[Ohio-Communities-of-Faith] DONNIE DAILY GEMS FOR TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 6

[Donnie Parrett]

DONNIE DAILY GEMS FOR TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 6

THOUGHT OF THE DAY

Learned to live each day as if it's the last. After all, it might be the
last.

___

DAILY DEVOTION

Consistent and Continuing


Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which
the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he
hath purchased with his own blood. For I know this, that after my departing
shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of
your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away
disciples after them. Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of
three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears.
Acts 20:28:31

As Paul traveled from place to place on his missionary trips, he often was
in a town for only a few days or weeks. But in other places, he was able to
stay for a longer period, investing more and more of himself. Nowhere was
that more evident than in the city of Ephesus. The great city was a center
of culture and trade, first in the Greek empire and later the Roman empire.
Paul did not have an easy time there. He faced much opposition from the
worshipers of Diana, and had to fight for his life. "If after the manner of
men I have fought with beasts at Ephesus, what advantageth it me, if the
dead rise not? let us eat and drink; for to morrow we die" (1 Corinthians
15:32).
Paul stayed in Ephesus for three years, in spite of the obstacles he faced.
He committed much of his life to reaching those people. He did not allow
anything to deter him from doing what God had called him to do. Horatius
Bonar wrote, "The road to the Kingdom is not so pleasant, and comfortable,
and easy, and flowery, as many dream. It is not a bright sunny avenue of
palms. It is not paved with triumph, though it is to end in victory. Rest
later; but weariness here! Joy and security later; but here endurance and
watchfulness - the race, the battle, the burden, the stumbling block, and
oftentimes the heavy heart." We can be faithful through each challenge as we
keep our eyes on Christ and on the priorities which He has placed before us.
Regardless of the results we see or opposition we face, we must remain
faithful to serve and follow Jesus Christ.

___

DAILY BIBLE READING

Ezekiel 22-24 New King James Version
Sins of Jerusalem
22 Moreover the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 2 "Now, son of man,
will you judge, will you judge the bloody city? Yes, show her all her
abominations! 3 Then say, 'Thus says the Lord God: "The city sheds blood in
her own midst, that her time may come; and she makes idols within herself to
defile herself. 4 You have become guilty by the blood which you have shed,
and have defiled yourself with the idols which you have made. You have
caused your days to draw near, and have come to the end of your years;
therefore I have made you a reproach to the nations, and a mockery to all
countries. 5 Those near and those far from you will mock you as [a]infamous
and full of tumult.

6 "Look, the princes of Israel: each one has used his [b]power to shed blood
in you. 7 In you they have made light of father and mother; in your midst
they have oppressed the stranger; in you they have mistreated the
[c]fatherless and the widow. 8 You have despised My holy things and profaned
My Sabbaths. 9 In you are men who slander to cause bloodshed; in you are
those who eat on the mountains; in your midst they commit lewdness. 10 In
you men uncover their fathers' nakedness; in you they violate women who are
set apart during their impurity. 11 One commits abomination with his
neighbor's wife; another lewdly defiles his daughter-in-law; and another in
you violates his sister, his father's daughter. 12 In you they take bribes
to shed blood; you take usury and increase; you have made profit from your
neighbors by extortion, and have forgotten Me," says the Lord God.

13 "Behold, therefore, I beat My fists at the dishonest profit which you
have made, and at the bloodshed which has been in your midst. 14 Can your
heart endure, or can your hands remain strong, in the days when I shall deal
with you? I, the Lord, have spoken, and will do it. 15 I will scatter you
among the nations, disperse you throughout the countries, and remove your
filthiness completely from you. 16 You shall defile yourself in the sight of
the nations; then you shall know that I am the Lord." ' "

Israel in the Furnace
17 The word of the Lord came to me, saying, 18 "Son of man, the house of
Israel has become dross to Me; they are all bronze, tin, iron, and lead, in
the midst of a furnace; they have become dross from silver. 19 Therefore
thus says the Lord God: 'Because you have all become dross, therefore
behold, I will gather you into the midst of Jerusalem. 20 As men gather
silver, bronze, iron, lead, and tin into the midst of a furnace, to blow
fire on it, to melt it; so I will gather you in My anger and in My fury, and
I will leave you there and melt you. 21 Yes, I will gather you and blow on
you with the fire of My wrath, and you shall be melted in its midst. 22 As
silver is melted in the midst of a furnace, so shall you be melted in its
midst; then you shall know that I, the Lord, have poured out My fury on
you.' "

Israel's Wicked Leaders
23 And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 24 "Son of man, say to her:
'You are a land that is not [d]cleansed or rained on in the day of
indignation.' 25 The conspiracy of her [e]prophets in her midst is like a
roaring lion tearing the prey; they have devoured [f]people; they have taken
treasure and precious things; they have made many widows in her midst. 26
Her priests have [g]violated My law and profaned My holy things; they have
not distinguished between the holy and unholy, nor have they made known the
difference between the unclean and the clean; and they have hidden their
eyes from My Sabbaths, so that I am profaned among them. 27 Her princes in
her midst are like wolves tearing the prey, to shed blood, to destroy
[h]people, and to get dishonest gain. 28 Her prophets plastered them with
untempered mortar, seeing false visions, and divining lies for them, saying,
'Thus says the Lord God,' when the Lord had not spoken. 29 The people of the
land have used oppressions, committed robbery, and mistreated the poor and
needy; and they wrongfully oppress the stranger. 30 So I sought for a man
among them who would make a wall, and stand in the gap before Me on behalf
of the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found no one. 31 Therefore
I have poured out My indignation on them; I have consumed them with the fire
of My wrath; and I have recompensed their deeds on their own heads," says
the Lord God.

Two Harlot Sisters
23 The word of the Lord came again to me, saying:

2 "Son of man, there were two women,
The daughters of one mother.
3 They committed harlotry in Egypt,
They committed harlotry in their youth;
Their breasts were there embraced,
Their virgin bosom was there pressed.
4 Their names: [i]Oholah the elder and [j]Oholibah her sister;
They were Mine,
And they bore sons and daughters.
As for their names,
Samaria is Oholah, and Jerusalem is Oholibah.

The Older Sister, Samaria
5 "Oholah played the harlot even though she was Mine;
And she lusted for her lovers, the neighboring Assyrians,
6 Who were clothed in purple,
Captains and rulers,
All of them desirable young men,
Horsemen riding on horses.
7 Thus she committed her harlotry with them,
All of them choice men of Assyria;
And with all for whom she lusted,
With all their idols, she defiled herself.
8 She has never given up her harlotry brought from Egypt,
For in her youth they had lain with her,
Pressed her virgin bosom,
And poured out their immorality upon her.

9 "Therefore I have delivered her
Into the hand of her lovers,
Into the hand of the Assyrians,
For whom she lusted.
10 They uncovered her nakedness,
Took away her sons and daughters,
And slew her with the sword;
She became a byword among women,
For they had executed judgment on her.

The Younger Sister, Jerusalem
11 "Now although her sister Oholibah saw this, she became more corrupt in
her lust than she, and in her harlotry more corrupt than her sister's
harlotry.

12 "She lusted for the neighboring Assyrians,
Captains and rulers,
Clothed most gorgeously,
Horsemen riding on horses,
All of them desirable young men.
13 Then I saw that she was defiled;
Both took the same way.
14 But she increased her harlotry;
She looked at men portrayed on the wall,
Images of Chaldeans portrayed in vermilion,
15 Girded with belts around their waists,
Flowing turbans on their heads,
All of them looking like captains,
In the manner of the Babylonians of Chaldea,
The land of their nativity.
16 As soon as her eyes saw them,
She lusted for them
And sent messengers to them in Chaldea.

17 "Then the [k]Babylonians came to her, into the bed of love,
And they defiled her with their immorality;
So she was defiled by them, and alienated herself from them.
18 She revealed her harlotry and uncovered her nakedness.
Then I alienated Myself from her,
As I had alienated Myself from her sister.

19 "Yet she multiplied her harlotry
In calling to remembrance the days of her youth,
When she had played the harlot in the land of Egypt.
20 For she lusted for her [l]paramours,
Whose flesh is like the flesh of donkeys,
And whose issue is like the issue of horses.
21 Thus you called to remembrance the lewdness of your youth,
When the Egyptians pressed your bosom
Because of your youthful breasts.

Judgment on Jerusalem
22 "Therefore, Oholibah, thus says the Lord God:

'Behold, I will stir up your lovers against you,
>From whom you have alienated yourself,
And I will bring them against you from every side:
23 The Babylonians,
All the Chaldeans,
Pekod, Shoa, Koa,
All the Assyrians with them,
All of them desirable young men,
Governors and rulers,
Captains and men of renown,
All of them riding on horses.
24 And they shall come against you
With chariots, wagons, and war-horses,
With a horde of people.
They shall array against you
Buckler, shield, and helmet all around.

'I will delegate judgment to them,
And they shall judge you according to their judgments.
25 I will set My jealousy against you,
And they shall deal furiously with you;
They shall remove your nose and your ears,
And your remnant shall fall by the sword;
They shall take your sons and your daughters,
And your remnant shall be devoured by fire.
26 They shall also strip you of your clothes
And take away your beautiful jewelry.

27 'Thus I will make you cease your lewdness and your harlotry
Brought from the land of Egypt,
So that you will not lift your eyes to them,
Nor remember Egypt anymore.'

28 "For thus says the Lord God: 'Surely I will deliver you into the hand of
those you hate, into the hand of those from whom you alienated yourself. 29
They will deal hatefully with you, take away all you have worked for, and
leave you naked and bare. The nakedness of your harlotry shall be uncovered,
both your lewdness and your harlotry. 30 I will do these things to you
because you have gone as a harlot after the Gentiles, because you have
become defiled by their idols. 31 You have walked in the way of your sister;
therefore I will put her cup in your hand.'

32 "Thus says the Lord God:

'You shall drink of your sister's cup,
The deep and wide one;
You shall be laughed to scorn
And held in derision;
It contains much.
33 You will be filled with drunkenness and sorrow,
The cup of horror and desolation,
The cup of your sister Samaria.
34 You shall drink and drain it,
You shall break its [m]shards,
And tear at your own breasts;
For I have spoken,'
Says the Lord God.

35 "Therefore thus says the Lord God:

'Because you have forgotten Me and cast Me behind your back,
Therefore you shall bear the penalty
Of your lewdness and your harlotry.' "

Both Sisters Judged
36 The Lord also said to me: "Son of man, will you judge Oholah and
Oholibah? Then declare to them their abominations. 37 For they have
committed adultery, and blood is on their hands. They have committed
adultery with their idols, and even sacrificed their sons whom they bore to
Me, passing them through the fire, to devour them. 38 Moreover they have
done this to Me: They have defiled My sanctuary on the same day and profaned
My Sabbaths. 39 For after they had slain their children for their idols, on
the same day they came into My sanctuary to profane it; and indeed thus they
have done in the midst of My house.

40 "Furthermore you sent for men to come from afar, to whom a messenger was
sent; and there they came. And you washed yourself for them, painted your
eyes, and adorned yourself with ornaments. 41 You sat on a stately couch,
with a table prepared before it, on which you had set My incense and My oil.
42 The sound of a carefree multitude was with her, and [n]Sabeans were
brought from the wilderness with men of the common sort, who put bracelets
on their [o]wrists and beautiful crowns on their heads. 43 Then I said
concerning her who had grown old in adulteries, 'Will they commit harlotry
with her now, and she with them?' 44 Yet they went in to her, as men go in
to a woman who plays the harlot; thus they went in to Oholah and Oholibah,
the lewd women. 45 But righteous men will judge them after the manner of
adulteresses, and after the manner of women who shed blood, because they are
adulteresses, and blood is on their hands.

46 "For thus says the Lord God: 'Bring up an assembly against them, give
them up to trouble and plunder. 47 The assembly shall stone them with stones
and [p]execute them with their swords; they shall slay their sons and their
daughters, and burn their houses with fire. 48 Thus I will cause lewdness to
cease from the land, that all women may be taught not to practice your
lewdness. 49 They shall repay you for your lewdness, and you shall pay for
your idolatrous sins. Then you shall know that I am the Lord God.' "

Symbol of the Cooking Pot
24 Again, in the ninth year, in the tenth month, on the tenth day of the
month, the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 2 "Son of man, write down
the name of the day, this very day-the king of Babylon started his siege
against Jerusalem this very day. 3 And utter a parable to the rebellious
house, and say to them, 'Thus says the Lord God:

"Put on a pot, set it on,
And also pour water into it.
4 Gather pieces of meat in it,
Every good piece,
The thigh and the shoulder.
Fill it with choice [q]cuts;
5 Take the choice of the flock.
Also pile fuel bones under it,
Make it boil well,
And let the cuts simmer in it."

6 'Therefore thus says the Lord God:

"Woe to the bloody city,
To the pot whose scum is in it,
And whose scum is not gone from it!
Bring it out piece by piece,
On which no lot has fallen.
7 For her blood is in her midst;
She set it on top of a rock;
She did not pour it on the ground,
To cover it with dust.
8 That it may raise up fury and take vengeance,
I have set her blood on top of a rock,
That it may not be covered."

9 'Therefore thus says the Lord God:

"Woe to the bloody city!
I too will make the pyre great.
10 Heap on the wood,
Kindle the fire;
Cook the meat well,
Mix in the spices,
And let the [r]cuts be burned up.

11 "Then set the pot empty on the coals,
That it may become hot and its bronze may burn,
That its filthiness may be melted in it,
That its scum may be consumed.
12 She has [s]grown weary with [t]lies,
And her great scum has not gone from her.
Let her scum be in the fire!
13 In your filthiness is lewdness.
Because I have cleansed you, and you were not cleansed,
You will not be cleansed of your filthiness anymore,
Till I have caused My fury to rest upon you.
14 I, the Lord, have spoken it;
It shall come to pass, and I will do it;
I will not hold back,
Nor will I spare,
Nor will I relent;
According to your ways
And according to your deeds
[u]They will judge you,"
Says the Lord God.' "

The Prophet's Wife Dies
15 Also the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 16 "Son of man, behold, I
take away from you the desire of your eyes with one stroke; yet you shall
neither mourn nor weep, nor shall your tears run down. 17 Sigh in silence,
make no mourning for the dead; bind your turban on your head, and put your
sandals on your feet; do not cover your [v]lips, and do not eat man's bread
of sorrow."

18 So I spoke to the people in the morning, and at evening my wife died; and
the next morning I did as I was commanded.

19 And the people said to me, "Will you not tell us what these things
signify to us, that you behave so?"

20 Then I answered them, "The word of the Lord came to me, saying, 21 'Speak
to the house of Israel, "Thus says the Lord God: 'Behold, I will profane My
sanctuary, [w]your arrogant boast, the desire of your eyes, the [x]delight
of your soul; and your sons and daughters whom you left behind shall fall by
the sword. 22 And you shall do as I have done; you shall not cover your
[y]lips nor eat man's bread of sorrow. 23 Your turbans shall be on your
heads and your sandals on your feet; you shall neither mourn nor weep, but
you shall pine away in your iniquities and mourn with one another. 24 Thus
Ezekiel is a sign to you; according to all that he has done you shall do;
and when this comes, you shall know that I am the Lord God.' "

25 'And you, son of man-will it not be in the day when I take from them
their stronghold, their joy and their glory, the desire of their eyes, and
[z]that on which they set their minds, their sons and their daughters: 26
that on that day one who escapes will come to you to let you hear it with
your ears? 27 On that day your mouth will be opened to him who has escaped;
you shall speak and no longer be mute. Thus you will be a sign to them, and
they shall know that I am the Lord.' "

Footnotes
Ezekiel 22:5 Lit. defiled of name
Ezekiel 22:6 Lit. arm
Ezekiel 22:7 Lit. orphan
Ezekiel 22:24 So with MT, Syr., Vg.; LXX showered upon
Ezekiel 22:25 So with MT, Vg.; LXX princes; Tg. scribes
Ezekiel 22:25 Lit. souls
Ezekiel 22:26 Lit. done violence to
Ezekiel 22:27 Lit. souls
Ezekiel 23:4 Lit. Her Own Tabernacle
Ezekiel 23:4 Lit. My Tabernacle Is in Her
Ezekiel 23:17 Lit. sons of Babel
Ezekiel 23:20 Illicit lovers
Ezekiel 23:34 Earthenware fragments
Ezekiel 23:42 Or drunkards
Ezekiel 23:42 Lit. hands
Ezekiel 23:47 Lit. cut down
Ezekiel 24:4 Lit. bones
Ezekiel 24:10 Lit. bones
Ezekiel 24:12 Or wearied Me
Ezekiel 24:12 Or toil
Ezekiel 24:14 LXX, Syr., Tg., Vg. I
Ezekiel 24:17 Lit. moustache
Ezekiel 24:21 Lit. the pride of your strength
Ezekiel 24:21 Lit. compassion
Ezekiel 24:22 Lit. moustache
Ezekiel 24:25 Lit. the lifting up of their soul