★ Thought for the Day – Overcoming Adversity Through Sacrifice – Part 6B ★

Today we recognize Labor Day in the United States, to celebrate the achievements of workers.  It is apropos to today’s “worker” for Jesus Christ who we will be unpacking.  In the last post, ★ Thought for the Day – Overcoming Adversity Through Service – Part 6A ★ we were introduced to Phillip and Stephen who were the first deacons in the early church.  They were described as being full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, appointed to help solve a food distribution problem between the Greek and Hebrew widows (see Acts 6:1-5).  These two men were the continuation of the Overcoming Adversity Series that we have been in about the Men and Women who consistently chased after God.  Phillip and Stephen modeled a life of Service and Sacrifice.  

At the end of this post I have listed all the posts thus far from the series but if you want to read them all in order, then just click here.  In the post, we focused primarily on Phillip who Overcame Adversity Through Service, and went from the bread line to the front line after the persecution of the Early Church, being God’s messenger to the long hated, and ostracized Samaritans.  He is an example for us that when we take time to meet people’s physical needs as Phillip did, they will be more open to listen to the truth about Jesus, who is the only One who can meet their spiritual needs.  Today we will look at Stephen who is our paragon of Overcoming Adversity Through Sacrifice.  Now this one may be a little tougher to receive than the past (6) posts because Stephen did not reach the other side of adversity as we would all choose to make it.  For those not familiar with this great man of the early church, brace yourself.  In Acts 6:8-10 (NLT) we get a little insight into the man:

“Stephen, a man full of God’s grace and power, performed amazing miracles and signs among the people. But one day some men from the Synagogue of Freed Slaves, as it was called, started to debate with him. They were Jews from Cyrene, Alexandria, Cilicia, and the province of Asia. None of them could stand against the wisdom and the Spirit with which Stephen spoke.”

Like Phillip, we first met Stephen in the previous (7) verses of Acts Chapter 6 as a solution to a food distribution problem that arose in the early church between the Hebrew-speaking widows and the Greek-speaking widows (or Hellenists), see Acts 6:1.  Now Luke, the author of the Book of Acts is taking us into a deep dive into Stephen who “full of God’s grace and power, [who] performed amazing miracles and signs among the people,” and who “none [who opposed Stephen] could stand against the wisdom and the Spirit with which Stephen spoke.”  That is an impressive resume to say the least!  No doubt the Lord’s blessing was upon him but something to keep in mind is that just because you are a Christian does not mean that you will not experience trouble and storms of life.  In fact, oftentimes because you are a believer in Jesus you will face persecution.

In James 1:2-4 (NLT), the half-brother of Jesus gives this warning:

“Dear brothers and sisters, WHEN troubles of any kind come your way, CONSIDER it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that WHEN your faith is tested, YOUR ENDURANCE has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for WHEN your endurance is fully developed, YOU WILL be perfect and complete, needing nothing.”  (Emphasis added.)

Notice all the “WHENs,” NOT IFs.

• WHEN troubles of any kind come your way…
• WHEN your faith is tested…
• WHEN your endurance is fully developed…

Those are some some promised challenges ahead of every Christ follower but then there are some wonderful promises for those who persevere through the opposition:

• …CONSIDER it an opportunity for great joy.
• …YOUR ENDURANCE has a chance to grow.
• …YOU WILL be perfect and complete, needing nothing.

So, if you think that being a Christian = No problems, I am sorry to burst your bubble, and tell you that it just does not line up with the Bible as we are about to see in Acts 6:11-15 (NLT).  Stephen, a man of God through no fault of his own is about to be thrust into a significant storm of life:

“So they persuaded some men to lie about Stephen, saying, “We heard him blaspheme Moses, and even God.” This roused the people, the elders, and the teachers of religious law. So they arrested Stephen and brought him before the high council. The lying witnesses said, “This man is always speaking against the holy Temple and against the law of Moses. We have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy the Temple and change the customs Moses handed down to us.” At this point everyone in the high council stared at Stephen, because his face became as bright as an angel’s.”

This is a good reminder that you can do everything right and yet still go through hard times.  It is amazing that Stephen is arrested and in chapter 7 will be on trial before the highest religious court he could face but yet in Acts 6:15 it says, “his face became as bright as an angel’s.” David Guzik had this commentary on Acts 6:15:

“Stephen’s face did not have that mild, soft, angelic look that we see in so many paintings; nor was it a look of stern judgment and wrath. Instead, his face reflected the perfect peace and confidence of one that knows and trusts his God. His face had the same reflected glory that Moses had as he beheld God intimately.” (See Exodus 34:29).

May we all face persecution as Stephen, reflecting “the perfect peace and confidence of one that knows and trusts his God!”  In the post, ★ Thought for the Day – Opposition Will Come ★ I shared that opposition WILL come against you as a result of being a Christian.  Being associated with Jesus is going to cost you.  Anyone who tells you otherwise is peddling a false Christianity.  At the time of this post, the ministry Open Doors USA had these startling statistics on their website of the cost Christians around the world were experiencing for their faith in Jesus: 

In just the last year*, there have been: 

• • Over 340 million Christians living in places where they experience high levels of persecution and discrimination.
  • 4,761 Christians killed for their faith.
  • 4,488 churches and other Christian buildings attacked.
  • 4,277 believers detained without trial, arrested, sentenced or imprisoned.

* 2021 World Watch List reporting period.

In American, most Christians will never face this level of Opposition or to pay the ultimate sacrifice of their life to share the hope of Jesus to the lost people but these statistics of the persecution of believers should:

1. Open our eyes that the Christian life is not an easy path.
2. Motivate us to move out of our comfort zones…from complacency to conviction.   

Stephen is without a doubt a man who did not choose the easy path but was convicted to share the hope of Jesus.  In Acts 7:1-2a (NLT)

“Then the high priest asked Stephen, “Are these accusations true?” This was Stephen’s reply: “Brothers and fathers, listen to me.””

I will stop there because instead of defending himself and instantly saying “of course not, they are lying about me,” Stephen goes into a dissertation of the history of the Jewish people from the calling of Abram, the life of Abraham, Issac, and Jacob.  Jacobs’ (12) sons, Joseph’s sale into slavery and eventual rise to Pharaohs’ Palace.  The Egyptian slavery of the Jews, the rise of Moses and eventual exodus from Egypt to the (40) years in the wilderness.  The Ten Commandments, and the Tabernacle being carried through the wilderness and then into the Promised Land under Joshua where it stayed until King David.  David wanted to build the Temple, but it was actually Solomon who was given the privilege.  All of this was covered in see Acts 7:2b-50.  Stephen then closes with an indictment of his own in Acts 7:51-53 against the religious elite:

““You stubborn people! You are heathen at heart and deaf to the truth. Must you forever resist the Holy Spirit? That’s what your ancestors did, and so do you! Name one prophet your ancestors didn’t persecute! They even killed the ones who predicted the coming of the Righteous One—the Messiah whom you betrayed and murdered. You deliberately disobeyed God’s law, even though you received it from the hands of angels.””

I pray that if I were even in a tight spot like Stephen that I would have such boldness to speak the truth without fear and with boldness!!  And though the Message was not received well, (as one would expect, see Acts 7:54), look at the reward that he receives by this Testimony in Acts 7:55-56 (NLT)…

“But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed steadily into heaven and saw the glory of God, and he saw Jesus standing in the place of honor at God’s right hand. And he told them, “Look, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing in the place of honor at God’s right hand!””

What an honor to receive from the Lord!  I cannot even imagine what that would be like, to glimpse into Heaven and see the glory of God and Jesus on the throne!  I think that shows how beloved Stephen was to God, and He was signaling to him that the way Stephen was going to overcome this adversity was through sacrifice as Acts 7:57-60 (NLT) shows:

“Then they put their hands over their ears and began shouting. They rushed at him and dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. His accusers took off their coats and laid them at the feet of a young man named Saul. As they stoned him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” He fell to his knees, shouting, “Lord, don’t charge them with this sin!” And with that, he died.”

How heart-wrenching to be stoned to death and yet to have the presence of mind to pray “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” And then to shout, “Lord, don’t charge them with this sin!” Wow, that is incredible.  His last words are reminiscent of Jesus’ recorded in Luke 23:34a (NLT)…

“Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.””

I think that Stephen received an unbelievable gift of peace to not only pray as he was pelted with stones, but to also pray for those who were persecuting him and literally killed him in the next breath!  Stephen was one the first Deacons of the early church, and now he is recorded as the first martyr for the Lord Jesus Christ!  It is sad to see according to the statistics from the Open Doors USA ministry that Stephen certainly was not the last to be executed for his faith, but his sacrifice is not forgotten and should be an encouragement to us to keep working to build the kingdom of God!   

Stay tuned for the next post in our series…

 

★ ★ ★ DIG DEEPER ★ ★ ★

• ★ Thought for the Day – Opposition Will Come ★  

Here is the previous post to our Overcoming Adversity Series:

• ★ Thought for the Day – Overcoming Adversity Through Character ★
• ★ Thought for the Day – Overcoming Adversity through Faith – Part 2 ★

• ★ Thought for the Day – Overcoming Adversity Through Perseverance – Part 3 ★

• ★ Thought for the Day – Overcoming Adversity Through Loyalty – Part 4 ★

• ★ Thought for the Day – Overcoming Adversity Through Courage – Part 5 ★

 

★ Thought for the Day – Overcoming Adversity Through Service – Part 6A ★

If you can believe it, I started this right before Memorial Day, (May 31, 2021) and for some reason never finished it.  I had planned to tie this post into the day that we honor those men and women who have given their lives in service to our country.  With the recent events at the Kabul Airport, where a suicide bomber killed 13 U.S. Service Members (8/26/21) it seemed appropriate to return to the post.  Even though it is is three months later, I still want to thank those who given the ultimate sacrifice as Jesus said in John 15:13 (NIV):

“Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”

It got me thinking about our series about the men and women in scripture who consistently chased after God, and how two men who Overcame Adversity Through Service and Sacrifice came to mind…

Phillip and Stephen may not be on the top of your list, or perhaps you may not even know who they are, but that is precisely the point.  People whose sole desire is to serve do not look for glory or to make a name for themselves as is the case with our overcomers today.  Phillip and Stephen faithfully worked in the background building the Kingdom of God.  By the way, since it has been a while since I have posted about the series, here is a quick rundown what we have covered so far:

• ★ Thought for the Day – Overcoming Adversity Through Character ★
• ★ Thought for the Day – Overcoming Adversity through Faith – Part 2 ★
• ★ Thought for the Day – Overcoming Adversity Through Perseverance – Part 3 ★
  
• ★ Thought for the Day – Overcoming Adversity Through Loyalty – Part 4 ★
• ★ Thought for the Day – Overcoming Adversity Through Courage – Part 5 ★

Our anchor verse for the series is from Joshua 1:8 (NLT):

“Study this Book of Instruction continually.  Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it.  Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do.”

This passage has certainly been applicable to our previous Overcomers, but I think you will see it especially describes Phillip and Stephen as well.  We first meet them in Acts Chapter 6 as a solution to a food distribution problem that arose in the early church between the Hebrew-speaking widows and the Greek-speaking widows (or Hellenists), see Acts 6:1.  Earlier this year, my wife and I visited the church that my daughter is attending near her college, and the Pastor explained the context of the discord and that when the church prospers, there will inherently be some growing pains, as was the case when we meet our two overcomers.  The Greek widows were complaining that they were being discriminated against in the daily distribution of food.  This revealed a need in the community.  So, the position of Deacons was created so that the Apostles could focus on teaching the Word of God.  Acts 6:3,5 (NLT) records,

“And so, brothers, select seven men who are well respected and are full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will give them this responsibility.”

“Everyone liked this idea, and they chose the following: Stephen (a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit), Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas of Antioch (an earlier convert to the Jewish faith).”

My daughter’s pastor, Ross Appleton, made the point that this was a joint coalition to take care of the Hellenist widows.  These (7) deacons served humbly, not as Apostles in the spotlight but rather as part of the church’s food bank which shows us that:

“Serving enables the Word of God to move forward.”  Ross Appleton

That is a word that I think many people including myself need to take to heart.  In the post ★ Thought for the Day – Audience of One ★, I shared how I struggled for years wanting to be in the spotlight, believing that if I was upfront, I could have the greatest impact for the Kingdom of God, but God spoke to me at a men’s conference back in 2014 that I needed to repent as my motives were off.  You see what started off as me wanting to serve, was really motivated unbeknownst to me by a thirst for the approval of others rather than the approval of the One.  Now I am not saying that if you are the Lead Pastor or Ministry Leader that your motivations are wrong, that is just what happened to me.  I am merely making the point that people who are serving in the background are just as important to “moving the Word of God forward” as anyone else.  In fact, I remember Jimmy Evans making the point that small group leaders will have a bigger impact on the people in that circle than he could ever have preaching in front of thousands of people.  The key is whether you are operating in the power of the Holy Spirit or not.  I was reading a commentary on Acts 6:3 and I thought this was quite powerful:

“The idea behind full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom is that these men were to be both SPIRITUALLY MINDED and PRACTICALLY MINDED. This can be a hard combination to find.”  David Guzik

I will say that I learned a lot from the commentary and have used it in this post for context. Also, I did want to say, because there is so much to unpack, you may have noticed that this is “Part 6A” to our series.  That is because we will start off with Phillip in this post and then in “Part 6B” we will put our lens on the life and sacrifice of Stephen.

So, let’s focus now on Phillip, who we can deduce was full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom since he was selected.  He is not the same Phillip mentioned in John 1:43-44 who becomes a Disciple of Jesus but the “other Philip,” who I just discovered is distinguished with the name “Philip the evangelist” or “Philip the deacon.”  The amazing thing about Philip is that though he was one of the original seven deacons selected, he must have had a heart for evangelism because when the “great persecution” arose in Acts 8:1, Philip left Jerusalem to become an evangelist in Samaria (Acts 8:4-13).  This is significant because Jews typically stayed away from Samaria because they generally hated them because they were half-breeds.  If you recall your history 600 years earlier when the Assyrians conquered Israel, they scattered all the wealthy, and middle-class Jews from Israel, and then proceeded to move into the area and intermarry with the lowest classes of the remaining Jews from Northmen Israel (see 2 Kings 17).  So not only was Phillip humble, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom but he was also not a racist, following the example of Jesus who ministered to the Samaritan Woman at the Well (see John 4) and told the Parable of the Good Samaritan (see Luke 10:25-37) as a lesson about how we ought to treat others.  The Apostle Paul instructed in Galatians 3:28 (NLT) that…

“There is no longer Jew or GenJtile, slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus.”

And that is something that Phillip took to heart because he saw no separation from the Samaritans and extended the hope of Jesus to them.  At that time the Samaritans used to listen to a Sorcerer named Simon, but his influence was waning because of all God was doing though Phillip.  In Acts 8:12-13 says:

“But now the people believed Philip’s message of Good News concerning the Kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ. As a result, many men and women were baptized. Then Simon himself believed and was baptized. He began following Philip wherever he went, and he was amazed by the signs and great miracles Philip performed.”

Phillip went from the bread line to the front line, being God’s messenger to the long hated and ostracized Samaritans.  It is interesting to note that later on in 1 Timothy 3:8-13, Paul’s mentee Timothy gives clarity on what the qualifications for a Deacon are.  You could extrapolate that the list came from these first (7) men who served in this role.  My daughter’s Pastor also made this point that is apropos to Phillip:

“People don’t accidentally love people; we must be intentional.”  Ross Appleton

I love that!  If we want to make a difference in this world, we must be intentional.  It will take time, effort, potentially even money.  But as believers in Christ, we have a clear mandate from Jesus.  In Matthew 28:18-20 (NLT), Jesus gave His last command before ascending to heaven.

“Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.””

This instruction is commonly referred to as “The Great Commission” that Jesus charged His disciples to go out to make disciples throughout the earth so that the Kingdom of God can be expanded.  Phillip, a humble servant to everyone understood this well as he had a profound effect in expanding the church. 2,000 years later, that is still relevant for us today.  If we want to Overcome Adversity, perhaps it is through service.  When we take time to meet people’s physical needs like Phillip did, they will be more apt to listen to the truth about Jesus, who is the only One who can meet their spiritual needs.

Click here for the next post in our series that covers Stephen, called:

★ Thought for the Day – Overcoming Adversity Through Service – Part 6B ★

★ ★ ★ DIG DEEPER ★ ★ ★

 ★ Thought for the Day – What is the X-Factor of Leadership? ★

★ Thought for the Day – Back Into the Fire ★ 

★ Thought for the Day – Interruption or Opportunity? ★

★ Thought for the Day – Overcoming Adversity Through Courage – Part 5 ★

I hope that you have been enjoying the series about men and women in scripture who consistently chased after God and faithfully worked at building His Kingdom, overcoming adversity because of a particular trait.  So far, we covered:

★ Thought for the Day – Overcoming Adversity Through Character ★

★ Thought for the Day – Overcoming Adversity Through Faith – Part 2 ★

★ Thought for the Day – Overcoming Adversity Through Perseverance – Part 3 ★

★ Thought for the Day – Overcoming Adversity Through Loyalty – Part 4 ★

These (8) men and women as well as the other “OVERCOMERS” we will study lived out our anchor verse from Joshua 1:8 (NLT) that we have been reviewing each post:

“Study this Book of Instruction continually.  Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it.  Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do.” 

This truth is as applicable to us today as when it was spoken thousands of years ago, but I thought today we would look at the context of this verse through our next two Overcomers: Joshua and Caleb, who did so through courage! 

I will forever beat the drum that “context is everything.”  I truly believe that we do a disservice to ourselves and to God when we just à la carte the Bible, cherry-picking verses to build our theology upon.  So, in keeping with that, let’s look at the events of when this word of encouragement was spoken.  The nation of Israel was at a preverbal crossroad in their history.  They had just finished (40) years of wandering in the wilderness because of their lack of faith that God would deliver them.  For those who may not know or remember. Moses has sent 12 spies into the Promise Land to see what the land was like.  After 10 of the 12 spies gave a bad report about how hopeless their odds were to actually overcome the giants that lived there, the people rebelled against Moses and his brother Aaron and as a result God punished them, (see Numbers Chapters 13-14 and Numbers 33-38).  I did want to point out the other 2 spies who gave a good report to the people were our Overcomers spotlighted today.  In Numbers 14:6-9 (NLT):

“Two of the men who had explored the land, Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, tore their clothing. They said to all the people of Israel, “The land we traveled through and explored is a wonderful land! And if the Lord is pleased with us, he will bring us safely into that land and give it to us. It is a rich land flowing with milk and honey. Do not rebel against the Lord, and don’t be afraid of the people of the land. They are only helpless prey to us! They have no protection, but the Lord is with us! Don’t be afraid of them!””

Amazing huh?  In the previous verses, the 10 spies whipped the people into a fear-full frenzy about the inhabitants of the land, but these 2 courageous men stood in the gap for God and boldly testified that regardless of their size, “They are only helpless prey to us!  They have no protection, but the Lord is with us!  Don’t be afraid of them!”  It is not easy standing up for what is right, especially when the vast majority is opposed to you.  In today’s world we see that too, that what is wrong is right and what is right is wrong.  Calling yourself a Christian or Christ-Follower is a label that many see as intolerant and hateful to what the world celebrates.  Persecution of Christians is rampant all over the world and though in America Christians are not out rightly being imprisoned or executed for their faith, there is still consequences for standing for God.  Numbers 14:10-12 (NLT) records the reaction the people have to Joshua and Caleb’s faith in the God, who mind you had delivered them from Egyptian Slavery 40 years earlier …

“But the whole community began to talk about stoning Joshua and Caleb. 

Then the glorious presence of the Lord appeared to all the Israelites at the Tabernacle.  And the Lord said to Moses, “How long will these people treat me with contempt?  Will they never believe me, even after all the miraculous signs I have done among them?  I will disown them and destroy them with a plague.  Then I will make you into a nation greater and mightier than they are!” 

Have you ever heard of such an insane reaction to a word of encouragement?  The whole community wanted to kill Joshua and Caleb!!  That has always baffled me, what did they say that deserved to be stoned to death?!  I love how God stepped in and saved his courageous servants with a threat of His own!  As the story unfolds, Moses interceded for the people and God relented from killing them on the spot but there were consequences for their sin as Numbers 14:28-30 (NLT) recounts:

“Now tell them this: ‘As surely as I live, declares the Lord, I will do to you the very things I heard you say. You will all drop dead in this wilderness! Because you complained against me, every one of you who is twenty years old or older and was included in the registration will die. You will not enter and occupy the land I swore to give you. The only exceptions will be Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun.”

If you are curious, in Numbers 14:33-38 it gives the justification that the Israelites would wander in the wilderness for forty years as payment for the community’s faithlessness, until everyone of that generation would die off.  The number of years of wandering was because the spies explored the land for forty days, so they had to “wander in the wilderness for forty years—a year for each day, suffering the consequences of [their] sins…Of the twelve who had explored the land, only Joshua and Caleb remained alive.”  If you want to dig into this some more, here are some key passages to look at: Numbers 14:20-24, 14:33-38 and Numbers 20:6-13.

So fast forward to the time of when our anchor verse was spoken to Joshua.  Moses, the great prophet and deliverer of the Israelite people from Egyptian slavery is dead (see Deuteronomy 34:5).  Before his passing, Moses announced to the people in Deuteronomy 31:1-3 that Joshua would be his successor and that he would lead them across the Jordan River into the Promised Land.  But before that was to happen, God visited with Joshua to give him encouragement and to let him know that it was time for them to enter the Promised Land (see Joshua 1:1-4), in verse 5, the Creator of the Universe says:

“No one will be able to stand against you as long as you live.  For I will be with you as I was with Moses.  I will not fail you or abandon you.”

Could you imagine getting that promise directly from the LORD?  What a way to start a book and to prepare to go into battle.  I often wish that I could get an audible message from God like that, but we live in different times.  Today, we have God, the Holy Spirit living inside of us as 1 John 4:4 (NLT) says:

“But you belong to God, my dear children.  You have already won a victory over those people, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world.”

Notice the capital “S” which is for the Holy Spirit and then the second reference with the lowercase “s” which represents the satanic forces that are coming against us daily.  When you look at 1 John 1:1-4, it is clear that the passage is referencing the Holy Spirit who lives inside us!  So, we have to listen for that “small, still voice inside us” where Joshua needed to be visited by the Lord and look what He says to him in Joshua 1:6-9 (NLT):

“Be strong and courageous, for you are the one who will lead these people to possess all the land I swore to their ancestors I would give them.  Be strong and very courageous.  Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you.  Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or to the left.  Then you will be successful in everything you do.  Study this Book of Instruction continually.  Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it.  Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do.  This is my command — be strong and courageous!  Do not be afraid or discouraged.  For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

What a great passage telling us that even when we WILL face adversity, that God will always be with us through the storms of life!  In (4) verses God says, “Be strong and courageous” (3) times!  That tells me that Joshua (and myself) need to work out our faith and trust God regardless of circumstances!  In the post ★ Thought for the Day – Be Strong and Courageous ★, we unpacked this passage thoroughly, so I’d recommend you go check it out for more context but something that you don’t typically see is an instruction repeated three times in the same passage of scripture.  But in Joshua 1:6-9, we find that the Lord saw the need to repeat Himself.  In my Monday Bible Study we have been going through the book of Ezekiel, the LORD felt the need to repeat Himself 3 times in Ezekiel 2:6 (NLT) to encourage his Prophet to the people of Judah with the command to “not be fearful, afraid or dismayed.”

““Son of man, do not fear them or their words.  Don’t be afraid even though their threats surround you like nettles and briers and stinging scorpions.  Do not be dismayed by their dark scowls, even though they are rebels.”

It is interesting that though there are over 800 years separating these mighty men of God, the same Holy Spirit was speaking through them to His servants!!  I thought how interesting that Ezekiel who we just unpacked in the post ★ Thought for the Day – Overcoming Adversity Through Perseverance – Part 3 ★ was in need of some encouragement just like Joshua, just like you and I do!  We all have seasons of doubt and fear, but we must remember that God is always with us, we just have to trust Him!  I thought how perfect this is that though written centuries apart, Ezekiel 2:8 and Joshua 1:6-9 are perfect companion verses.

• Do not fear = Be strong and courageous.
• Don’t be afraid = Be strong and very courageous.
• Do not be dismayed = Be strong and courageous!

We don’t have time to get into all the stories but if you have not read the Book of Joshua lately I would check it out because after this encouragement from the Lord, Joshua gives the charge to the Israelites that they were going into the Promised Land and ultimately one battle after another they saw God come through for them.  Today regardless of what you are facing whether it be isolation because of your faith, persecution, illness, or unemployment, follow the example of Joshua and Caleb and be strong and courageous!

Stay tuned for the next post in the series…

★ ★ ★ DIG DEEPER ★ ★ ★

★ Thought for the Day – What’s Your Blanket? ★

★ Thought for the Day – Chain Reaction Catalyst ★

★ Thought for the Day – Stand Up for What is Right ★

★ Thought for the Day – Overcoming Adversity Through Loyalty – Part 4★

We have been in a series about men and women in scripture who consistently chased after God who faithfully worked at building His Kingdom and overcame adversity because of a particular trait.

• In the first post ★ Thought for the Day – Overcoming Adversity Through Character ★, we looked at the life of Daniel and how his character literally impacted the entire world.
• In ★ Thought for the Day – Overcoming Adversity through Faith – Part 2 ★, we saw how Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah (also known as Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego) boldly stood their ground and did not worship Nebuchadnezzar’s golden idol while simultaneously giving us a great example to not lose faith if our prayers are not answered the way we expect. We need to trust that there is a reason for everything that happens and that God’s “PLAN A” may have a higher purpose.
• In the last post in our series ★ Thought for the Day – Overcoming Adversity Through Perseverance – Part 3 ★, we studied the ministries of Jeremiah and Ezekiel who were major prophets like Daniel, living at the same dark time period in Judah’s history — from the decline of the nation and during the Babylonian Captivity, yet in very different situations. Both men of God had difficult assignments to stiff-necked obstinate people who God used as “object lessons” to convey His plans.  Each of them overcame significant persecution, threats, and personal loss but persevered, nonetheless.

These (6) men as well as the other “OVERCOMERS” we will study lived out our anchor verse from Joshua 1:8 ( which you can read for yourself by clicking here).  Today we will be looking at a power couple who you may never have heard of before, but before I reveal their names, let me ask you, how intently have you studied the books of 1 and 2 Kings in the Old Testament?  Some of you may be like “oh yeah, I love it,” but I would guess by and large most probably “phone it in” when it is time to read these historical books as part of a Bible Reading plan.  I know I did for years and years.  I dreaded it until 2015 when I felt the Holy Spirit convict me and challenge me with this question…“Why don’t you try to get something out of it?”  I prayed for Him to open my eyes and I have to tell you it was incredible!!  I have such an affinity for these under-read books now.  If you don’t know, they record the history from King David’s old age when he passed the baton to his son Solomon, the reign of Solomon and then the history of Divided Kingdoms of Israel and Judah until the Babylonian exile.  If you are curious 1 Kings 11:1-13 gives the reason why God divided the land into the northern and southern kingdoms.

Here is a great timeline of the Divided Nation with the Kings of Israel and the Kings of Judah which makes a great cheat sheet in keeping it all straight.  Okay so now that I have laid a significant foundation let’s reveal who are today’s muse for Overcoming Adversity Through Loyalty…

…Jehosheba and Jehoiada the Priest.  Not familiar characters that you have heard preached but two consistent, God-fearing people of integrity like no other!  I have been going through 1 Kings and now 2 Kings on my Friday morning Virtual Bible Study which has been amazing!  This last one was our 56^th study and we still have (7) more chapters to go!  There is so much to learn in these Old Testament books!  Back in September 2020 we covered today’s Overcomers who have very little mentioned of them.  In fact, Jehosheba only has 3 verses about her (2 Kings 11:2-3 and 2 Chronicles 22:11), while Jehoiada the Priest has 1-1/2 chapters dedicated to his work in 2 Kings 11 – 12 and also in 2 Chronicles 23 – 24.  So, you may ask why not study someone who is more well-known from the list like Isaiah, John the Baptist or Mary and Jesus?  Well for me, I love those who faithfully labor behind the scenes and consistently serve the Lord regardless of the dangers in doing so. And that certainly is the case for this husband and wife duo.  If you look at the timeline above, you will notice an anomaly in the list of the Kings of Judah – There is a Queen in the list named Athaliah.  We are first introduced to her in 2 Kings 11:1-3 (NLT)…

“When Athaliah, the mother of King Ahaziah of Judah, learned that her son was dead, she began to destroy the rest of the royal family. But Ahaziah’s sister Jehosheba, the daughter of King Jehoram, took Ahaziah’s infant son, Joash, and stole him away from among the rest of the king’s children, who were about to be killed. She put Joash and his nurse in a bedroom, and they hid him from Athaliah, so the child was not murdered. Joash remained hidden in the Temple of the Lord for six years while Athaliah ruled over the land.”

Pretty shocking!  Athaliah becomes queen and kills all the rest of the royal family in Judah and attempted to kill her grandson Joash who you see from the timeline becomes King of Judah after her death.  That is in large part thanks to the courageous action of his aunt Jehosheba who saved him from his murderous Grandma!!  How anyone can say that the Old Testament is boring is beyond me!  But I digress…Athaliah reigned in Judah for 6 years and promoted Baal worship, leading the people further and further from God.  Charles Stanley had this great life lesson on 2 Kings 11:2…

“Through Athaliah, Satan tried to wipe out the Davidic line and so frustrate the promise of God concerning the Messiah (2 Samuel 7:8-16).  But no one, not even the devil, can derail any of the Lord’s promises.”

God used Jehosheba to save Joash so that the promise that someone from David’s line would be on the throne forever would not be thwarted.  Unfortunately, this is the extent of what we know of her life as the 2 Chronicles verse essentially says the same thing.  David Guzik had this commentary on her:

“But Jehosheba: This little-known woman had an important place in God’s plan of the ages.  Through her courage and ingenuity, she preserved the royal line of David through which the Messiah would come.  Evil people like Athaliah will begin their work, but God can always raise up a Jehosheba.”

Amen!  Shifting gears to her husband, Jehoiada the Priest was also used powerfully by God to orchestrate the appointment of Joash as the rightful King of Judah.  2 Kings 11:4-11 shows how he planned and mobilized those who were loyal to the throne of David to revolt against Queen Athaliah.  I love Jehosheba and Jehoiada!  Collectively, their loyalty to protect the child who would be king in the face of danger is an example to us all to not allow anyone or anything to stop the work of God.  The other thing that amazes me is that Jehoiada was a Priest, not a general and yet he executed his plan and ousted the wicked Queen Athaliah.  We don’t have time to unpack the whole passage so I would recommend you read 2 Kings 11:4-16 for yourself.  After Jehoiada crowns Joash king and has Athaliah killed, I love what he does next in 2 Kings 11:17 (NLT)…

“Then Jehoiada made a covenant between the Lord and the king and the people that they would be the Lord’s people.  He also made a covenant between the king and the people.”

There certainly was no “separation of church and state” during the lifetime of Jehoiada the Priest!  Hahaha!  What wisdom he possessed.  Again Jehoiada was not a military leader, but he realized that to prevent further rebellion it was important to restore the covenantal relationship not only between God, Josiah and the people but also the relationship between the young King and the his would be subjects.  Amazing!  Though the focus of this Thought is about Jehosheba and Jehoiada, I did want to cover 2 Kings 12:1-2 (NLT) which gives this overview of Joash’s reign because of the last part of verse 2 (which I put in red):

“Joash began to rule over Judah in the seventh year of King Jehu’s reign in Israel. He reigned in Jerusalem forty years. His mother was Zibiah from Beersheba. All his life Joash did what was pleasing in the Lord’s sight because Jehoiada the priest instructed him.”

I wonder since Joash took the throne when he was 7 years old (2 Kings 11:21) whether Jehoiada was really running the show in the beginning and influencing the young King.  That piqued my interest to look into it more and I found in 2 Chronicles 24:17-18 (NLT) this nugget:

“But after Jehoiada’s death, the leaders of Judah came and bowed before King Joash and persuaded him to listen to their advice.  They decided to abandon the Temple of the Lord, the God of their ancestors, and they worshiped Asherah poles and idols instead!  Because of this sin, divine anger fell on Judah and Jerusalem.”

Idolatry plagued the people of Judah as well as the people of Israel for 100s of years and though Jehoiada had implemented religious reforms (see 2 Chronicles 23:16-21) to root out all the wickedness of Queen Athaliah, clearly the King Joash’s faith had not roots of their own!  In the post called ★ Thought for the Day – Fair-Weather Faith ★, I shared a pun that my daughter told me:

“Do you have ‘fair-weather faith’ or ‘faith that can weather when life isn’t fair?’”

And it is without a doubt that once the influence of Jehoiada the Priest was gone, so was Joash’s faith in the One True God leading to the reversal of Jehoiada’s religious reforms!  Charles Stanley had this great life lesson on 2 Kings 12:2 that builds on this idea that the King’s faith was transitory:

“Jehoash (also called Joash) began well — even restoring the temple (2 Kings 12:4-15, 2 Chronicles 24:4).  But after Jehoiada the godly priest died, Jehoash listened to dishonorable advisors, committed idolatry, and greatly displeased the Lord (2 Chronicles 24:15-22).  This illustrates that we must make our faith our own.  We must each choose to make Jesus Christ our Lord over our hearts, because the faith of others will never suffice.”

Jehoiada’s loyalty and Godly example was not enough to sustain King Joash and instead he went down a dark road that would not heed any counsel to turn back to the Lord.  In fact, in 2 Chronicles 24:21-22 (NLT) after Jehoiada’s son Zechariah rebuked the people for their sin, it says:

“Then the leaders plotted to kill Zechariah, and King Joash ordered that they stone him to death in the courtyard of the Lord’s Temple. That was how King Joash repaid Jehoiada for his loyalty—by killing his son.  Zechariah’s last words as he died were, “May the Lord see what they are doing and avenge my death!””

Wow!!!  That is hard to imagine!  Not only did Jehoiada’s wife and him save and care for Joash for years as well as secure his place as King by organizing a mutiny against the Queen, but Jehoiada even chose the King’s two wives (see 2 Chronicles 24:3)!!  In the end though, Joash meets an untimely end as two of his trusted advisers Jozacar son of Shimeath and Jehozabad son of Shomer assassinated him (see 2 Kings 12:20-21 and 2 Chronicles 24:23-25).  Joash’s end is a testimony to the truth of Galatians 6:7-8a (NLT)…

“Don’t be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God.  You will always harvest what you plant.  Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature.”

Joash was loyal to the Lord at a surface level which then disappeared once Jehoiada died and, in the end, Joash reaped the consequences of a sinful life.  Jehoiada the Priest on the other hand according to 2 Chronicles 24:15-16 (NLT)…

“…lived to a very old age, finally dying at 130.  He was buried among the kings in the City of David, because he had done so much good in Israel for God and His Temple.”

Jehoiada is the epitome of the second half of the Galatians passage 6:8b-10 (NLT)…

“But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit.  So let’s not get tired of doing what is good.  At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.  Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone — especially to those in the family of faith.”

Jehoiada the Priest overcame adversity through his loyalty to the throne of David and was honored to be buried among the kings in the City of David because of all the good he did and reaped the harvest of blessing for not giving up!  I will close with this final thought from Charles Stanley:

“Jehoiada is a bright light in a dark time.  He demonstrates that we can remain faithful to God and His Word, even when the culture around us decays.”

No matter what dangers are happening around you, GOD IS IN CONTROL and is working in the background and His plans will ALWAYS PREVAIL!  May we all be “Jehoshebas” and “Jehoiadas” who live out Proverbs 17:17 (NLT)…

“A friend is always loyal, and a brother [or sister] is born to help in time of need.”

Click here for the next post in the series…

★ Thought for the Day – Overcoming Adversity Through Courage – Part 5 ★

★ ★ ★ DIG DEEPER ★ ★ ★

★ Thought for the Day – Stay the Course ★

★ Thought for the Day – Fair-Weather Faith ★

Looking for a great way to engage the Bible?  Check out the YouVersion bible reading plan called ‘The One Year® Chronological Bible.‘

It is especially helpful to understand the 340 years of history that is covered in the books of 1 and 2 Kings and how they tie into the books of the Major and Minor prophets.  The reading plan gives you a segment of different books of the Bible written around the same time period which is fascinating.

★ Thought for the Day – Abide in the Lord for Breakthrough ★

Today marks my 7th “Word for the Year” post.  If you are new to our site, each year I wait on the Holy Spirit to reveal a “WORD” for me to stand on for the upcoming year.  Past Words or phrases have been:

• 2015 – “UNSTOPPABLE DETERMINATION FOR GOD’S HOLINESS”
• 2016 – “LIVING OUT A LASTING LEGACY”
• 2017 – “CHOOSE TO PURSUE”
• 2018 – “ROOTED”
• 2019 – “TRANSFORMED”
• 2020 – “CONSISTENCY”

You can click on each link to read, or if you want to see them all check out…“Word for the New Year” Posts.  This year’s Word — “ABIDE IN THE LORD FOR BREAKTHROUGH” is probably not very unique from what others are praying for as we are in the midst of a worldwide pandemic, political and social unrest and the recent chaos in Washington D.C. with domestic terrorism.  The events of 2020 (and now the first 3 weeks of 2021), have been the most unsettling time I have lived through BUT I have never had as much Shalom (or peace) in all my life!  And as I recently discussed in the post ★ Thought for the Day – The Purpose of Resistance ★, that is not because of an absence of problems but by fixing my eyes on my Savior, Jesus Christ to keep the proper perspective through the storms.  Now that may seem cliché but I have seen time and time again, when I focus on the negatives or the nightmare “what-if” scenarios my peace ebbs away BUT when I am pushing through, trying to find the silver lining and trust that God will get me through, my disposition changes and fear is driven out.

Yesterday as I was reading the devotional from the ‘The Principles of First Mention’ reading plan, this jumped out at me…

“God wants to tell us who He is, no matter what we’re up against.  When we get out of our own heads, we learn He is the “I AM” for every single thing — big or small — that comes our way.”  Kyle Fox

There are many “I AM” declarations in both the Old and New Testaments made by God and Jesus to reassure and comfort the people that regardless of circumstances, God is still in control and willing to rescue us if we will trust in Jesus and “abide”, or “remain” in Him!  One of most expanded upon “I AM” statements is found in John Chapter 15 which is the muse for this “Thought.”  I am going to start in the New Kings James Version (NKJV) since it specifically uses the word “ABIDE,” but we will unpack it with the New Living Translation (NLT) to make it a little more accessible.

John 15:1, 4, 7 (NKJV) is the specific scriptures that the Holy Spirit spoke into my spirit…Jesus said:

““I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser.”

“Abide in Me, and I in you.  As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.”

“If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.””

This symbology is not unfamiliar as it is in the Old and New Testaments since they were an agrarian society but I love the interconnectedness of God the Father as vinedresser (or Gardner as the NLT has it) and His Son as the vine.  As Jesus continues the metaphor we see if we will stay connected to Him, we will produce fruit and have our prayers answered. I wanted to expand our view and look at John 15:1-4 in the New Living Translation…

““I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener.  He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more.  You have already been pruned and purified by the message I have given you.  Remain in me, and I will remain in you.  For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me.”

Go back and reread the red test again, it is so powerful!

APART from Jesus WE CANNOT BE FRUITFUL.

It is only when we

REMAIN A PART of Jesus WILL WE BE FRUITFUL!

The connector verses from 1 to 4 illustrate that there are consequences if we drift from the vine (Jesus).  Pruning.  Not something to look forward to.  This could also be a trial sent to get our attention to get us back on the right path.  However, it is necessary so that our branch is not severed completely from the vine.  D.L. Moody had this insight that goes perfectly with this…

“The Bible will keep you from sin, or sin will keep you from the Bible.” 

It is amazing how fast that happens.  When I am off track, my enthusiasm for reading the Bible wanes BUT when I am staying close to Jesus, I am invigorated to study.  It comes down to discipline and how committed we are to the faith we profess.  We all have 24 hours in a day; the question is how do we spend them?  It’s funny every Sunday morning I get an alert on my iPhone of the “Screen Time” that was spent in the previous week, it is almost like God is tapping me on the shoulder…“what is your priority?”  Mark Batterson had this point…

“We want success without sacrifice, but life doesn’t work that way.  Success will not be shortchanged.  You have to pay the price, and it never goes on sale.  The best decision you can make for yourself is making decisions against yourself.  You have to discipline yourself to do the right things day in and day out, week in and week out, year in and year out.  And if you do, the payoff is far greater than the price you paid.”  From the ‘Play The Man’ reading plan.

For me, success is the legacy I leave.  How will I be remembered by my wife and daughters, family and friends or co-workers?  Will I be remembered as a Man of God who ”ran the race well” as Paul testifies in 2 Timothy 4:7-8?  Did I make other people’s lives better while I was here on earth?  If the answer is yes, then I would consider my life a success but that does not come without effort and abiding/remaining in a right relationship with Jesus.  That means consistently pursuing what matters most to Him until we are called home, or He returns to Rapture His people! However, we must remember that there will be opposition from the enemy!  In 1 John 2:18-27 we see warnings about various antichrists who will lead us astray if we do not abide or “remain in fellowship with the Son and with the Father.” (1 John 2:24b).  Fun Fact: Did you know that the name Antichrist is found only in the book of 1 John?  And if you are thinking “wait, it says it in Revelation,” look again the name for the Antichrist in Revelation 13:1 is “Beast.”  But I digress…Just like in John 15, the Apostle John brings a similar instruction in 1 John 2:28 (NLT)

“And now, dear children, remain [NKJV translates “abide”] in fellowship with Christ so that when He returns, you will be full of courage and not shrink back from him in shame.”

David Guzik had this commentary on 1 John 2:28 which has some good questions for self-evaluation of the sincerity of our faith:

“Do you abide in Him?  Or do you just visit Jesus every once in a while?  Abiding in Jesus gives us confidence because we know we wouldn’t change our lives substantially if we somehow knew Jesus would come back next week.  We would already be abiding in Him.”

I will close with the second half of my anchor passage for 2021 from John 15:5-8 (NLT) which Jesus continues the instruction to His followers:

““Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches.  Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit.  For apart from me you can do nothing.  Anyone who does not remain in me is thrown away like a useless branch and withers.  Such branches are gathered into a pile to be burned.  But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted!  When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples.  This brings great glory to my Father.”

Meditate on that red text for just a moment.  As we go through this unprecedented time of uncertainty, let’s stand on the truth of John 15:1-8 that if we remain or abide in Jesus, we will see a breakthrough!

★ ★ ★ DIG DEEPER ★ ★ ★

Check out this sermon from Pricilla Shirer called “Remaining in a Leaving Culture.”

★ Thought for the Day – Fair-Weather Faith ★

★ Thought for the Day – True Shalom ★

Or if you want to check out past “Word for the Year” posts <<<CLICK HERE>>>

★ Thought for the Day – Overcoming Adversity Through Perseverance – Part 3 ★

Today we remember a great man who gave up his life in service to his fellow man.  Martin Luther King Jr. was a Baptist minister and activist who is probably the well-known leaders in the civil rights movement from 1955 until his assassination in 1968.  One of my favorite quotes from him is….

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that.  Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.” Martin Luther King Jr., A Testament of Hope: The Essential Writings and Speeches.

Motivated by his Christian beliefs, Martin Luther King Jr. persevered to advance the civil rights movement through nonviolence and civil disobedience.  He is an amazing modern-day example of our topic today Overcoming Adversity Through Perseverance.

We are in a series looking at great men and women of the faith exemplified an attribute that aided them to overcome the storms of life.  We started in the book of Daniel with Daniel refusing to pray to another god resulting in him being thrown in the Lions’ Den and then about his 3 friends Shadrach, Meshach, and Abedego who refused to worship King Nebuchadnezzar’s Statue.  Daniel and his (3) friends were just a few Jews who were taken from their homeland and brought to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar but what we don’t think too much about are those Jews who were not taken away.  Today we will be looking at the lives of two men of God who prophesied to the people of Judah during the same time as Daniel.  The first is the prophet Jeremiah who was left behind in Jerusalem as many of his countrymen were carried away.  He is the author of 2 out of the 5 books of the major prophets — One bearing his name which warns of the impending consequences of Judah’s rebellion and subsequent downfall.  The second is the book of Lamentations that picks up after the destruction of the Holy City.  Like Martin Luther King Jr., Jeremiah was a shining light who persevered in a very dark period of Judah’s history.  He also had his life threatened and was imprisoned several times for preaching an unpopular message that judgement was coming.  Charles Stanley described him this way…

“Jeremiah, who was called the “weeping prophet,” labored for more than 40 years proclaiming a message of doom to the stiff-necked an unrepentant people of Judah.”

The other prophet, who was also a contemporary of Jeremiah was Ezekiel who was in Babylonian captivity like Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abedego.  His ministry was also one of perseverance trying to push back the darkness with the light and truth of God’s message to a rebellious people.  In fact before Ezekiel started his ministry or spoke his first message, God told him in Ezekiel 3:4b, 7-9 (NLT):

““Son of man, go to the people of Israel and give them my messages…But the people of Israel won’t listen to you any more than they listen to me!  For the whole lot of them are hard-hearted and stubborn.  But look, I have made you as obstinate and hard-hearted as they are.  I have made your forehead as hard as the hardest rock!  So don’t be afraid of them or fear their angry looks, even though they are rebels.””

I don’t know about you but that does not sound like an assignment I would want!  Hahaha!  Like Jeremiah, his message was not well received, and he too faced great opposition.  God used both men as “object lessons” to convey His plans to a stiff-necked obstinate people.  Tasked with difficult assignments, they had to overcome significant persecution, threats to their life and great personal loss.  So, if you are keeping track, I have added Jeremiah and Ezekiel onto our list of the men and women who pursued God faithfully…The seemingly futile ministry of Jeremiah and Ezekiel to the people of Judah to bring His people back into right relationship with Him.  In the sermon called “God’s Greatest Desire” by Robert Morris, he made the point that

“You will be my people, and I will be your God” is one of the most repeated phrases in the Bible.  Genesis 17:7 (NKJV) is where it all started off.  God tells Abraham…

“And I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and your descendants after you.

Here is the list of passages that Robert Morris mentioned and others that I have found as well that you can refer to (If you want to read all the references for click here.)As I looked at the list of scriptures I found it interesting that in the Old Testament Book Jeremiah, the phrase “They will be my people, and I will be their God” is mentioned (7) times, the most than of any other book!!  I think since Jeremiah was left behind in Jerusalem after King Nebuchadnezzar conquered the Holy City and exiled the people to Babylon, he had a unique perspective of the events.  I recently discovered this one from Jeremiah 32:37-41 (NLT) that beautifully displays the amazing grace of God who promises to restore the people once again to the land even after all the hurt they have inflicted on God!!

“I will certainly bring my people back again from all the countries where I will scatter them in my fury. I will bring them back to this very city and let them live in peace and safety. They will be my people, and I will be their God. And I will give them one heart and one purpose: to worship me forever, for their own good and for the good of all their descendants. And I will make an everlasting covenant with them: I will never stop doing good for them. I will put a desire in their hearts to worship me, and they will never leave me. I will find joy doing good for them and will faithfully and wholeheartedly replant them in this land.”

God is without a doubt in the restoration business!  I forgot to mention this in the beginning introduction to Ezekiel, but Charles Stanley had this to say about him:

“Ezekiel’s prophecies for God’s people can be seen as a companion piece to those of Jeremiah.  While Jeremiah delivered a frightening message primarily of judgment and destruction, Ezekiel’s messages focused more on restoration and reconstruction.”

Ezekiel 36 is a powerful chapter that lays out God’s plan clearly.  Ezekiel 36:22 (NLT) shows how lost the people were.  God promised to bring the people back not because they deserve it but because of how bad they made Him look…

““Therefore, give the people of Israel this message from the Sovereign Lord: I am bringing you back, but not because you deserve it. I am doing it to protect my holy name, on which you brought shame while you were scattered among the nations.”

I pray that is never true of me that I make God ashamed that I call myself a follower of Christ.  I am reminded of Colossians 3:17 (NLT) which says:

“And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.”

And if I may go back to Dr. King for a moment, that is without a doubt the case with that great man of God!  My prayer is that my actions will ALWAYS represent my Savior well.  The way this happens interestingly enough is found just 4 verses later in Ezekiel 36:26-27 (NLT) which says:

“And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart. And I will put my Spirit in you so that you will follow my decrees and be careful to obey my regulations.”

Only with a new heart and the Holy Spirit activated in my life can I even hope to fulfill the command in Colossians 3:17!  Right after God promises to give them a new heart and put in a new spirit, Ezekiel 36:28 (NLT) reinforces the familiar promise…

““And you will live in Israel, the land I gave your ancestors long ago. You will be my people, and I will be your God.”

I so love Ezekiel and how he preserved through so much.  We have been going through the book in our Monday morning Bible Study for the past 8 months — lots to unpack from this major prophet!  Going back to the list of scriptures, it is interesting to me that there are (6) mentions of the phrase “They will be my people, and I will be their God” in the Book of Ezekiel, so between Jeremiah and Ezekiel God reminds His people (13) times!  I wonder if it is stated so many times because God really wanted His people to know how much He loved them, and that regardless of their circumstances of captivity that they were in, He desires to bring them back into relationship with Him!  The same is true for us today!  No matter what you are going through whether it is no fault of your own or as a result of bad choices God wants to restore you.  And if you are still wondering what is God’s greatest desire?  Well Robert Morris made this point…“God’s greatest desire is you!”

Through a relationship with Jesus, ANYONE who calls on the name of Jesus is instantly grafted into the Family Tree.  And then these verses from Jeremiah and Ezekiel do not just apply to the People of Israel but to EVERYONE!  God wants to bring ALL people into relationship with Him!  “How can I do that” you say, well I am glad you asked…The answer is found in Romans 10:9-10 (NLT)…

“If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved.”

That is why Jesus came into this world to be the light that leads us back to the Father.  He achieved what Martin Luther King Jr. said that…

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that.  Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.”

Jesus is the light of the world and is the epitome of love in its purest form, will you trust in Him today?   If you have already made Jesus the Lord of your life, let’s continue to persevere as Jeremiah and Ezekiel had done and drive out the darkness and hate through our light and love as Dr. King urged us to do!

Click here for the next post in the series…

★ Thought for the Day – Overcoming Adversity Through Loyalty – Part 4 ★

★ What to Dig Deeper? ★

★ Back to the Basics – GOD IS…A SURGEON ★,

In which we studied the ministries of Jeremiah and Ezekiel who were major prophets like Daniel living at the same dark time period in Judah’s history (of the decline of the nation and during the Babylonian Captivity) yet in very different situations.  Jeremiah prophesied while still in the land of Judah while Ezekiel was taken off to Babylon.

★ Back to the Basics – Validity of God’s Word ★

★ “Back to the Basics” – Pursuit #2 – What Are You Feeding On? ★