[Ohio-Communities-of-Faith] DONNIE DAILY GEMS FOR FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 2

[Donnie Parrett]

DONNIE DAILY GEMS FOR FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 2

THOUGHT OF THE DAY

We must remember that God is ALWAYS at His best, even when we are at our
worst.

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DAILY DEVOTION

Saved for Service


Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his
lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard
of my Father I have made known unto you. Ye have not chosen me, but I have
chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and
that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in
my name, he may give it you.
John 15:15-16

Though we receive immeasurable benefits from our salvation, we are not saved
for our own sake alone. God cleanses our sins and adopts us into His family
for a purpose. He has placed a calling on the life of everyone who comes to
Him for salvation. We do not have to question whether He has something for
us to do. It is certain. And in truth it is an honor and a privilege to
serve God far more than it is a responsibility. The great missionary David
Livingstone said, "If a commission by an earthly king is considered an
honor, how can a commission by a Heavenly King be considered a sacrifice?"
When Jesus called His first disciples, they already had jobs and careers.
Peter, Andrew, James, and John were partners in a fishing enterprise on the
Sea of Galilee. But when Jesus told them that they were to become His
followers, they did not hesitate. They were on the water at the time, but as
soon as they got back to shore, they committed their lives to a new
direction. "And when they had brought their ships to land, they forsook all,
and followed him" (Luke 5:11).
A Christian who is not fruitful in his life is failing in his most important
assignment. Nothing should hold us back from doing what is necessary to
follow Christ. Even if it requires what the world regards as a great
sacrifice, serving Jesus is worth whatever it costs. When we are faithful to
Him, we are His friends.
We were saved to be lights in the world and faithful servants of Jesus
Christ.

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DAILY BIBLE READING

Ezekiel 10-12 New King James Version
The Glory Departs from the Temple
10 And I looked, and there in the firmament[a] that was above the head of
the cherubim, there appeared something like a sapphire stone, having the
appearance of the likeness of a throne. 2 Then He spoke to the man clothed
with linen, and said, "Go in among the wheels, under the cherub, fill your
hands with coals of fire from among the cherubim, and scatter them over the
city." And he went in as I watched.

3 Now the cherubim were standing on the [b]south side of the [c]temple when
the man went in, and the cloud filled the inner court. 4 Then the glory of
the Lord went up from the cherub, and paused over the threshold of the
[d]temple; and the house was filled with the cloud, and the court was full
of the brightness of the Lord's glory. 5 And the sound of the wings of the
cherubim was heard even in the outer court, like the voice of Almighty God
when He speaks.

6 Then it happened, when He commanded the man clothed in linen, saying,
"Take fire from among the wheels, from among the cherubim," that he went in
and stood beside the wheels. 7 And the cherub stretched out his hand from
among the cherubim to the fire that was among the cherubim, and took some of
it and put it into the hands of the man clothed with linen, who took it and
went out. 8 The cherubim appeared to have the form of a man's hand under
their wings.

9 And when I looked, there were four wheels by the cherubim, one wheel by
one cherub and another wheel by each other cherub; the wheels appeared to
have the color of a beryl stone. 10 As for their appearance, all four looked
alike-as it were, a wheel in the middle of a wheel. 11 When they went, they
went toward any of their four directions; they did not turn aside when they
went, but followed in the direction the head was facing. They did not turn
aside when they went. 12 And their whole body, with their back, their hands,
their wings, and the wheels that the four had, were full of eyes all around.
13 As for the wheels, they were called in my [e]hearing, "Wheel."

14 Each one had four faces: the first face was the face of a cherub, the
second face the face of a man, the third the face of a lion, and the fourth
the face of an eagle. 15 And the cherubim were lifted up. This was the
living creature I saw by the River Chebar. 16 When the cherubim went, the
wheels went beside them; and when the cherubim lifted their wings to mount
up from the earth, the same wheels also did not turn from beside them. 17
When [f]the cherubim stood still, the wheels stood still, and when [g]one
was lifted up, [h]the other lifted itself up, for the spirit of the living
creature was in them.

18 Then the glory of the Lord departed from the threshold of the [i]temple
and stood over the cherubim. 19 And the cherubim lifted their wings and
mounted up from the earth in my sight. When they went out, the wheels were
beside them; and they stood at the door of the east gate of the Lord's
house, and the glory of the God of Israel was above them.

20 This is the living creature I saw under the God of Israel by the River
Chebar, and I knew they were cherubim. 21 Each one had four faces and each
one four wings, and the likeness of the hands of a man was under their
wings. 22 And the likeness of their faces was the same as the faces which I
had seen by the River Chebar, their appearance and their persons. They each
went straight forward.

Judgment on Wicked Counselors
11 Then the Spirit lifted me up and brought me to the East Gate of the
Lord's house, which faces eastward; and there at the door of the gate were
twenty-five men, among whom I saw Jaazaniah the son of Azzur, and Pelatiah
the son of Benaiah, princes of the people. 2 And He said to me: "Son of man,
these are the men who devise iniquity and give wicked [j]counsel in this
city, 3 who say, 'The time is not near to build houses; this city is the
[k]caldron, and we are the meat.' 4 Therefore prophesy against them,
prophesy, O son of man!"

5 Then the Spirit of the Lord fell upon me, and said to me, "Speak! 'Thus
says the Lord: "Thus you have said, O house of Israel; for I know the things
that come into your mind. 6 You have multiplied your slain in this city, and
you have filled its streets with the slain." 7 Therefore thus says the Lord
God: "Your slain whom you have laid in its midst, they are the meat, and
this city is the caldron; but I shall bring you out of the midst of it. 8
You have feared the sword; and I will bring a sword upon you," says the Lord
God. 9 "And I will bring you out of its midst, and deliver you into the
hands of strangers, and execute judgments on you. 10 You shall fall by the
sword. I will judge you at the border of Israel. Then you shall know that I
am the Lord. 11 This city shall not be your [l]caldron, nor shall you be the
meat in its midst. I will judge you at the border of Israel. 12 And you
shall know that I am the Lord; for you have not walked in My statutes nor
executed My judgments, but have done according to the customs of the
Gentiles which are all around you." ' "

13 Now it happened, while I was prophesying, that Pelatiah the son of
Benaiah died. Then I fell on my face and cried with a loud voice, and said,
"Ah, Lord God! Will You make a complete end of the remnant of Israel?"

God Will Restore Israel
14 Again the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 15 "Son of man, your
brethren, your relatives, your countrymen, and all the house of Israel in
its entirety, are those about whom the inhabitants of Jerusalem have said,
'Get far away from the Lord; this land has been given to us as a
possession.' 16 Therefore say, 'Thus says the Lord God: "Although I have
cast them far off among the Gentiles, and although I have scattered them
among the countries, yet I shall be a little [m]sanctuary for them in the
countries where they have gone." ' 17 Therefore say, 'Thus says the Lord
God: "I will gather you from the peoples, assemble you from the countries
where you have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel." ' 18
And they will go there, and they will take away all its detestable things
and all its abominations from there. 19 Then I will give them one heart, and
I will put a new spirit within [n]them, and take the stony heart out of
their flesh, and give them a heart of flesh, 20 that they may walk in My
statutes and keep My judgments and do them; and they shall be My people, and
I will be their God. 21 But as for those whose hearts follow the desire for
their detestable things and their abominations, I will recompense their
deeds on their own heads," says the Lord God.

22 So the cherubim lifted up their wings, with the wheels beside them, and
the glory of the God of Israel was high above them. 23 And the glory of the
Lord went up from the midst of the city and stood on the mountain, which is
on the east side of the city.

24 Then the Spirit took me up and brought me in a vision by the Spirit of
God into [o]Chaldea, to those in captivity. And the vision that I had seen
went up from me. 25 So I spoke to those in captivity of all the things the
Lord had shown me.

Judah's Captivity Portrayed
12 Now the word of the Lord came to me, saying: 2 "Son of man, you dwell in
the midst of a rebellious house, which has eyes to see but does not see, and
ears to hear but does not hear; for they are a rebellious house.

3 "Therefore, son of man, prepare your belongings for captivity, and go into
captivity by day in their sight. You shall go from your place into captivity
to another place in their sight. It may be that they will consider, though
they are a rebellious house. 4 By day you shall bring out your belongings in
their sight, as though going into captivity; and at evening you shall go in
their sight, like those who go into captivity. 5 Dig through the wall in
their sight, and carry your belongings out through it. 6 In their sight you
shall bear them on your shoulders and carry them out at twilight; you shall
cover your face, so that you cannot see the ground, for I have made you a
sign to the house of Israel."

7 So I did as I was commanded. I brought out my belongings by day, as though
going into captivity, and at evening I dug through the wall with my hand. I
brought them out at twilight, and I bore them on my shoulder in their sight.

8 And in the morning the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 9 "Son of man,
has not the house of Israel, the rebellious house, said to you, 'What are
you doing?' 10 Say to them, 'Thus says the Lord God: "This burden[p]
concerns the prince in Jerusalem and all the house of Israel who are among
them." ' 11 Say, 'I am a sign to you. As I have done, so shall it be done to
them; they shall be carried away into captivity.' 12 And the prince who is
among them shall bear his belongings on his shoulder at twilight and go out.
They shall dig through the wall to carry them out through it. He shall cover
his face, so that he cannot see the ground with his eyes. 13 I will also
spread My net over him, and he shall be caught in My snare. I will bring him
to Babylon, to the land of the Chaldeans; yet he shall not see it, though he
shall die there. 14 I will scatter to every wind all who are around him to
help him, and all his troops; and I will draw out the sword after them.

15 "Then they shall know that I am the Lord, when I scatter them among the
nations and disperse them throughout the countries. 16 But I will spare a
few of their men from the sword, from famine, and from pestilence, that they
may declare all their abominations among the Gentiles wherever they go. Then
they shall know that I am the Lord."

Judgment Not Postponed
17 Moreover the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 18 "Son of man, eat
your bread with [q]quaking, and drink your water with trembling and anxiety.
19 And say to the people of the land, 'Thus says the Lord God to the
inhabitants of Jerusalem and to the land of Israel: "They shall eat their
bread with anxiety, and drink their water with dread, so that her land may
be emptied of all who are in it, because of the violence of all those who
dwell in it. 20 Then the cities that are inhabited shall be laid waste, and
the land shall become desolate; and you shall know that I am the Lord." ' "

21 And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 22 "Son of man, what is this
proverb that you people have about the land of Israel, which says, 'The days
are prolonged, and every vision fails'? 23 Tell them therefore, 'Thus says
the Lord God: "I will lay this proverb to rest, and they shall no more use
it as a proverb in Israel." ' But say to them, ' "The days are at hand, and
the [r]fulfillment of every vision. 24 For no more shall there be any
false[s] vision or flattering divination within the house of Israel. 25 For
I am the Lord. I speak, and the word which I speak will come to pass; it
will no more be postponed; for in your days, O rebellious house, I will say
the word and perform it," says the Lord God.' "

26 Again the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 27 "Son of man, look, the
house of Israel is saying, 'The vision that he sees is for many days from
now, and he prophesies of times far off.' 28 Therefore say to them, 'Thus
says the Lord God: "None of My words will be postponed any more, but the
word which I speak will be done," says the Lord God.' "

Footnotes
Ezekiel 10:1 expanse
Ezekiel 10:3 Lit. right
Ezekiel 10:3 Lit. house
Ezekiel 10:4 Lit. house
Ezekiel 10:13 Lit. ears
Ezekiel 10:17 Lit. they
Ezekiel 10:17 Lit. they were
Ezekiel 10:17 Lit. they lifted them
Ezekiel 10:18 Lit. house
Ezekiel 11:2 Advice
Ezekiel 11:3 Pot
Ezekiel 11:11 Pot
Ezekiel 11:16 holy place
Ezekiel 11:19 Lit. you (pl.)
Ezekiel 11:24 Or Babylon, and so elsewhere in the book
Ezekiel 12:10 oracle, prophecy
Ezekiel 12:18 shaking
Ezekiel 12:23 Lit. word
Ezekiel 12:24 Lit. vain