Today's reading: Ezekiel 45-48
The circumference of the city shall be eighteen thousand cubits. And the name of the city from that time on shall be, The Lord is There. Ezekiel 48: 35 NRSV
Where is God?
In heaven?
In your heart?
In every creature on earth?
In the planet?
Everywhere?
For the Hebrew people, God was in the Holy of Holies in Jerusalem. When the city and temple were destroyed, God's presence was taken away from them, even as the people were sent into exile.
But God wanted to bring them back and rebuild. God wasn't just concerned about the circumference. God wanted to re-establish a relationship with God's people. So God declares that from the time of its reconstruction, the whole city will be called "The Lord is There."
How is your relationship with God right now? Do you think it could be closer? What would it take for your relationship with God to be so strong that you can say without a doubt, "God is here!"?
God, we all could strengthen our relationship with you. Reveal to us what it would take for that to happen and may we all be drawn closer to you. In Jesus' name. Amen.
Copyright 2010 Amelia G. Sims
Showing posts with label relationship with God. Show all posts
Showing posts with label relationship with God. Show all posts
Friday, August 13, 2010
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
God's Message
The Lord, the God of their ancestors, sent persistently to them by his messengers, because he had compassion on his people and on his dwelling place, but they kept mocking the messengers of God, despising his words, and scoffing at his prophets, until the wrath of the Lord against his people became so great that there was no remedy. II Chronicles 36: 15-16 NRSV
Has God ever tried to get your attention, sending you messages and messengers? Have you noticed the same ideas, scripture, themes and suggestions coming your way from various sources? Have you found yourself making narrow escapes again and again? And even after all this, were you too busy ignoring, laughing and being perfectly oblivious to what God was trying to tell you?
God comes to us in many ways. However, it often feels like God lies in wait and then hits us over the head with a two-by-four. I think God has probably been sending messengers for awhile and we have not been paying any attention.
The people of Judah were loved by God. God kept on sending prophets and angels (messengers) but the people mocked the messages. So, God finally had enough and uses the king of the Chaldeans to carry out God's punishment: total destruction of the temple and Jerusalem and complete exile in Babylon. This was a devastating time for the Jewish people and God's wrath was truly felt.
But the book of II Chronicles, as our own stories today, ends on a note of hope: the return and reconstruction. For us Christians, Jesus Christ is our hope. He is the one who guides us to return to God and restores our relationship with him.
God, help us to listen to you so that our relationship remains strong. In Jesus' name. Amen.
Copyright 2010 Amelia G. Sims
Has God ever tried to get your attention, sending you messages and messengers? Have you noticed the same ideas, scripture, themes and suggestions coming your way from various sources? Have you found yourself making narrow escapes again and again? And even after all this, were you too busy ignoring, laughing and being perfectly oblivious to what God was trying to tell you?
God comes to us in many ways. However, it often feels like God lies in wait and then hits us over the head with a two-by-four. I think God has probably been sending messengers for awhile and we have not been paying any attention.
The people of Judah were loved by God. God kept on sending prophets and angels (messengers) but the people mocked the messages. So, God finally had enough and uses the king of the Chaldeans to carry out God's punishment: total destruction of the temple and Jerusalem and complete exile in Babylon. This was a devastating time for the Jewish people and God's wrath was truly felt.
But the book of II Chronicles, as our own stories today, ends on a note of hope: the return and reconstruction. For us Christians, Jesus Christ is our hope. He is the one who guides us to return to God and restores our relationship with him.
God, help us to listen to you so that our relationship remains strong. In Jesus' name. Amen.
Copyright 2010 Amelia G. Sims
Saturday, February 27, 2010
40 Years
The Israelites again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord gave them into the hand of the Philistines forty years. Judges 13:1 NRSV
Someday I am going through the bible and marking all the places where 40 days or 40 years are mentioned. The flood, the Israelites in the wilderness, Jesus in the wilderness and this passage will be among them. I understand how important the number 40 is in the bible!
At this point in the book of Judges, God is really ticked off by the evil that the Israelites were doing. God then decides that only a killing off of the current generation - that is what happens to the Israelites in the wilderness after all- will do. So, God places them under the control of the Philistines. God is trying to teach God's people a lesson. God is trying to get them to grow up. God is trying to help them to see what God has done for them and how much God really wants to be in a relationship with them - a relationship that they say they want but don't follow through.
Lent is a period of forty days - not including Sundays- leading up to Easter. This should be an important time for us! We need to be looking at where we have done evil. We need to see if we have ticked God off with our behavior. We need to re-establish our relationship with God.
God does want that special relationship with us. That is why God sent Christ Jesus who gave up his life for us and our relationship with God.
God, where have I been doing evil in my life? Where do I need to make amends with you and others? Forgive me and help me to become closer to you. In Jesus' name. Amen.
Copyright 2010 Amelia G. Sims
Someday I am going through the bible and marking all the places where 40 days or 40 years are mentioned. The flood, the Israelites in the wilderness, Jesus in the wilderness and this passage will be among them. I understand how important the number 40 is in the bible!
At this point in the book of Judges, God is really ticked off by the evil that the Israelites were doing. God then decides that only a killing off of the current generation - that is what happens to the Israelites in the wilderness after all- will do. So, God places them under the control of the Philistines. God is trying to teach God's people a lesson. God is trying to get them to grow up. God is trying to help them to see what God has done for them and how much God really wants to be in a relationship with them - a relationship that they say they want but don't follow through.
Lent is a period of forty days - not including Sundays- leading up to Easter. This should be an important time for us! We need to be looking at where we have done evil. We need to see if we have ticked God off with our behavior. We need to re-establish our relationship with God.
God does want that special relationship with us. That is why God sent Christ Jesus who gave up his life for us and our relationship with God.
God, where have I been doing evil in my life? Where do I need to make amends with you and others? Forgive me and help me to become closer to you. In Jesus' name. Amen.
Copyright 2010 Amelia G. Sims
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