Category: First Things First Devotional

I will make a covenant of peace with them; it will be an everlasting covenant with them. I will establish and multiply them and will set My sanctuary among them forever. Ezekiel 37:26 HCSB

I have taught Sunday School leadership conferences across the country. One principle I have consistently tried to convey to the conferees is the principle of multiplication. Every Sunday School class should have the goal of reaching new people and growing to the point that they need to multiply and birth a new class. Too many times a Sunday School class becomes comfortable with where they are and ceases to effectively reach new people. The class is always friendly to newcomers but does not actively seek new members. The Great Commission that Jesus gave His disciples and also gives to us as His disciples is to go and make disciples. Sunday School classes and churches need to focus on others instead of themselves.

This verse paints a picture of God providing peace to the people of Israel. God promised His people that they would be fruitful and multiply. They would grow in numbers and God would be with them forever. Ezekiel 34:25-31 provides more information about this covenant between God and His people.

Challenge: Are you reaching out to new people? Is your Bible Study class growing? When was the last time you invited someone to come to your Bible Study class? How many classes have been birthed out of your class? What can you do to help your Bible Study class to start thinking about multiplying and starting a new class? Would you be willing to leave your current class to help start a new class so more people could be reached and your church can grow?

“They will not defile themselves anymore with their idols, their detestable things, and all their transgressions. I will save them from all their apostasies by which they sinned, and I will cleanse them. Then they will be My people, and I will be their God.” Ezekiel 37:23 HCSB

A pastor I worked with years ago would explain the plan of salvation to the children attending Vacation Bible School using an old dirty T-shirt to illustrate how our lives are stained and dirty from the sins we have committed. He would then use a new clean T-shirt to illustrate how our lives are cleansed and made clean when we accept Jesus as Lord and Savior.

In this verse, Ezekiel described the beautiful sight of when the people of Israel would return to their homeland. The people would worship the one true God and He would cleanse them of all of their sins so they could have fellowship with God and be His people. This is also the picture of the coming Messiah who would pay the ultimate sacrifice with His life so we could be cleansed and made clean from all our sins.

Challenge: Have you been cleansed of all of your dirty sins? Read Isaiah 1:19 and 1 John 1:8-9 to discover how Jesus can be your Good Shepherd and cleanse you of all of your sins. Thank God for allowing you to have a relationship with Him and to be a part of His people.

“Therefore, prophesy and say to them: This is what the Lord God says: I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them, My people, and lead you into the land of Israel. Ezekiel 37:12-13 HCSB

It is always exciting to read about those who were raised from the dead, such as Lazarus or the little girl of the Roman soldier. We all wish we had power to conquer death and old age and live forever. As I have gotten older, how I wish I could turn back the hands of the clock and participate in some of the activities that I was able to do when I was younger. At one time, when I was younger, I played tennis several times each week but now I seldom play tennis or get any real exercise.

Ezekiel used the analogy between the exodus of the people of Israel from slavery and bondage in Egypt to the bondage and slavery they were experiencing under the Babylonians. God’s promise was that He would bring the people out of captivity and back into the land of Israel. God would rescue them and give them new life. “Them” is referring to both the Northern and Southern kingdoms of Israel. The “open the graves” is symbolic of the National rebirth of Israel.

Challenge: God is still in control and is still offering people freedom from the bondage of sin. Today there is hope for the future because Jesus is alive and has conquered sin through His death and resurrection. Through belief in Jesus Christ you can have freedom from your sins and have eternal life. Thank God for His wonderful gift of forgiveness and freedom.

Then He said to me, “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. Look how they say, ‘Our bones are dried up, and our hope has perished; we are cut off.’” Ezekiel 37:11 HCSB

There was a church named No Hope Baptist Church in a town where I used to live. The church got its name because when they started the church on the outskirts of town several people said, “There is no hope for that church to make it.” Therefore, they named the church No Hope Baptist Church. Years later a deacon of the church was attending a conference when the speaker made the comment, “There is hope in Jesus Christ. Just imagine if a church were to call itself No Hope” not realizing that there really was a church called No Hope. The deacon returned from the conference with a determination to get the name of the church changed. It is now more appropriately called the New Hope Baptist Church.

The people of Israel felt that there was no hope for the future. Many were in captivity under the Babylonians and others were living in Jerusalem were the city laid in ruins. There seemed to be no hope. Often people go through experiences in life when they feel there is no hope for the future. They may even feel like there is no reason for living.

Challenge: Jeremiah 29:11 says, For I know the plans I have for you”—this is the Lord’s declaration—“plans for your welfare, not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. God is still in control even when things are really going bad. Trust God that He has a plan and will accomplish His plan if we will only allow Him to be the Lord of our lives. With God there is always hope.

The hand of the Lord was on me, and He brought me out by His Spirit and set me down in the middle of the valley, it was full of bones. He led me all around them. There were a great many of them on the surface of the valley, and they were very dry. Ezekiel 32:1-2 HCSB

There have been times in my life when I have felt depressed because of circumstances or problems that have come my way. At other times I have been deeply saddened due to troublesome occurrences in the lives of people in my realm of influence. Depression in our society today is quite common and many individuals benefit from counseling and/or medications to aid in handling the stresses of life.

By God’s power, Ezekiel was miraculously placed in a valley of dry bones. It is believed that these bones were the bones of the people of Israel who had died at the hands of the Babylonians. This must have been very depressing to Ezekiel as he realized the physical and spiritual dryness of the people of Israel.

Challenge: Do you feel like you are in a valley of dry bones? Are you feeling depressed? Trust God that He has a plan and will help you experience exactly what is best and most helpful to you.

“I will save My flock, and they will no longer be prey for you. I will judge between one sheep and another. Ezekiel 34:22 HCSB

July 4th is when America celebrates its independence from Great Britain. We also celebrate the freedom we have as Americans to read our Bibles, attend worship, and praise our God. In many countries people are restricted from reading God’s Word and from attending a worship service. There are many Christians throughout our world who secretly meet each week to study God’s Word and to have worship. Some Christians are even persecuted for their beliefs. In America we are blessed to celebrate our many freedoms on July 4th.

True freedom is only found in knowing Christ as Lord and Savior and knowing that one’s sins are forgiven. God is the One who provided the perfect sacrifice for our sins. His Son, Jesus Christ, died on the Cross to pay the penalty for our sins. He is the One who has saved us. Ezekiel reminds us in this verse that God will save us. He will save us from the evil one, the devil. Matthew 25:32 tells us that on the Day of Judgment, Jesus will separate the sheep, His flock, from the goats, those who do not know Him as Lord and Savior. He will bring His sheep into perfect pasture and He will care for them.

Challenge: Praise God that as a believer you have real freedom in Jesus, knowing that Jesus has paid the penalty for your sins, your sins are forgiven, and someday you will enjoy eternal life.

“I will tend them with good pasture, and their grazing place will be on Israel’s lofty mountains. There they will lie down in a good grazing place; they will feed in rich pasture on the mountains of Israel. I will tend My flock and let them lie down.” This is the declaration of the Lord God: “I will seek the lost, bring back the strays, bandage the injured, and strengthen the weak, but I will destroy the fat and the strong; I will shepherd them with justice.” Ezekiel 34:14-16 HCSB

This week God has allowed me to be with all of my family, including two grandchildren, at the beach. It has been an enjoyable time as we have spent time together remembering the past, sharing stories, and playing games. As a father, I want only the best for my children. I still want to protect them and provide for them as much as I can. I would do anything for any of them.

As believers in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, we are children of God. These verses in Ezekiel remind us that God is a good God. He is the Good Shepherd. He wants only the best for His children – His flock. Using the analogy of a shepherd and his flock, God promises good grazing on rich pasture. Psalm 23, which is often read at funerals, is another reminder that God is our Good Shepherd and makes us lie down in green pastures. God seeks the lost, the strays, the injured, and the weak. Jesus stated this His mission was to seek and save the lost (Luke 19:10). God cares about everyone and wants them to be a part of His family.

Challenge: Thank God that as a believer you are a child of God. He cares for you and takes care of you. He promises you an abundant life here and now on this earth and eternal life forever in heaven.

“They were scattered for lack of a shepherd, they became food for all the wild animals when they were scattered. My flock went astray on all the mountains and every high hill. They were scattered over the whole face of the earth, and there was no one searching or seeking for them.” Ezekiel 34:4 HCSB

We once had a family pet cocker spaniel named Josephine who was a great companion for our children and even went with us on vacations. One time she actually followed our daughter to school and we had to go pick her up from school. She would allow our children to dress her up and often allowed them to add glasses or a hat for a picture pose. We had rescued her from a life of wandering and seeking to find food. She had no other options and needed someone to rescue her.

The people of Israel had hit rock bottom. They had been defeated and many had been taken into captivity and lived as slaves for the Babylonian people. Just as God rescued His people from certain destruction of the flood, He has promised to never destroy the earth with a flood again. Only God could rescue them and put them on the right path to have a full and meaningful life.

Challenge: Thank God for rescuing you from a life of certain despair and anxiety and giving you the promise of an abundant life with Him. Pray for God’s guidance if you are called by Him to help rescue someone from destruction and despair and offer him a spiritual reason for living.

You have not strengthened the weak, healed the sick, bandaged the injured, brought back the strays, or sought the lost. Instead you have ruled them with violence and cruelty. Ezekiel 34:4 HCSB

Just this week I was given the privilege of helping someone who was homeless. He had been sleeping in his car and had been unable to clean up for several days. He had not eaten for two days and was almost out of gas. I was able to give him some food and put some gas in his car. He was planning to go to a place where he could take a shower and clean up. It is a good feeling to help another person in need.

In this one verse we learn that the leaders of Israel had neglected the weak, sick, injured, strays, and the lost. They had ruled with violence and cruelty. The word used for cruelty was the same word used in Exodus 1:13-14 to describe how the Egyptian taskmasters had treated the Israelites during bondage. Christ expects us to help others. He said, “And the King will answer them, I assure you: Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of Mine, you did for Me” (Matthew 25:40).

Challenge: When was the last time you helped someone in need? Pray that God will provide you with an opportunity to help someone this week.

“Woe to the shepherds of Israel, who have been feeding themselves! Shouldn’t the shepherds feed their flock? You eat the fat, wear the wool, and butcher the fattened animals, but you do not tend the flock. Ezekiel 34:2b-3 HCSB

As a father I am responsible for caring and providing for my children. I wanted to make sure my children had a place to live, food to eat, and clothes to wear. I also wanted to make sure they went to school and received a good education. Additionally, I wanted my children to come to know Jesus as Savior and to grow in their knowledge and understanding of how to live for Christ and serve God. At times I sacrificed personally so my children could have what they needed. I also wanted to keep them safe from harm and took them to the doctor when they were sick. Even though my children are now grown, I want only the best for them.

A good leader wants only the best for those to whom he is responsible. The shepherds mentioned in the verse above referred to political leaders and perhaps the kings. The terminology for shepherd used here is also found in 2 Samuel 7:7; Isaiah 64:11; and Micah 6:4-5 referencing kings and leaders. Ezekiel accused the leaders as not properly caring for the people or the flock. Jerusalem was in ruins and many of the people were in Babylonian captivity.

Challenge: Are there family members, work associates, and even neighbors who are depending on your care in some way? Are you leading and setting a good example for your children? Pray for wisdom and direction as you care for others.