Do you need a little R & R? I know I do. I’m talking about Restoration and Renewal, my friend. As a mom, we wear many hats and, as women in general, we have many responsibilities.
How about adding watchman to the list? A watchman, as Teresa explains in this section, is a person who keeps a look out for danger. If there is any danger, the watchman is to sound the alarm so that the people are aware and can find protection. Isn’t that what we women do in general? It is pretty much ingrained in all of us, for example, mother’s intuition or women’s intuition. It can be a gift but may feel like a burden, right? If we are followers of Jesus, our job is made a lot easier by using His words given to us in the Scriptures. The key is to stay on His word, soak it in, and really listen to what God has to say to us, so that we can spread His message of hope to others.
Let’s go to His Word and read about another watchman named Ezekiel. In this section, God is using him to deliver messages of future hope and restoration for the people who were captive in Babylon. God is Holy, right? But Jerusalem and the Temple had become defiled. The nation had to be cleansed through a hard seventy years of captivity and, in the midst of this darkness, Ezekiel spreads a message of a future full of glorious restoration—that God’s people would experience the fullness of His Presence again.
Now, what if Ezekiel had not been willing to do this? This definitely wasn’t what he had planned for his life. He had already been through a lot and now he was a “chosen” captive just like Daniel. Like Daniel, he chose to use his story for God’s glory. He willingly became the light for others to see. He lived a one piece life in hopes of leading others to the Sovereign Lord.
Ezekiel was human, just like us. We may not be held captive in a foreign land, but things of this world can become too much. There’s so much sorrow and hurt, and you may feel stuck right now. It may seem that everyone else is moving forward with life and you seem to be doing the same thing over and over. You are wondering when you will move past this. But God!! He promises to break all chains that bind us and restore us to a new person. And, when He does, He wants us to go running through the streets shouting what He has done for you! Because not only does He forgive all we have done, He actually wipes the slate clean and never looks back. He rebuilds you to a better you and He restores your family, your finances and gives you an abundant life.
Ezekiel 33:16
” None of their past sin will be brought up again for they have done what is just and right. And they will surely live.” Through Jesus, our past sins are overshadowed by a new life ahead of us.
Ezekiel 36:35
“I will no longer allow these foreign nations to sneer at you and you will no longer be shamed by them or cause your nation to fall, says the Sovereign Lord.”
What if you made this verse personal? For example, “I will no longer allow ___________ to sneer at you and you will no longer be shamed by _____________ or cause your (family) to fall, says the Sovereign Lord.”
Ezekiel 34:31
And you, My sheep, the sheep of My pasture, are My people, and I AM your God, declares the sovereign LORD.
This makes my heart swell with joy overflowing, that I am His, you are His, and He is ours. The Sovereign Lord is ours. The God of Moses, Isaiah, David, and Ezekiel, is our God. The same God that set the captives free, who shut the mouths of lions for Daniel, and brought the children of Israel into the Promised Land. Doesn’t that renew and restore your soul?
I end with this verse, as I could go on and on just sharing His goodness:
Ezekiel 39:28,29
“…then my people will know that I am the Lord, their God, because I sent them away to exile and brought them home again. I will leave none of my people behind. And I will never turn my face from them, for I will pour out My Spirit upon the people of Israel. I, the Sovereign Lord, have spoken.”
He will never leave any of us behind, and neither should we. We must be His watchmen here, to spread the message and sound some alarms. We plant the seed and let the Holy Spirit pour like rain into all those we come in contact with. We must live a one piece life all for Him so that others will see and know that there is something different about us. They may want what we have—the Lord Jesus, our Savior.
Let’s Pray:
Dear Sovereign Lord,
We come to You today on our knees, as Your humble servant, and we thank You for all these messengers that have come before us. We thank You for Your Word and the freedom to spread it. Oh how we take this for granted, that we can shout it in the streets that You are God, we can sing of Your goodness in our churches on Sundays and carry the message to all who will listen. Oh Lord, when we do fail You, we thank You for being just and for always forgiving and for making us whole. May we be so grateful that we cannot contain it and may our light be so bright that others can’t miss it. We love You! We praise You! We ask these things in Jesus’ Holy name.
Amen
About Kim Spring
Great song – we gotta let the light shine.
For at least the second time Teresa tells us that we “have a story to tell.” Then Kim, you said, “We must live a one piece life all for Him so that others will see and know that there is something different about us. They may want what we have–the Lord Jesus, our Savior.” Both of those statements have me seriously reflecting on my life. Am I telling my story? Am I living a one piece life so it is obvious that the Spirit of God Who lives in me is revealed in everything I do and say? Matthew 5:16, “…let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in Heaven.”
Amen, Clella!! This should be our ultimate goal every day of our lives!!
Great blog, Kim!
amen Clella! I pray every morning to empty me of me so that He can fill me with only Him. there can be no grey area when it comes to our relationship with Jesus. It has to be all in so that we may be the Bible for others to read, Thank you for your sweet comments, both of you. I write what He tells me to. His words, for sure.
Awesome blog, Kim! It is so true how we take for granted how blessed we are and rather than shouting to everyone how much we have, we grumble about how much we feel we don’t have or how unfair things are. I love how you said “May we be so grateful that we cannot contain it”- YES! I know I get mired down in the negativity of my surroundings and I’m writing this phrase down to keep in front of me at all times!
Here is to all of us shouting out to the world how much He has given us and continues to give.
Yes Sherrie!! I can easily get in the mindset of all I don’t have instead of thanking Him for what I do have. I am so thankful that God is just but He isn’t always fair. if He was fair, we would get what we deserve and wouldn’t that be a mess?lol thank you for sharing today. Blessings sweet friend!
Beautiful and inspiring blog, Kim! I love the “one piece life” kind of thinking. That would make a great song title! This song was flowing through my head as I read the lesson! Thank you so much!!!
thank you for sharing. I love the one piece life too, He deserves that from us. God gives so much, we need to give back by letting the world know how awesome He is and how much better life is with Him in it. blessings dear friend!!
oh, kim, i love taking Scriptures and making them personal so that my mind and heart better appropriate God’s promises! thank you for directing us to do with ezekiel 36:35! thanks, kim, this was great! <3
Thank you Coleen!! His word is sharper and is so personal. His love letter to us. Thank you Coleen.
Kim,
Thank you for this blog. It really spoke to me and helped with my perspective which was much needed. It’s amazing how God knows the words you need to hear when you need to hear them. We definitely have to let our light shine so others will see Jesus and know who our heavenly Father is!
Thank you Leslie! Yes He does for sure. Know what we need and He uses us the messengers to do His work here. Shine your light sweet friend!
The flood of thought that came to mind is just how many gatekeepers does The Lord place in our paths everyday – from the train gate that keeps us safe to the sister we choose to hold us accountable. Gods warning system is so individual that it takes my breath away. How many times has he held us back keeping us out of danger so we could life to tell our God story. If we remember that life happens everyday and that each God moment is for His Glory just how wide would our beacon be?
One thing I learned in Bible study tonite concerning the parable of the seed..I am a planter of Gods Word, So after I get me some of that restoration and renewal each night for my body and mind I gotta get out there and get busy spreading Gods Word, there are people depending on me to scatter some seeds, because if I am not scattering them they could be missed and I am responsible….so thankful that each evening God gives us some R&R as we need it to rev up for the new days journey He will take us to tomorrow.
Beautiful lesson and blog today and oh so many nuggets of knowledge! Thanks for keeping me moving toward Him ladies
Thanks Kim. Great blog and it changes perspective when you make these verses personal