Ezekiel 31 - 9.13.23
Scripture: Ezekiel 31:10-11 - “Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: Because the great cedar towered over the thick foliage, and because it was proud of its height, I gave it into the hands of the ruler of the nations, for him to deal with according to its wickedness. I cast it aside.”
Observation: Ezekiel’s prophecy, here, is towards the Pharaoh of Egypt. The intent is to humble the Pharaoh, to remind him of other nations who, like Egypt, experienced great abundance but, ultimately, befell great destruction. Assyria, assimilated to a Cedar in Lebanon, once a great monarchy, a vast empire – but at the hands of a prideful king fell to ruin. So, it is a challenge to Pharaoh to check himself…consider his own sin and repent or experience the same fall to ruin.
Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. James 1:17
The historical fall of Assyria and the prophesied fall of Egypt are both attributable to prideful kings. Kings that built great and abundant kingdoms; but it’s important to remember that all good things come from God. Our blessings, our success, our recognition are not our own; they are gifts from God. And, while God is eager to bless us as His children, He is just as willing and able to ruin our pride (Jeremiah 13:9) – humbling us in whatever means necessary…but even that is out of love, for with humility comes wisdom (Proverbs 11:2).
Application
God wants us to exercise our authority in Him but we must first be under authority; in other words, we must recognize that God is still sovereign and continue to honor him, perhaps even more so in our abundance (because we have even more to give).
Therefore, let us remain humble, give God the credit and honor He so justly deserves – remembering that all good things come from Him.
Prayer
God, I know it can be easy to become prideful in our gifts, talents, hard work, possessions; help us to remember that YOU are the source. Our hard work – you provide the energy and ability. Our gifts, talents and abilities – you created us with those in mind to serve your kingdom purposes. May we give YOU the honor and the glory and remember why we are here at all – to know you and make you known – and to use all we have to that end. Show me ways to do that today. More of you, less of me. In your name, I pray.
Psalm 146 - 9.12.23
Scripture
Psalm 146:3-5
Do not put your trust in princes, in human beings, who cannot save. When their spirit departs, they return to the ground; on that very day their plans come to nothing. Blessed are those whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord their God.
Observation
The Psalmist speaks about why we should always give our praise to Jesus, not man. There is nothing wrong with praising people for their hard work and accomplishments or being inspired by others who do excellent and admirable things in life; however, putting our hope in human beings instead of the Lord will always leave us disappointed and exhausted in the end. There’s a reason why the first commandment is “Thou shalt not have any other gods before me.” (Exodus 20:3)
Application
What is an idol in my life that I am putting above the Lord?
Money, Work, Hobbies, People, Family, Friends, Vacations, Food, Material things, Ourselves and/or our Image on the internet/social media, can all become idols if we are not careful. I also learned recently that Jealousy is an idol too. We must be content with what we have instead of being jealous of what others have.
Like the verse in Psalm says, “Do not put your trust in princes, in human beings, who cannot save.” Do any of these have the power to save us from our sins? Everything and everyone eventually passes away in this world, but Jesus remains forever. He is our Ultimate Shepherd. If you didn’t have a chance to listen to the awesome sermon by Pastor Levi on Sunday about the Lord being our Shepherd, I highly encourage you to watch it at this link: https://youtu.be/Bgd93pizRSE?si=CTk0JnDqWt7x32al
Prayer
Dear Lord,
Please reveal any idols in my life and may I be quick to release anything You are asking me to release, so that You remain #1 on the throne of my heart. You are my ultimate hope and help. May my life imitate the Apostle Paul when he said, “I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord (Philippians 3:8).” Amen.
-Michelle Gaddi
Psalm 145 - 9.11.23
Scripture
Psalms 145:21 NLT
“I will praise the Lord, and may everyone on earth bless his holy name forever and ever.”
Observation
This is a psalm of praise and worship written by David. In this psalm, David lists the many reasons God should be praised:
Verse 3-God is great.
Verse 4-God is powerful.
Verse 5-God’s glorious splendor and wonderful miracles.
Verse 6-God’s awe inspiring deeds.
Verse 7-God’s goodness and righteousness.
Verse 8-God is merciful and compassionate, and slow to get angry.
Verse 13-God’s Kingdom and rule is everlasting. He is gracious in all He does and He always keeps His promises.
These are just a few reasons David listed in this chapter alone on why God should be worshiped and praised! Trust me there’s more in this chapter that I missed. But you get the picture.
Application
Make it a habit to spend some time daily giving God our worship and praise.
Shout out to Robin Orefice for giving me this prayer exercise that I want to share with you all today!
If you remember the scripture where Jesus teaches His disciples to pray, (Matthew 6:9-13), Jesus starts off by telling them to start their prayer by saying, “Our Father, who art in Heaven, Hallowed be thy name.” The phrase Hallowed be thy name basically means, Holy is your name. It’s a way to start off their prayer acknowledging God for Who He is. They are giving God the worship and praise that He deserves.
Now Robin Orefice gave us a fun exercise to try in our Small Group once. She gave us a challenge to go through all the letters of the alphabet (A-Z), and name off a characteristic of God with that letter as we prayed. For example, for the letter A, we can pray, “God, You are awesome.” Then for the letter B, you can pray, “God, You are bigger than any of my problems.” Then you just keep going down the alphabet in that fashion until you hit the letter Z. Some letters may be more challenging than others, but it’s a great way to spend some time in prayer giving God the praise and worship He deserves, and acknowledging Him for Who He is! 😊
Prayer
Father God, You are worthy of all my worship and praise. Not just today Lord, but everyday. There is no one like You. There is none above You. You are the Lord of my life, and the Lord of ALL. I submit my life to You. May the way I live my life be an act of worship to You. May my life bring You praise. May the way I live point others towards Your goodness today. In Jesus name I pray, Amen. 🙏🏽
-Moses Gaddi