Pocket Thoughts - 3/13/26
God binds up the wounds of the brokenhearted bestows on His children a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair * loves justice and hates wrongdoing and works in this world with those ends in mind.
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When Ezekiel had his first vision of God while in exile in Babylon, common thought among the Israelites was that God was enthroned in the Temple back in Jerusalem. For God to appear to Ezekiel in exile – in a majestic mobile chariot, no less – broke a barrier in the Israelites’ understanding. God wasn’t limited to dwelling in the Temple. He was able to be everywhere, at all times. He was able to see all things, and He was (is and always will be) directing events on earth – both personal and historical. The exiles had lost perspective. God’s presence with and purpose for His people had been forgotten. Then He showed up in Ezekiel’s vision to bring them back to reality. The sins of the people had very real consequences. God appeared to Ezekiel to give them warning of impending judgment. Jerusalem was about to be destroyed as punishment for Judah’s disobedience. The sentence was heavy, but God, encompassed by a radiant rainbow, exhibited His never-ending faithfulness to Israel. The God of judgment was (is and always will be) also the God of mercy and hope. The promise of God stands through all of time. Those who remain faithful to Him will be a preserved, saved people set apart for His glory. Just as God disciplined His people in exile, so He disciplines those He loves even now. Accept that discipline in humility and gratitude, knowing it comes from the hands of your loving Father – omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent. His plans for you are for your good and His glory. – TV
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Confession is more than just racking our brains, trying to come up with a list of our sins to bring before God. Confession is that moment when the eyes of our hearts recognize the offensiveness of our thoughts, words, and actions and we run to God with the cry of our broken hearts: “Lord, I see it now! I’ve wronged You! Have mercy!” A penitent heart is never turned away by our loving God. Confession is the exposure of the layers of our sin so that the healing of our souls can begin. God promises to meet us where we are, instruct us, teach us, and “counsel (us) with His loving eye on (us.)” (Psalm 32:8b) God’s ways are right – period. His declaration of our guilt is just. Confession says, “I’m guilty before You, Holy God. Forgive me. Help me to turn from my sin and walk faithfully with You.” His door is always open to the heart willing to come Home to Him in humility and repentance, and the first steps on the road back start with confession. – TV
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The middle of the desert was an unlikely place for God to call a nation to be His “treasured possession,” but Israel was an unlikely nation to be just that. God had made a covenant with Abraham centuries before. Now – in the desert – God was acting on His promise. There was nothing unique about the nation of Israel except that as descendants of Abraham, God’s favor and calling rested on the people. As promised to Abraham, Israel was to be a people through whom all nations would be blessed. The Messiah would come through the family line of Israel, opening the doors of salvation to Gentiles as well as Jews, from the lowliest of servants to the highest of kings. Israel would become a unique nation representing God’s way of life, preserving His Word, and bringing the hope of salvation to all. When Moses set the words of God before the elders, the people vowed their obedience. Their good intentions were short-lived, and we’re cut from the same cloth. As the body of Christ, we’re now His ambassadors (2 Corinthians 5:20), “a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that (we) may declare the praises of Him Who called (us) out of darkness into His wonderful light.” (1 Peter 2:9) May we strive by the power of the Holy Spirit to daily live up to our high and holy calling. We’re an unlikely people set in unlikely places to bring God’s wonderful light to the world. – TV
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How could You, Lord? How could You continue to pursue such an unfaithful heart? A fickle heart distracted by every shiny trinket this world offers? A complacent, lazy heart unwilling to put in the important work of returning Your love through loving and serving others? A proud heart purposefully turning a blind eye to its own offenses? Father, Your faithfulness and goodness lavished on me are beyond my understanding. Gratitude and humility seem too small a response to the immensity of Your grace. I owe You my life. May I “walk worthy of the calling with which I was called.” (Ephesians 4:1) It’s easy to wonder – how could You? But You surround me with reminders every single day – it’s because You love me. Thanking You in the beautiful Name of Jesus, amen.
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“If we really have too much to do, there are some items on the agenda which God did not put there. Let us submit the list to Him and ask Him to indicate which items we must delete. There is always time to do the will of God. If we are too busy to do that, we are too busy.” – Elisabeth Elliot
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“You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” – Romans 5:6-8
