Ezekiel 27:1-28:26; Hebrews 11:17-31; Psalm 111:1-10; Proverbs 27:15-16 Pride is an insidious disease within our hearts. It can cause us to insulate ourselves from God and believe that we can falsely save ourselves. We need to learn to break through this self-reliance and walk by faith.Ezekiel points us to the foolishness of Tyre’s pride. They relied on their wealth, wisdom, and position in the wo...  Read More

Ezekiel 24:1-26:21; Hebrews 11:1-16; Psalm 110:1-7; Proverbs 27:14 What is the most quoted psalm in the New Testament? You may think it is a cherished psalm like Psalm 23 or maybe the longest psalm, Psalm 119--and you would be wrong. The most quoted psalm is Psalm 110. It is only seven verses but points to Jesus as our king, priest, and judge.Christ is king. Verse 1 shows David's understanding tha...  Read More

Ezekiel 23:1-49; Hebrews 10:18-39; Psalm 109:1-31; Proverbs 27:13 "What do you want"? When kids are young and unable to fully verbalize what they want, parents can find themselves asking this question often. Kids often respond by pointing, with grunts, and sometimes with screams and tears. Even at a young age, when someone wants something and is motivated to acquire it, there is little you can do ...  Read More

Ezekiel 21:1-22:31; Hebrews 10:1-17; Psalm 108:1-13; Proverbs 27:12“That’s mean!” declared one of our little boys in a roar of indignation as his beloved stuffed animal was temporarily taken away as punishment for wrongdoing. “Whose choice was it?” my husband and I asked, so wanting our little one to understand. After a moment, he murmurs, “Mine,” voice meeker, eyes downcast, realizing his own act...  Read More

Ezekiel 20:1-49; Hebrews 9:11-28; Psalm 107:1-43; Proverbs 27:11We worship a patient God. This may seem like a strange way to think about God but as Ezekiel and many other parts of Scripture, point out God is abundantly patient.Ezekiel describes a series of moments when God was patient towards Israel rather than responding in judgment. He rescued them from Egypt and despite their rebellion, he wit...  Read More

Ezekiel 18:1-19:14; Hebrews 9:1-10; Psalm 106:32-48; Proverbs 27:10No one is born a Christian. Everyone is responsible for making a choice either for or against God. Each person must choose their eternal destiny. Ezekiel prophesies that judgment is coming and that everyone must decide whether to pursue righteousness or wickedness. Ezekiel 18 describes a man who followed God and reflected this in t...  Read More

Ezekiel 16:42-17:24; Hebrews 8:1-13; Psalm 106:13-31; Proverbs 27:7-9Everyone’s doing it! We have all said these words as kids when we wanted to do something that went against our family rules and, if you’re a parent and said no to your kids, then you have heard this phrase. It speaks to our innate desire to fit in and conform to the pattern around us.This tendency towards conformity can be seen r...  Read More

Ezekiel 14:12-16:41; Hebrews 7:18-28; Psalm 106:1-12; Proverbs 27:4-6We are more loved than we can fathom. So much of the world’s love must be earned and maintained, while God’s love is unconditional. This amazing love needs to be understood and believed.God describes his love for his people in Ezekiel 16 using the image of an adoptive parent. He took Israel in like an abandoned child and raised h...  Read More

Ezekiel 12:1-14:11; Hebrews 7:1-17; Psalm 105:37-45; Proverbs 27:3We live some of the most comfortable lives in history. We live in nice homes with beautiful landscaping and have more food than we could ever hope to eat. Living with such ease can cause us to miss our desperate need for God. We can feel comfortable and content in what we have seemingly achieved for ourselves rather than having a de...  Read More

Ezekiel 10:1-11:25; Hebrews 6:1-20; Psalm 105:16-36; Proverbs 27:1-2Hebrews has been continually teaching us about the surpassing greatness of Jesus. Yet the author is concerned that we might intellectually assent to Jesus’ greatness without it making a difference in our lives. We can know something is great but not trust it. It is not hearing the message that makes the difference but faith. Verse...  Read More

Ezekiel 7:1-9:11; Hebrews 5:1-14; Psalm 105:1-15; Proverbs 26:28One of the themes of Ezekiel is God removing his presence from wicked Jerusalem. God loves Judah but due to his holiness, he must remove himself from the sinful nation. This happens in Ezekiel 7-9 as God's glory moves from above the cherubim in the holy of holies to the edge of the temple. Then in chapter 11, God will move east of the...  Read More

Ezekiel 3:16-6:14; Hebrews 4:1-16; Psalm 104:24-35; Proverbs 26:27I continually tell my kids that they are not responsible for the actions of others but only for their own choices. They can't control what others do but they can always choose to do what is right. The same is true for us. We are called to follow Christ no matter what the world around us is doing.Ezekiel shares that the outcome of th...  Read More