The Simple Life

And you, son of man, be not afraid of them, nor be afraid of their words, though briers and thorns are with you and you sit on scorpions. Be not afraid of their words, nor be dismayed at their looks, for they are a rebellious house. And you shall speak my words to them, whether they hear or refuse to hear, for they are a rebellious house. Ezekiel 2:6-7 (ESV)   "The prophets of the Lord have always been opposed to the age in which they lived. Whenever the ministry has fallen into accord with the age, it is not the age that has gone up, it is the ministry that has gone down. A reproachful, corrective, stimulating voice should always be characteristic of a spiritual ministry. No evil shall be able to live in its presence, and no custom, how fashionable or popular soever, should be able to lift up its head without condemnation in the presence of a man who is filled with the burden or doctrine of the Lord. Evermore shall the wicked hate the godly, unless the godly take down their banne...

And you, son of man, be not afraid of them, nor be afraid of their words, though briers and thorns are with you and you sit on scorpions. Be not afraid of their words, nor be dismayed at their looks, for they are a rebellious house. And you shall speak my words to them, whether they hear or refuse to hear, for they are a rebellious house. Ezekiel 2:6-7 (ESV)   It is easy to fear the wrong things in life. Peers can make things pleasant or seemingly impossible. Focusing on the wrong "thing" will discourage us and eventually wear us down. God's Word has been clear in teaching His children that loving God will be costly, and expressing God's love to others will often be "offensive."   Yet, the assignment given to us is well within reach as we are told to speak His Word. It is not my job to control the responses. It is my job to be faithful to my God. When I am faithful to Him, I can rest in a job well done, for there is nothing more powerful or effective than ob...

The descendants also are impudent and stubborn: I send you to them, and you shall say to them, 'Thus says the Lord God.' And whether they hear or refuse to hear (for they are a rebellious house) they will know that a prophet has been among them. Ezekiel 2:4-5 (ESV)   God gave Ezekiel an assignment and told him in advance that the people would not listen. It seems as if He told Ezekiel that it really did not matter if they listened or not, because, when it was all said and done, they would know that a prophet was among them.   The very idea that a prophet, the voice of God, is among people is a big deal, and Ezekiel was to be faithful to the words God instructed Him to use. In that he would be faithful to God, he could not, however, control the response. God gave him an assignment he could accomplish. As a teacher, my responsibility is to ensure my communication is accurate. I cannot control the response. God has given me something I can actually do, and I need to focus on that...

And he said to me, "Son of man, stand on your feet, and I will speak with you." And as he spoke to me, the Spirit entered into me and set me on my feet, and I heard him speaking to me. And he said to me, "Son of man, I send you to the people of Israel, to nations of rebels, who have rebelled against me. They and their fathers have transgressed against me to this very day. The descendants also are impudent and stubborn: I send you to them, and you shall say to them, 'Thus says the Lord God.'” Ezekiel 2:1-4 (ESV)   Leaders don't always get pleasant assignments. We don't choose the assignment we are given. God has a plan. He will work out His plan, and we can be part of it if we choose to submit to Him.   If we ignore God, we will be a part of the plan, too, on the losing side. Regardless of our choice, God's plan will be fulfilled.   I would not be excited for this assignment, but I would be excited that God has chosen to use me when He could do things ...

In the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, on the fifth day of the month, as I was among the exiles by the Chebar canal, the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God. On the fifth day of the month (it was the fifth year of the exile of King Jehoiachin), the word of the Lord came to Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the Chebar canal, and the hand of the Lord was upon him there. Ezekiel 1:1-3 (ESV)   Ezekiel, a prophet and priest, was exiled to Babylon in 597B.C. His ministry extended over at least twenty-three years. The book opens with his first dramatic vision of the "likeness" of the Lord himself. (ESV Strong's)   A leader needs to know God. A leader needs to respond to God. A leader, in essence, is a good follower of God and loves Him by obedience and loves others by pointing to Him.   Leadership should focus on obedience to God and demonstrating God to those around them. Any power, authority, and resources they possess are vali...

Restore us to yourself, O LORD, that we may be restored! Renew our days as of old—unless you have utterly rejected us, and you remain exceedingly angry with us. Lamentations  5:21-22  (ESV)   Or, as translated in the NLT version: Restore us, O LORD, and bring us back to you again! Give us back the joys we once had! Or have you utterly rejected us? Are you angry with us still? Lamentations  5:21-22  (NLT)   When I read this verse, I am reminded of a simpler time in youth when life was exciting, discovery was a daily occurrence, and my parents took care of all the serious problems in life. As a boy, my job was to enjoy being a boy, to enjoy discovering and learning, to exercise, to grow, and to be obedient to my parents.   In many ways, being a boy in a loving household was ideal. I got to enjoy life while leaving the worries to those who could do something about it. (I don't remember ever thinking about where the money for the food we ate came from, or ...