Thursday, September 29th

Thursday, September 29th

Ezekiel 28:1-19
1 The word of the LORD came to me: 2 "Son of man, say to the ruler of Tyre, 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: "'In the pride of your heart you say, "I am a god; I sit on the throne of a god in the heart of the seas." But you are a man and not a god, though you think you are as wise as a god. 3 Are you wiser than Daniel? Is no secret hidden from you? 4 By your wisdom and understanding you have gained wealth for yourself and amassed gold and silver in your treasuries. 5 By your great skill in trading you have increased your wealth, and because of your wealth your heart has grown proud. 6 " 'Therefore this is what the Sovereign LORD says: " 'Because you think you are wise, as wise as a god, 7 I am going to bring foreigners against you, the most ruthless of nations; they will draw their swords against your beauty and wisdom and pierce your shining splendor. 8 They will bring you down to the pit, and you will die a violent death in the heart of the seas. 9 Will you then say, "I am a god," in the presence of those who kill you? You will be but a man, not a god, in the hands of those who slay you. 10 You will die the death of the uncircumcised at the hands of foreigners. I have spoken, declares the Sovereign LORD.'" 11 The word of the LORD came to me: 12 "Son of man, take up a lament concerning the king of Tyre and say to him: 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: "'You were the model of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. 13 You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone adorned you: ruby, topaz and emerald, chrysolite, onyx and jasper, sapphire, turquoise and beryl. Your settings and mountings were made of gold; on the day you were created they were prepared. 14 You were anointed as a guardian cherub, for so I ordained you. You were on the holy mount of God; you walked among the fiery stones. 15 You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created till wickedness was found in you. 16 Through your widespread trade you were filled with violence, and you sinned. So I drove you in disgrace from the mount of God, and I expelled you, O guardian cherub, from among the fiery stones. 17 Your heart became proud on account of your beauty, and you corrupted your wisdom because of your splendor. So I threw you to the earth; I made a spectacle of you before kings. 18 By your many sins and dishonest trade you have desecrated your sanctuaries. So I made a fire come out from you, and it consumed you, and I reduced you to ashes on the ground in the sight of all who were watching. 19 All the nations who knew you are appalled at you; you have come to a horrible end and will be no more.'"

My notes: Do I loose sight of where I am at? I think it is beyond pride to say that I am a God, but am I excluded from the thought? These people were living the good life and with the blessings, they grew pride up in their heart. They felt they were above everyone else. Above the law, above the lesser fortunates, and the result was a death, a violent death. A death by the hands of violence scares me. I grew up with some pretty violent nightmares that still haunt me today. I can’t seem to shake them. I have a good dream, and it is forgotten by the afternoon (if I remember it that long). I guess keeping the nightmares close to my heart is somewhat good, in that it keeps me fearful of my God. I didn’t dream last night, I didn’t even hit the bed until 1 o’clock this morning, due to school work. I didn’t even finish my homework. Much to do today, I guess. Right now, I may not be living the “good life,” but I still feel blessed. Maybe if I had a balance in the bank, it could spurn some pride, but we have money for gas and some money for food. That’s all we need. Anything more could bring about an attitude. Maybe not, but it encourages me to have a thought that life is good and we have what we need. God promises that he will take care of me, and he has. He doesn’t promise that I will have what I want, but what I need. Sometimes I can get the two mixed up. Johnny Out.