Repent for idols in our hearts

<sup>S -Ezekiel 14


6</sup> “Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘Thus says the Lord God, “Repent and turn away from your idols and turn your faces away from all your abominations. ⁷ For anyone of the house of Israel or of the immigrants who stay in Israel who separates himself from Me, sets up his idols in his heart, puts right before his face the stumbling block of his iniquity, and then comes to the prophet to inquire of Me for himself, I the Lord will be brought to answer him in My own person. ⁸ I will set My face against that man and make him a sign and ^[e]a proverb, and I will cut him off from among My people. So you will know that I am the Lord.

O -  This is Ezekiels message to the Israelites just before their exile to Bablyon, explaining to them what they are to do, (regardless of being exiled or not).  The key for God's people unto the Lord is always to repent , turn away from our sin, in this specific case, it was idol worship.    The idols are not just physical idols, but idols set up in their hearts,  within their hearts is a stumbling block in putting God before them in all circumstances.   The consequences on not turn toward God and away from sin, is to be cut off from God. 

A - The application for me is to understand that as God's people today, in the local church, as well as in family, and in my heart,  I must repent and turn from the idols that slowly have entered my life (more importantly my heart).  Turn back toward putting God in first place. For the local church that means putting Gods plan for our church in front of our idea of what the church should be or was in the past (the idol is our vision of 2005).  For my family the idol was the house in Monterey,  the things we own, and our expectations of what our life should look like.

P - Dear heavenly Father, thank you Lord for this day you have given.  Lord I repent for my wandering heart, both in Monterey and here.  Help me to clearly see and turn from all the idols that I have placed in my heart, especially the ones I am blind.  I pray all this in Jesus name, Amen.

Be wary of becoming luke warm

S -rev 3

 ‘I know your deeds, that you have a name that you are alive, ^[a]but you are dead. ² Wake up, and strengthen the things that remain, which were about to die; for I have not found your deeds completed in the sight of My God. ³ Soremember ^[b]what you have received and heard; and keep it, and repent. Therefore if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come to you. ⁴ But you have a few ^[c]people in Sardis who have notsoiled their garments; and they will walk with Me in white, for they are worthy. ⁵ He who overcomes will thus be clothed inwhite garments; and I will not erase his name from the book of life, and I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.

...

¹⁵ ‘I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot. ¹⁶ So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will ^[l]spit you out of My mouth. ¹⁷ Because you say, “I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing,” and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked, ¹⁸ I advise you to buy from Me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself, and that the shame of your nakedness will not be revealed; and eye salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see. ¹⁹ Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline; therefore be zealous and repent. ²⁰ Behold, I standat the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me. ²¹ He who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. 

O - This letter is to another of the church at the time.  Likely one that John was familiar with and this revelation is from Christ through John, to that church.   They had seemingly become followers of Christ, after his death and felt the zeal of salvation and the excited of the eternal calling to be one of God's children.  However as time passed and life settled in around them they had become luke warm or in other words no longer zealous, but not quite apathetic.  Therefore Christ speaks firmly with them to wake them up, give the opportunity for repentance and an invitation to follow him.

A - This exhotation was for that church, and for churches today that have walked that same path, but most of all this morning it is for me.   I must be careful not to become (or remain) lukewarm.  I have grown in wisdom in many ways but one way that likely has held me back from God's best, is the change from attitude in my early walk of following Christ with reckless abandon.   Today,  I am aware I am in a new season, one in which great provision and caution could leave me luke warm,  I must continue to seek the lord, knock, and trust him to to lead me.

P -  Dear heavenly Father, I am overwhelmed with thankfulness for what you have done for me in bringing me back to hawaii.  Lord I pray that I not become luke warm and that this passion and fire that you have put in me I could use for your glory, at work and at home.  I pray all this in Jesus name.

The Lord is our Rock - at home and at work

S psalm 144

144 Blessed be the Lord, my rock,
Who trains my hands for war,
And my fingers for battle;
² My lovingkindness and my fortress,
My stronghold and my deliverer,
My shield and He in whom I take refuge,
Who subdues ^[a]my people under me.
³ O Lord, what is man, that You take knowledge of him?
Or the son of man, that You think of him?
⁴ Man is like a mere breath;
His days are like a passing shadow.

O - This definitely sounds like David, although I am not for certain.  David a leader of incredible faith, who despite the manning victories and blessing the lord has laid upon him,  knows where his strength comes from.  The Lord prepares him for the calling his has on his life, to lead the nation.  He is required to put himself before vulnerable situations and rely on God to be his strength and protector.  He even rely's on God to lead those under him.   The explanation is simple ,  who is more capable , God or man.  The God of eternity, or the whisper of a man.

A - The application for me is to put my faith in God, the author of my life, and He who is in full control of all that is on earth and in heaven.   At work I must remember to allow God to go before me and be my strength and protector.  At home I have to trust him to go before me and lead my family,  my wife, my children, so that we would be aligned and covered by his wisdom , power, and grace.   

P - Dear heavenly Father, thank you for the incredible opportunity to know you, to be led by you.  My shadow mission is to work for leaders I love.  You Jesus, are that leader I love to follow and will follow you wherever you lead. 

Bearers of Gods truth

S - 3 John 1
¹¹ Beloved, do not imitate what is evil, but what is good. The one who does good is of God; the one who does evil has not seen God.

O - John is writing this letter to a particular member of the church encouraging him to continue responding in the truth that has been revealed with how we as christians are to behave to one another and the world.  There was a member of this church who was making false accusations against John, and was not acting as a Christian should.    This very same concern occurs today, that though the truth is presented, some do not receive the truth completely and behave poorly.

A - The application for me is to recognize, in my home, at church, and in the work place I am to be a bearer of the truth.  I am to consider myself one who does good and is of God.   I know I fall short of Jesus' perfection on earth, but I must continue to try and be a banner bearer for Christ.

P - Dear heavenly Father, thank you for todays lesson, may it be sealed to my heart.

New - old commandment - Love

S - 2 john 1:

Now I ask you, lady, not as though I were writing to you a new commandment, but the one which we have had from the beginning, that we love one another. ⁶ And this is love, that we walk according to His commandments. This is the commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning, that you should walk in it.

O -  John is sending a letter to someone specific at the local church, likely in response to what he has heard is going on in the church.  He speaks specifically to someone of some sort of leadership position , one that he likely discipled.   As a senior in the church he had likely not only experienced the ministry when Christ was on earth, but also now had the experience of a number of years leading the local church himself.   So these letters that the early apostles wrote are for the local church in that time, but in many ways are timeless, because the struggles of the early church, in many ways are the same struggles the Israelites found the themselves struggling with , and the ones we today.  This particular verse corrects back to the heart of every person, and every church,  our greatest commandments to love God and to love one another. 

A - The application for me is to focus on loving well in my life, at home, at work, in the church and in the world wherever and with whomever God places in front of me.  I still fall so short of loving like christ loves, but know that His word today.

P -  Dear heavenly father, start with me,  help me to love as you love, unconditionally, with grace.   I need my spirit corrected and even rebuked when I stray from loving my brother well.  Holy spirit come and refresh anew your spirit of love in me, so that I might be more and more like Jesus.  In Jesus name, Amen.

A change of seasons - coming back from Babylon

S-Jeremiah 28
“Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, ‘I have broken the yoke of the king of Babylon. ³ Within two years I am going to bring back to this place all the vessels of the Lord’s house, which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon took away from this place and carried to Babylon. ⁴ I am also going to bring back to this place Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, and all the exiles of Judah who went to Babylon,’ declares the Lord, ‘for I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon.’”

O - God was good to the people of Israel in that he continued to speak to them through the prophet Jeremiah before, during, and leading out of their exile to Babylon.  This portion of scripture is speaking to the exiles in Babylon, that though they have been in exile for a season, the Lord is getting ready to bring them back.   

A -  The application for me is to be encouraged in this season coming back to Hawaii.  Encouraged that God's season in Monterrey had its purpose, for correction, growth, and rest,  but he is bringing us back to the land that we are called to.  

P - I am so thankful God for your perfect provision, and your loving kindness.  You know my heart and my limits, and my hearts desire is to follow you.  I am thanks for the season of rest in Monterey, the season of family strengthening,  I pray Lord your will and focuses for me and my family in this season would be revealed.