Tag Archives: Ezekiel’s vision

Make the Main Thing the Main Thing

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Ezekiel 46-48

And there it is.

Sometimes we get caught up in the minute details of things in Scripture, like Ezekiel’s vision, when what we’re doing is merely chasing rabbit trails. God inspired Ezekiel to record his vision, so I know God considers it important for us to understand. But my question is, is it the “what” or the “who” of it that God considers important?

For me, Ezekiel 48:35 sums it all up. It tells us to look at the perimeter of the city, the circle around the city. Distance yourself from the joists and doorframes. See the city and understand THE LORD IS THERE!!!

That’s the whole point of Ezekiel’s vision. The main thing is God.

I was reading the September 14 devotion in “Mornings with Tozer,” compiled by Gerald Smith and published by Moody Publishers, 20028. He said we Christians tend to concentrate on “what our Lord Jesus Christ is to us in our personal lives, moment to moment.” It’s not that we shouldn’t be aware of and thankful for the many blessings which are ours in Christ. But are the blessings the main things? Do we praise Him merely for what He has DONE?

Tozer warns us against emphasizing the “utility” of the cross on which Jesus died instead of the Person who died on that cross.” We sing “Jesus died for ME!” But shouldn’t our emphasis be, “JESUS died for me?” Tozer suggests that because of the theology of the utility of the cross, “many have no emotional yearning for the return of Christ.”

Oh, we believe we are going to heaven where we’ll walk with our loved ones on streets of gold, chat with the apostles, play with our pets that we buried in this lifetime. We picture heaven as a cleaned up Earth. But, y’all…

THE LORD IS THERE!

What makes you think your loved ones will want to take their eyes off Jesus to take a walk with you? Why would Paul or John want to leave Jesus’ side to answer your questions which by then, will be moot? Do you honestly see yourself telling Jesus, “Hold on a second. Gotta go walk my dog. I’ll be right back?”

Just like the city described in Ezekiel’s vision, including all the little details, heaven will be heaven because THE LORD IS THERE.

If that isn’t enough for you, if you aren’t yearning to see HIs face, gaze into His eyes, I pray that you will fall in love with Him today. Not just love Him along with others in your life. Is He the main thing in your life, the love of your eternal life?

I pray that all of us will grasp the amazing truth, that we are the NT temple in which God resides. THE LORD IS THERE right in your heart. Stop and think about that. Wow.

And one day we will be ushered into His Presence where forever we will actually see Him, and know we are home because THE LORD IS THERE.

Does That Warm Your Heart?

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Ezekiel saw a vision of the Lord. I love his description in chapter 2: colorful light, blazing fire, a throne like sapphire, an appearance like a rainbow on a rainy day. Ezekiel SAW the glory of the Lord!!

And it was beautiful.

The writer of Hebrews tells us that in the past God spoke to us through prophets like Ezekiel, but in these last days God speaks to us through His Son. The writer calls Jesus, “the brightness of (God’s) glory and the express image of His person”. (chapter 1)

Ezekiel witnessed that brightness! And we can, too. What is that “warm” feeling you get when you fellowship with God from a repentant heart? What is that “lightbulb” that turns on when God reveals a truth through His Word?

It’s the same Jesus Ezekiel saw in his vision. It’s like the warmth and light from a fire. It’s the Spirit of God, Jesus in the flesh. It’s tangible evidence that God is real, He’s alive, and present with each of us today, this minute.

This morning I am overwhelmed by the lengths to which God goes to reveal Himself to us. From the strength of a hurricane, to an “aha” moment reading His Word, from the birth of a baby, to the heartbeat-skipping experience of asking for – and receiving – forgiveness through the blood of Jesus.

Our hearts are warmed when we see the love of God demonstrated by Jesus on the cross, knowing He did that for each of us. We experience the warmth from the fire Ezekiel saw in his vision. We look at the world differently when we allow God to teach us what He wants us to know. We experience the light Ezekiel witnessed. And we can walk in that light, the Light of the world.

My hope is that the next time your heart is warmed by someone or something, you will recognize it as from God. Or the next time you become aware that the path before you is bathed in light, you’ll know that light is from God.

Don’t miss out on the blessed realization that those “feelings” are God’s embrace. It’s Jesus!

If that doesn’t warm your heart…