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Devotional
Weekly Bible Devotion By Books
June 26- July 1, 2023
Enter the Presence of the Lord
(All) Sing to the Lord, praise his name;
For great is the Lord and most worthy of praise;
(M) Splendor and majesty are before him
(W) strength and glory are in his sanctuary.
(M) ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
(W) Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;
(All) Worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness;
tremble before him, all the earth.
(Selection from Psalm 96: 2,4,6,7-8,9)
Confession
Dear God, into your presence, we sense a freedom from you, setting us free from the weighty and hectic life routines and sunk souls. We can see things clearer. Let your Spirit hoovers over us. Let fruits of the Holy Spirit refills us again. We need you. We confess oftentimes we are completely absorbed in our own interests, our needs, our cares, and our to-dos. We entirely neglect the opportunities of serving one another. Lead us to be near your Cross. We empty our selfish self before you. Let our flesh desires be crucified with you. Let your blood run through our beings. Let us behold the glory of you from that cross. Thank you for what you did for us. Amen.
Scripture Reading: Ezekiel
1: 26-28 Above the vault over their heads was what looked like a throne of lapis lazuli, and high above on the throne was a figure like that of a man. 27 I saw that from what appeared to be his waist up he looked like glowing metal, as if full of fire, and that from there down he looked like fire; and brilliant light surrounded him. 28 Like the appearance of a rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the radiance around him. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord.
8: 2 I looked, and I saw a figure like that of a man. From what appeared to be his waist down he was like fire, and from there up his appearance was as bright as glowing metal.
10: 18 Then the glory of the Lord departed from over the threshold of the temple and stopped above the cherubim.
11:21, 23Then the cherubim, with the wheels beside them, spread their wings, and the glory of the God of Israel was above them. 23 The glory of the Lord went up from within the city and stopped above the mountain east of it.
43:1-5Then the man brought me to the gate facing east, 2 and I saw the glory of the God of Israel coming from the east. His voice was like the roar of rushing waters, and the land was radiant with his glory. 3 The vision I saw was like the vision I had seen when he[a] came to destroy the city and like the visions I had seen by the Kebar River, and I fell facedown. 4 The glory of the Lord entered the temple through the gate facing east. 5 Then the Spirit lifted me up and brought me into the inner court, and the glory of the Lord filled the temple.
48: 35b And the name of the city from that time on will be: the Lord is there.”
Thoughts to share: O, The Glory of God!
The book of Ezekiel was born out of a very depressed, disturbing and anxious time. Some Judah elites had been taken to Babylon 6 years before the city of Jerusalem fell. Those elites were in disbelief and fear. They were in shame and wander. They were in loss and grieved. They continued to ponder many questions: What was going on in Judah Kingdom now? What would be the future of Judah Kingdom? What was and would be God doing? Where was God in midst of all mess? Ezekiel was one of the elites. He became the prophet after 5 years in exile. He was raised to reveal what God did and would be doing, how they should respond to and get themselves ready. It was during their exile, they heard the news that Jerusalem fell. It was the final heaviest blow on them. They were extremely devastated. The Ezekiel’s many visions and their interpretations became a light to guide those distraught and heartbroken people.
The book of Ezekiel is another jumbo book. It has 48 chapters. The entire book was threaded by the glory of God. What does the glory of God do? What is the glory of God?
1)The glory of God hates sins. God cannot mix with and live with sins and idolatries. The glory of God went out of the Temple. Temple was built by Solomon for God. However, over the course of Juda kingdom, the king, the priest one after another profaned the Temple. The sin was so heavy, diverse, polluted. It was in the emotions, thoughts, acts of an individual. It was in the institutions. It was in the markets, streets. It was in the families, neighborhoods.
2)The glory of God calls, lifts, sends, directs, instructs, gives words and reveal visions to the prophet. Ezekiel’s call story was awesome. With that trust, Ezekiel took up his role and duties as a prophet, a watchman for Israel House. He was given courage, protection in one of the most confusion and critical time. His job was to pass the revelations of God in words and in visions to the people in crisis.
3)The glory of God is with all-seeing and all-moving ability. God went exile with captivated Judah people. Ezekiel saw the glory of God stood over the 4 faced cherubim with 4 wheels by the sides. God was disappointed, grieved over the sins of Judah people. But he did not abandon them and leave them alone in the foreign land they were going to. He went to Babylon, to the exiles. He was with them. At the side of Karda River, He showed them the destructive things to come in Jerusalem and its surrounding nations. They should not think of returning to home soon. Rather, they should repent in wherever they were. God himself will be their Shepherd, the best shepherd. He will protect, nurture, gather, lead, heal, search for them. He will be with them.
4)The glory of God is in his amazing might to create new things. He will make a new heart for his people, liberate them from sins leading to destruction and death. He will return his glory to their hearts, their temple, their city.
But what is the glory of God? The glory of God is the expression of God’s own unmatchable, the finest, the purest, the noblest characters and attributes, his entire being. The glory of God is God’s own presence. God himself is a glorious King to the Israelites from ancient time. In the book of Ezekiel, we see the glory of God is the majestic expression of his holiness, his faithfulness, his steadfast love, his restoring, saving, recreating, renewal might. It is an amazing grace that the glory of God was willing to go where we are- in fallen time, in renewal time, in war, in peace, in wander, in rest, in brokenness, in healing. He is willing to love us with his unceasing love. He is willing to be our personal great Shepherd, tending, nurturing, healing, guiding, leading, protecting, picking up, building in our life journey.
We may never think that we can touch the glory of God. Yet, the glory of God has been expressed and revealed in the past and at present. The John Gospel tells us that the glory of God can be seen in his only son Jesus Christ. He is the radiance of the glory of God. He is full of truth and grace. Jesus took away our sin and gives the Holy Spirit to every believer. As Ezekiel saw the glory of God in the Spirit, we will see the glory of God in Jesus Christ and the Spirit.
Prayer suggestions
Is it time to do a checkup on what covers the glory of God in our lives? Is there anything that we get right with God? Our attitudes? Our feelings? Our hidden thoughts? Our careless deeds? Let the glory of God in. Let the glory of God be shone. Let the glorious God be in.
O, the Glorious Lord, King of glory, in your holiness, I see my true authentic image. In your love, I have perfect peace. In your faithfulness, I can find my stead. In your awesome might, I have a hope. Thank you. O. Lord! Thank you for sending Jesus Christ to me. Thank you for giving me the Holy Spirit. l simply love you. Cleanse me, Renew me. Be glorified in me and my life, my church and my city. Amen.
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