Ezekiel

It is Monday morning, and all is well.  We had such a great day at church yesterday with many decisions being made for Christ and a good crowd.  Today, I'm reading in Ezekiel.  1) In Chapter 14:14, God says that if Noah, Daniel, and Job prayed for Israel to be spared, that God would only spare these three and not the nation.  This shows how far gone the nation had come.  If fact, God says in verse 20, that he would not even spare their children, but only them!  The nation had turned completely from God. 2) Ezek. 18:4 "the soul that sinneth, it shall die."  Either we pay for our sins, or Christ does.  He already did!  We just accept Him by faith.  If we do not then, the soul that sinneth, it shall die."  We need to look to Christ in faith, and lead others to do the same. 3) Ezek. 22:22- "As silver is melted in the midst of the furnace, so shall ye be melted in the midst thereof; "  God so often likens trials and judgment to being in a furnace and having metal purified by the furnace.  We know that when metal is heated to a liquid, that the dross (impurities) float to the top and are skimmed off.  Someone said that in telling when the silver is pure is when the man can see his face in the metal.  So God purifies us until He can see His face in us!  The furnace is not a place of comfort, but it is a place of change! 4) Ezek. 33:31- "for with their mouth they show much love, but their heart goeth after their covetousness."  This was said by Jesus of the Pharisees, and we do not want it said of us.  Well, I hope you have a blessed day!  These are just a few things that I noticed today.  See you tomorrow!  Pastor Mike Mutchler