https://esv.literalword.com/?q=eze+14%3B+phile+1
Observations from today’s readings and today’s S-WOD, Wednesday, 13 September 2023:
Ezekiel 14:3,6, 7, 9 — Son of man, these men have taken their idols into their hearts, and set the stumbling block of their iniquity before their faces. Should I indeed let myself be consulted by them?… Thus says the Lord God: Repent and turn away from your idols, and turn away your faces from all your abominations…. Anyone… who separates himself from me, taking his idols into his heart and putting the stumbling block of his iniquity before his face, I will set my face against that man;… and you shall know that I am the Lord…. And if the prophet is deceived and speaks a word, I, the Lord… will stretch out my hand against him and will destroy him from the midst of my people Israel.
Idols are anything that come between us and God or that we rely on instead of God. False teachers lift up idols instead of lifting up Jesus Christ. False teachers promote themselves, another person, organizations, institutions, philosophies, ideas, etc. rather than Jesus Christ. While everyone is talking about politics, talk about Jesus.
Your work, your family, your hobbies, your possessions, your plans, etc. can all be idols if they become the motivation for your decision-making, if they become your goal and your focus. In themselves, these ‘created things’ are neither good or bad, but when placed above God, they become bad for you. The love of God must be your motivation for every decision you make, and oneness with God must be your life goal and daily objective and focus. You were created for this purpose.
Ezekiel 14:4, 5 — I the Lord will answer him as he comes with the multitude of his idols, that I may lay hold of the hearts of the house of Israel, who are all estranged from me through their idols.
When you turn to God and seek a relationship with Him, He is going to deal with your idols. The Holy Spirit will challenge you to search your heart, discover your idols, and put them aside that your heart would be fully committed to the One True God, your source of life.
Ezekiel 14:10, 11 — And they shall bear their punishment—the punishment of the prophet and the punishment of the inquirer shall be alike— that the house of Israel may no more go astray from me, nor defile themselves anymore with all their transgressions, but that they may be my people and I may be their God, declares the Lord God.
God will deal with the false teacher AND the person who listens to the false teacher because His goal is to let nothing or no one lead other people away from Him. If you remain focused on Jesus and God’s word, you will not be deceived by the false teacher.
Ezekiel 14:13, 14 — Son of man, when a land sins against me by acting faithlessly, and I stretch out my hand against it and break its supply of bread and send famine upon it, and cut off from it man and beast, even if these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they would deliver but their own lives by their righteousness, declares the Lord God.
God punishes disobedience, and people are not saved by the righteousness of other people. But as God punishes a nation, He will deal with each person according to their own behavior.
Ezekiel 14:21 — How much more when I send upon Jerusalem my four disastrous acts of judgment, sword, famine, wild beasts, and pestilence, to cut off from it man and beast!
God uses elements of His creation to punish people. The world sees all natural acts as merely the random product of scientific principles, seeing the will of God as a non-factor. Therefore, they scoff at the idea of judgment. The Christian realizes that God is the God of science and direct the course of all things according to His perfect will.
Note: Here is a link to a video summary of Philemon: https://youtu.be/aW9Q3Jt6Yvk
Philemon 1:1 – Paul, a prisoner for Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother….
Paul had many classifications in life, he was a Jew, he was a Roman citizen, he was a scholar, and he was a tentmaker, but he identified himself, first and foremost, as a fully committed follower of Jesus and a member of the family of Christ. How do you introduce yourself to others? For what are you most known?
Philemon 1:1, 2 – To Philemon our beloved fellow worker and Apphia our sister and Archippus our fellow soldier….
Christians are both workers and soldiers. Do you work for the Kingdom and fight for righteousness? Is that your focus today, or are you consumed by the worries of the world and wrapped up in earthly pursuits? It is critical that you walk through the day with the right perspective and focus, that you are not distracted. Your world view will impact every decision you make. Seek first the Kingdom one day at a time. The truth of the Bible cannot me just a philosophy to you, it must be your action plan.
Philemon 1:3 – Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Paul’s goal was that others might truly know, receive, and enjoy the grace and peace that comes through Jesus. Are you know by others as unnaturally graceful, gracious, and peaceful? Do the words that come out of your mouth exude surprising grace and peace? In the most chaotic environments, do you remain unflustered like Jesus sleeping in the back of a boat tossed about by the storms of the sea while everyone else panicked? If not, ask yourself why not.
Philemon 1:4-7 – I thank my God always when I remember you in my prayers, because I hear of your love and of the faith that you have toward the Lord Jesus and for all the saints, and I pray that the sharing of your faith may become effective for the full knowledge of every good thing that is in us for the sake of Christ. For I have derived much joy and comfort from your love, my brother, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you.
Do you always thankfully pray for your brothers and sisters in Christ? How about today? Are others hearing about the impact your love and faithfulness is having on others? Are you knowing Jesus and making Him known to others more and more with each day, and are you praying that others would do the same? Does your love bring comfort and refresh others?
We cannot fully mature in Christ outside of relationships with others. The sharing of our faith is required to truly “know” the power of the Spirit within us. God has given us the mandate of discipleship and evangelism. If we are not faithful to Christ in our relationships, we live fruitless lives.
Philemon 1:8, 9 – Though I am bold enough in Christ to command you to do what is required, yet for love’s sake I prefer to appeal to you — I, Paul, an old man and now a prisoner also for Christ Jesus.
Do you command others to do what is right or do you appeal to them? Which approach is more loving? Are your emotions held captive (as a prisoner) by the love of Christ?
Philemon 1:14 – I preferred to do nothing without your consent in order that your goodness might not be by compulsion but of your own accord.
Paul wanted to give others the opportunity to do what they should by their own choice, inspired by love, rather than forcing them to do it. This comes with risk and takes great patience.
Obedience out of a sense of duty or responsibility does not have the power of obedience inspired by love.
Philemon 1:17 – So if you consider me your partner, receive him as you would receive me.
Paul’s appeal was grounded in relationship. His influence was empowered by the truth of his character. He was persuasive because he was genuine, selfless, and loving, not because he had positional authority or the power of threat. His authority was from Jesus, the authority of the Truth. Rules without relationship leads to rebellion.
Philemon 1:18 – If he has wronged you at all, or owes you anything, charge that to my account.
Paul ensured there were no personal issues, issues, or debts that would distract from his appeal. Do not let unsettled matters between you and others distract them from the truth you proclaim. Let no debt remain but the debt of love. Philemon had no excuse to keep him from listening to Paul and accepting his appeal.
Philemon 1:20 – Yes, brother, I want some benefit from you in the Lord. Refresh my heart in Christ.
Paul could freely and confidently ask, and Philemon could confidently accept, because Paul was not motivated by any selfishness. Being solely committed to the work of Jesus, Paul presented Philemon with a decision of whether or not to serve Jesus, not Paul.
Philemon 1:21 – Confident of your obedience, I write to you, knowing that you will do even more than I say.
Love causes us to do more than what is asked or expected. Jesus said walk an extra mile, even for the unrighteous Roman centurion.
Philemon 1:25 – The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.
Paul began all conversations with a focus on grace and peace and ended all conversations with a focus on grace and peace. One of your biggest challenges today and everyday will be to not lose focus on your purpose and mission as an ambassador for Jesus and a reconciler. In your interactions with others, you cannot, as an ambassador, represent your own interests or speak on your own behalf but must represent Jesus and speak on His behalf; and regardless matter at hand, you must not lose focus on the goal of revealing Christ a bit more to the other purpose and seeking their reconciliation with Jesus, drawing them just a bit closer to Jesus. Don’t let the “issue,” whatever it may be, become the focus and a distraction from Jesus. Overwhelm the other person with the grace and peace of Jesus. Be willing to lose the argument or suffer temporal loss in order to win the true victory.
“Cross” Fit S-WOD (Spiritual Workout of the Day) – 13 September 2023: Today, critique your every encounter with every person with whom you interact. Did you represent Jesus or yourself? Were you motivated by emotion or love? Did you leave the other person overwhelmed by your display of grace, mercy, and peace? Were your words refreshing and renewing? Did you leave them with a greater understanding of Jesus? Were you faithful with the moment? Did you walk away feeling closer to Jesus, with contentment and peace? If you fell short, don’t worry, just pray, repent, and get closer to Jesus.
Defenders Bible Reading Plan 