vision of a creature with four heads, wheels, domes, and other remarkable and extraordinary things. But he summed it up as being the Glory of God. For our understanding, Ezekiel is saying that he had seen Heaven on earth or the purity and sacredness of God was so awesome, there is no other way to explain it. This also shows up when Jesus is transfigured in front of three of his disciples in Matthew 17.
Ezekiel is a 30 yr. old priest already in the service of God, but God calls him to be a prophet. He tells him up front that Israel has become the most rebellious people God has ever seen. God also says that they might not listen to him, but his job is still to proclaim the message of God in spite of what the people do.
You and I were called at our baptism, to do something for God. It was our entrance into the Body of Christ and to be a part of the Body means we have been given a special role and responsibility to do something for God. Yesterday in my sermon I mentioned that it might just be a word of encouragement to a co-worker, or a loving invitation to them to come with you to worship. That small simple act might be a life-saving, life-changing event in the life of your friend or loved one.
PRAYER: Lord, help me to accept Your call today. Open my eyes and mouth to help me share what You would. May I seek to be obedience in all ways. I pray this in Jesus' Name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
e.v.