Easter: Monday, May 21, 2007

Old Testament Lesson

Ezekiel 4:1-17

One of the things that we see in the Bible is that God sometimes asks folks to do some odd things. Go and read this passage and then ask yourself, would I do that? That's a little weird. OK, a lot weird. But, God asked him to do this. Why? To demonstrate something to God's people. God was having Ezekiel symbolize their unfaithfulness, their sin, and their ultimate punishment.

For Ezekiel, when God commands that he do this, he must be thinking, there's got to be another way. This probably didn't make sense to him, but it did to God. God's plans don't always make sense to us. They may look a little odd. They may not be the way that we'd do them. They may be done in a way that we would not choose. But, God's plans are His plans, and His ways are higher than ours. Even if you don't understand the plan, trust the one that made the plan. For God's plans will always work out as they should.

New Testament Lesson

Hebrews 6:1-12

We are told here to go on towards perfection. Do not get sluggish. Do not allow yourself to become too comfortable where you are. The Christian life is about growth. If we are not growing, then we are staying the same. If we are staying the same, we are not going on towards perfection. God's grace will not allow us to stay as we are. It is His plan to restore what was corrupted in the fall. He wants us to be restored, reconciled, redeemed. So, let us not be sluggish. Let us not be slothful. Let us keep our eyes on what truly matters and keep on going towards that goal.


Gospel Lesson

Luke 9:51-62

We see Jesus set His face towards Jerusalem. We see Him with purpose do what He was called to do. He had not other purpose but that which was given to Him by His Father. But, on the way, He meets others that do not share that same purpose. They want to follow Him, but only if they can do other things first. Jesus' first priority was being obedient to the Father and doing, serving, loving, forgiving, as He was called to do.

He asks those in the text to do the same, but they would not. They had other priorities they wanted to do; then they would follow Jesus. That was not good enough. He must have first place. So is it in our lives. He must have first place as well. Nothing can take His place as our priority. He set His face towards Jerusalem. May we set our face towards Him.