Ezekiel 7:23–26 No man can take away the peace He gives us!

The only peace to be found in this troubled world is in our Savior. In Jesus alone can we seek and find the love of God for His creation. Anything else is sinking sand.

Ezekiel 7:23–26

23 ‘Make a chain, For the land is filled with crimes of blood, And the city is full of violence. 24 Therefore I will bring the worst of the Gentiles, And they will possess their houses; I will cause the pomp of the strong to cease, And their holy places shall be defiled. 25 Destruction comes; They will seek peace, but there shall be none. 26 Disaster will come upon disaster, And rumor will be upon rumor. Then they will seek a vision from a prophet; But the law will perish from the priest, And counsel from the elders. The New King James Version

God is just and the justifier of those who trust only in Him.

1 Corinthians 1:22 For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom; 23 but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness, 24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

Jesus sent Paul to preach the Gospel not in His own wisdom but in the power of the Cross. Foolishness to unbelievers but life to those who believe. Our faith in the blood of Christ places us in right standing with God.

Romans 3:23  for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, 26 to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

The first step in God’s gift of salvation  is in accepting the Gospel of Grace given to Paul by Jesus because we all have sinned. We are justified freely by His grace through the propitiation of Jesus Christ. There is not boasting in ourselves but we give continual thanks to God for His gift of salvation.

Romans 4:5 But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness, 

God’s love fulfilled our salvation in the sacrifice of Jesus in the Cross and to Him who believes in Jesus we are justified by our faith. In it we have peace as children of God. We just need to accept it.

1 Corinthians 15:3 For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,

Christ died for our sins it is finished. Believe and live in the peace He gives us in salvation. Carla

Compare Isaiah’s accusation to Israel that their “hands are full of blood” (Isaiah 1:15).  The worst of the nations, the Babylonians, among whom Israel is exiled will overcome them Similar thematically to Ezekiel 7:5 but using a different phrase, howah al-howah tavo. The people desperately seek divine guidance from the prophets, priests, and elders. The failure of prophet, priest, and elders here closely resembles imagery in Jeremiah 18:18. Political leadership has also failed. Faithlife Study Bible

The punishment will fit the crime—God promised to do to them according to … what they deserve. Because Judah had been so bloodthirsty, God would send the worst of the Gentiles to possess their houses, defile the temple, and bring violence to the land. This section predicts Nebuchadnezzar’s desecration of the Jerusalem temple in 586 b.c. As a last resort, peace at any price would be fervently sought from false prophets, priests, and politicians, but without success. The deadline for decisive action would have passed. The NKJV Study Bible

Whoever break the bands of God’s law, will find themselves bound and held by the chains of his judgments. Since they encouraged one another to sin, God would dishearten them. All must needs be in trouble, when God comes to judge them according to their deserts. May the Lord enable us to seek that good part which shall not be taken away. Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

Isaiah 47:11 

Therefore evil shall come upon you;

You shall not know from where it arises.

And trouble shall fall upon you;

You will not be able to put it off.

And desolation shall come upon you suddenly,

Which you shall not know.

2 Chronicles 7:20 then I will uproot them from My land which I have given them; and this house which I have sanctified for My name I will cast out of My sight, and will make it a proverb and a byword among all peoples.

Jeremiah 4:20 

Destruction upon destruction is cried,

For the whole land is plundered.

Suddenly my tents are plundered,

And my curtains in a moment.

Ezekiel 24:21 ‘Speak to the house of Israel, “Thus says the Lord GOD: ‘Behold, I will profane My sanctuary, your arrogant boast, the desire of your eyes, the delight of your soul; and your sons and daughters whom you left behind shall fall by the sword.

Today, the way for us to walk in obedience to God's ways, with our hearts focused on Him, is to love and follow Jesus as our Savior (John 14:15). When we do, by the power of His Spirit dwelling in us, our humility and trust grow as we follow God's instructions over our impulses. Walking in obedience through faith in Jesus keeps us safely within the boundaries of our Father's Kingdom instead of wandering into exile. First5

When we buy any label, or any script, we forget our song. We forget that music (the gift of grace) unlocks the heart, and we are restored (take a step) to our self.
I cannot tell you your song. But I can tell you this: you have one.
Count on it. And if you sit still, you may hear it.
It is the song that reminds us we are beautiful, when we feel ugly.
It is the song that tells us we are whole, when we feel broken.
It is the song that gives us the power to dance, even when we feel shattered.
It is the song that allows us to take a step when we feel stuck, or shut down.Sabbath Moments 

Nahum 3:18–19 God protects those who place their trust in Him!

God’s eyes are on His children and He protects His own.

What does He require of us?

Micah 6:8

8 He has shown you, O man, what is good; 

And what does the Lord require of you 

But to do justly,

To love mercy, 

And to walk humbly with your God?

Nahum 3:18–19

18 Your shepherds slumber, O king of Assyria; Your nobles rest in the dust. Your people are scattered on the mountains, And no one gathers them. 19 Your injury has no healing, Your wound is severe. All who hear news of you Will clap their hands over you, For upon whom has not your wickedness passed continually? The New King James Version

The portrayal of nobles as shepherds was a common motif in the ancient Near East. The one who attacks and scatters has scattered the inhabitants of Nineveh. The region of Nineveh is bordered on the north and east by steep mountains. Everyone who learns of Nineveh’s fall will celebrate. Faithlife Study Bible

When the shepherds are not alert, the sheep cannot be saved from danger. Every nation and people that had suffered under the abusive power of Nineveh would shout and clap upon hearing of the city’s destruction. There would be no mourning for Nineveh. The NKJV Study Bible

Strong-holds, even the strongest, are no defence against the judgments of God. They shall be unable to do any thing for themselves. The Chaldeans and Medes would devour the land like canker-worms. The Assyrians also would be eaten up by their own numerous hired troops, which seem to be meant by the word rendered “merchants.” Those that have done evil to their neighbours, will find it come home to them. Nineveh, and many other cities, states, and empires, have been ruined, and should be a warning to us. Are we better, except as there are some true Christians amongst us, who are a greater security, and a stronger defence, than all the advantages of situation or strength? When the Lord shows himself against a people, every thing they trust in must fail, or prove a disadvantage; but he continues good to Israel. He is a strong-hold for every believer in time of trouble, that cannot be stormed or taken; and he knoweth those that trust in Him. Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

1 Kings 22:17 

Then he said, “I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains, 

as sheep that have no shepherd. 

And the LORD said, ‘These have no master. 

Let each return to his house in peace.’ ”

Lamentations 2:15 

All who pass by clap their hands at you;

They hiss and shake their heads

At the daughter of Jerusalem:

“Is this the city that is called‘The perfection of beauty,

The joy of the whole earth’?”

Micah 1:9 

For her wounds are incurable.

For it has come to Judah;

It has come to the gate of My people—

To Jerusalem.

One Saturday, a mother asked her young son to polish her Sunday shoes. When he finished, she handed him fifty cents for a job well done.
Sunday morning, slipping on her shoes, she felt a block. Reaching in, she removed a wadded paper. Inside the paper she found fifty cents. On the paper, in her son's lettering, "Dear Mom, here is your mommy. I done it for love."

Our dance—with wholeheartedness and openheartedness—comes from that place. That place where we have no one to impress and nothing to prove.
That place where the voice of our limitations—whether fear or impatience or insecurity or shame or pain—does not win.
Or, in the words of Kitty Lunn, dance teacher from a wheelchair, "The dance inside me doesn't know or care that I fell down the stairs and have a spinal cord injury. She just wants to keep on dancing."
Dancing is the perfect visual and metaphor for light spilling to the world around us. Sabbath Moments 

2 Corinthians 1:3–4 Everything, good or bad, He will use for His glory

The trials that we go through here on earth give us empathy for others who are going through them now. God waste nothing in our life.  He uses whatever we go through for our good and for His glory.

2 Corinthians 1:3–4

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. The New King James Version

To God be all glory!

1 John 4:13 By this we know that we abide in Him, and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.

John was writing to the Jewish believers but all Scripture is profitable for our instruction. The Father sent the Son to be the savior of the world (John 3:16)  The Gospel of the Kingdom brought us Jesus and in the Cross He offered  salvation to the world.

2 Timothy  1:9  who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began,

The power of God has saved us, not by our works,  but according to His own purpose and grace. The plan for salvation was known by the Godhead  in Christ Jesus before the world came into existence. Knowing that man would fail the Godhead knew that they would send the Son to save them. The eternal purpose of God was to save His creation and Israel was and is at the center of God’s plan. Without them God’s plan would not be accomplished.

John 14:16 And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever—the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.

Jesus told them that He would pray that the Father would send another Comforter, a Paraclete, the Holy Spirit to guide them.  He would  dwell in believers. The Spirit of truth is hidden in salvation but is freely given to those who believe in Jesus. Love accomplished everything needed for salvation.

Luke 18:31 Then He took the twelve aside and said to them, “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of Man will be accomplished. For He will be delivered to the Gentiles and will be mocked and insulted and spit upon. They will scourge Him and kill Him. And the third day He will rise again.”

But they understood none of these things; this saying was hidden from them, and they did not know the things which were spoken.

Jesus took the Apostles to Jerusalem to celebrate the last Passover. He would go on to suffer and die for the sins of mankind. They did not understand. The fullness of His salvation was hidden from them. In His resurrection it would be revealed to them but even then they would not totally understand that His salvation was for the world and not just for the Jewish believers in Him.

1 Corinthians 3:16 Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?

Paul teaching on the 3rd person of the Trinity reinforced that we are the temple of God and the Spirit dwells in all who believe. He is the indwelling person of the Godhead. Carla

Paul alludes to a Jewish expression of praise called the barakhah, the Hebrew word for “blessing”. Paul praises God for His provision of comfort during hardship. Paul uses here, paraklēsis (and the corresponding verb parakaleō) for comfort. It typically refers to encouragement or consolation given to someone who is suffering or in mourning (Matthew 5:4). Faithlife Study Bible

A word of thanks often followed a letter’s salutation. Blessed expresses adoration and praise. Paul called God the God and Father of Christ. Even though Jesus is God, as the incarnate Son He was dependent on God the Father. Thus God the Father was His God. Comfort here means “exhortation,” “encouragement,” “cheer.” Paul used this word, sometimes translated “consolation,” ten times in the following five verses 3–7. This is the purpose of our gathering in the church. When they meet, believers should encourage each other in the faith. 

Tribulation means distress or affliction. God comforts us not only to make us comfortable but also to make us comforters. The comfort that God gives to us becomes a gift we can give to others. Our willingness to share it reflects the sincerity of our faith. The NKJV Study Bible

It is our Saviour who says, Let not your heart be troubled. All comforts come from God, and our sweetest comforts are in him. He speaks peace to souls by granting the free remission of sins; and he comforts them by the enlivening influences of the Holy Spirit, and by the rich mercies of his grace. He is able to bind up the broken-hearted, to heal the most painful wounds, and also to give hope and joy under the heaviest sorrows. The favours God bestows on us, are not only to make us cheerful, but also that we may be useful to others. Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

Isaiah 51:12 

“I, even I, am He who comforts you.

Who are you that you should be afraid

Of a man who will die,

And of the son of a man who will be made like grass?

Isaiah 66:13 

As one whom his mother comforts,

So I will comfort you;

And you shall be comforted in Jerusalem.”

2 Corinthians 7:6–7 Nevertheless God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of Titus, and not only by his coming, but also by the consolation with which he was comforted in you, when he told us of your earnest desire, your mourning, your zeal for me, so that I rejoiced even more.

Our Lord and Creator knows us and everything we experience in this life. He sees every trial, disappointment and heartbreak (Psalm 33:18; Job 34:21). He hears our cries of bewilderment, frustration and grief (Psalm 34:17; Isaiah 65:24). And even when He appears silent, our God is always working on our behalf. Through faith in Jesus, we receive forgiveness of sin, which brings us out of spiritual exile and into the household of God forever (John 8:34-36). We also receive the peace of knowing that even though we have tribulation in this world, our Savior has overcome it (John 16:33)!

Today, may we rest in the joyful assurance that even when everything feels like it's falling apart, our Lord of infinite mercy and compassion is moving all the pieces of His plan into place to deliver us. 

Because of God's great love for us, He has given us the most beautiful invitation into personal and intimate relationship with Him through His Son. While remaining God, He came to earth as a human like us (Philippians 2:5-8).Jesus confirmed His human embodiment of God when He said, "The one who has seen me has seen the Father" (John 14:9b, CSB). First5

I love the Gospel story about the Samaritan woman at the well. Long story short, here is a woman who carries a myriad of labels—she is a member of the wrong group, she is "less-than," undesirable, a social outcast (not to mention she'd been married several times). And Jesus offers her everlasting water no questions asked. My take on his words to her: "You've lived on scarcity—labels that limit you—and I offer you sufficiency, in water that will never leave you thirsty again."
I love preaching from this text. Which, of course means, that I’m preaching in order to remind myself to believe it (internalize it). To hear it, for myself. Just sayin’.
So, here's the deal: It's not that we "choose" to live wholehearted (emboldened to see sufficiency), so much as we "choose" to give up being afraid (confined by labels).

Charlotte Kasl’s reminder, “Shame is essentially the degree to which you mistake your labels for your identity. If you draw your labels into the core of yourself, you can no longer see the center.”

Our lesson from the story of the woman at the well?
We give up being afraid, by responding to the love of the Beloved—the invitation to sufficiency or "everlasting water."
We hear and taste and touch this love; and our dance is the interplay with that voice. Because now, our hearts are alive.
Let us start with the voice of grace.

Sabbath Moments 

May today there be peace within.

May you trust God that you are exactly where you are meant to be.

May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith.

May you use those gifts that you have received, and pass on the love that has been given to you.

May you be confident knowing you are a child of God.

Let this presence settle into your bones, and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise and love.

It is there for each and every one of us.

St. Theresa's Prayer