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Thou Preparest a Table for Me in the Presence of… Loved Ones 
EZEKIEL 44:1-45:12 | 1 PETER 1:1-12 | PSALM 119:17-32 | PROVERBS 28:8-10
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Ezekiel continues to provide an account of the vision revealed to him concerning the restoration of the temple in Jerusalem, the restoration of the priesthood, and the final restoration of the people of Israel.
This is going to be a new beginning where everything is to be reset, and the proverbial slate is to be wiped clean. This concept of change was to be applied even to the scales and measures used in daily transactions.
This is what the Lord instructs Ezekiel to inform the people: 9 “You have gone far enough, princes of Israel! Give up your violence and oppression and do what is just and right. Stop dispossessing my people, declares the Sovereign LORD. 10 You are to use accurate scales, an accurate ephahand an accurate bath.
We turn now to our New Testament reading of the day, and find ourselves entering a new book titled the First Epistle of Peter, or simply First Peter, commonly written as I Peter.
This is the same Peter who was one of Jesus’ twelve disciples — a fisherman by profession who was asked to follow Jesus to become a fisher of men! This is the same Peter who walked on water across the lake of Galilee to meet Jesus — so great was his faith. It is the very Peter who professed so great a love for Jesus that he did not hesitate to draw his sword and wound the Roman soldier who attempted to arrest Jesus in the Garden of Gethsamane.
Yes, this was the very same Peter who vowed to never deny association with Jesus — so great was his devotion — and yet, before the rooster crowed thrice in the span of one day, he did just that! This is that very same man who after the death and resurrection of Jesus traveled through the middle-eastern regions including major portions of Asia Minor, i.e., modern Greece and Turkey to spread the good news of the gospel of Christ.
And so, this is the first of two letters written by Peter to the fast-growing body of believers who called themselves Christian. Unlike the epistle of Hebrews and several of Paul’s letters that were written for the greater diaspora of Jews scattered throughout the region, this letter appears to be directed more toward a Gentile or non-Jewish audience.
Peter starts out his letter by invoking the great “living hope” that lies within the person of Jesus Christ. He says:
3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade.
Concerning this “inheritance” which has been promised to each one owing to pure and simple faith in the great mission accomplished on the cross by Jesus Christ, God incarnate, Peter explains it like this:
8 Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, 9 for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
Turning now to our reading of the Psalms, we find ourselves in the very long Psalm 119, which is actually an acrostic poem, each section starting with a sequential letter of the Hebrew alphabet.
Who among us cannot relate to the great grief and sorrow that David so often references? But can it be also asked who among us has responded to misery in the manner in which David does, viz. to seek refuge in the providence of the Almighty in the most humble way. This is how David does it:
28 My soul is weary with sorrow;
strengthen me according to your word.
29 Keep me from deceitful ways;
be gracious to me and teach me your law.
30 I have chosen the way of faithfulness;
I have set my heart on your laws.
31 I hold fast to your statutes, LORD;
do not let me be put to shame.
32 I run in the path of your commands,
for you have broadened my understanding.
Finally, three verses from the book of Proverbs authored by Solomon, wise king of Israel. Each of these serves as food for thought:
8 Whoever increases wealth by taking interest or profit from the poor
amasses it for another, who will be kind to the poor.
9 If anyone turns a deaf ear to my instruction,
even their prayers are detestable.
10 Whoever leads the upright along an evil path
will fall into their own trap,
but the blameless will receive a good inheritance.
May God bless the reading and reflection of His Word. Amen.
Killing Me Softly With Your… Beauty 
How to Curl Up for “Situational Football” 
The Beauty of the First Snow of the Season 
EZEKIEL 42:1-43:27 | JAMES 5:1-20 | PSALM 119:1-16 | PROVERBS 28:6-7
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Ezekiel’s vision about the restoration of the temple is a lengthy one. The “man in bronze” continues to go over the many dimensions of the walls, gates, and various other rooms and structures that will comprise the temple when it is rebuilt.
This is indeed a grand design, and Ezekiel receives these words from the Lord concerning it:
10 “Son of man, describe the temple to the people of Israel, that they may be ashamed of their sins. Let them consider its perfection, 11 and if they are ashamed of all they have done, make known to them the design of the temple—its arrangement, its exits and entrances—its whole design and all its regulations and laws. Write these down before them so that they may be faithful to its design and follow all its regulations.
Next, there is a detailed description of the restoration of the altar in the temple — the place where atonement was made by way of various offerings. This was the manner in which God communed with his people, and the way in which man communed with God. God, or the “glory of God” as described by Ezekiel, was to be found within the confines of the temple.
But no matter how perfect a design this might have been, God himself dismantled it and replaced it with a new covenant when he sent his own son, known as Jesus Christ, to be the perfect and permanent sacrifice as the everlasting atonement.
And once this was done, God did not choose to reside in a temple built by human hands — instead, he chose to reside in the human heart!
So great is this change that in a manner of speaking, it is taking everything we possibly know and understand about God up until this point in time, and turning it upside down. And yet, when we truly pause to think about it, the new design is even more perfect than the most perfect of dimensions and measurements that were revealed to Ezekiel.
This is a God that wishes to engage with his creation in the most intimate way. No temple can contain him, but he will deign to gladly enter every human heart that invites him in!
How brilliant a concept — how grand a design!
We turn now to our reading of the book of James, and find James offering an exhortation on the virtues of patience. He says:
10 Brothers and sisters, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. 11 As you know, we count as blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.
And then, he has some very clear and concise advice on the matter of swearing, or taking oaths. He says:
12 Above all, my brothers and sisters, do not swear—not by heaven or by earth or by anything else. All you need to say is a simple “Yes” or “No.” Otherwise you will be condemned.
Next, he expounds on the great virtue of faith, and urges the reader to engage in prayer for everything — small or big, and offers as an example the person of Elijah. He says:
17 Elijah was a human being, even as we are. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. 18 Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops.
And finally, he speaks to the great service of a believer who helps a fellow-believer who might have fallen back in his old ways. He says:
19 My brothers and sisters, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring that person back, 20 remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will save them from death and cover over a multitude of sins.
Next, we turn to our reading in the book of Psalms, and find David reflecting on his own inadequacies while beseeching God in all humility. May it be that like David, we are also quick to say:
5 Oh, that my ways were steadfast
in obeying your decrees!
6 Then I would not be put to shame
when I consider all your commands.
7 I will praise you with an upright heart
as I learn your righteous laws.
8 I will obey your decrees;
do not utterly forsake me.
And may we also continue to weave into our own prayers and supplications, these very humble prayers as offered by David:
10 I seek you with all my heart;
do not let me stray from your commands.
11 I have hidden your word in my heart
that I might not sin against you.
12 Praise be to you, LORD;
teach me your decrees.
13 With my lips I recount
all the laws that come from your mouth.
14 I rejoice in following your statutes
as one rejoices in great riches.
15 I meditate on your precepts
and consider your ways.
16 I delight in your decrees;
I will not neglect your word.
Finally, two verses from the book of Proverbs, authored by Solomon, wise king of Israel, that offer food for thought:
6 Better the poor whose walk is blameless
than the rich whose ways are perverse.
7 A discerning son heeds instruction,
but a companion of gluttons disgraces his father.
May God bless the reading and reflection of His Word. Amen.
Moong Dal Makhani with Cream of Coconut: Incredibly Good 
EZEKIEL 40:28-41:26 | JAMES 4:1-17 | PSALM 118:19-29 | PROVERBS 28:3-5
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Ezekiel continues to describe the vision with the man in bronze who appears to him and begins to measure every detail of the inner and outer courts of the temple, the gates to the temple from every direction, and eventually, the temple itself.
Historians tells us that the temple in Jerusalem was destroyed for the second time in 586 BC. It is to be seen what might come of all this information.
Turning now to our reading of the book of James, we find James addressing certain common human conditions such as covetousness. He says, speaking of our proclivity to beseech God and to then become frustrated when we do not get when we ask for,
3 When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.
He then goes on to offer some more advice on conducting one’s self. He says:7 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Come near to God and he will come near to you.
Did you hear that, folks? Come near to God and he will come near to you! Could that be any clearer?
James is also quite clear in his exhortation to not judge your neighbor. He says:
11 Brothers and sisters, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against a brother or sister or judges them speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it. 12 There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you—who are you to judge your neighbor?
Next, James offers some good advice for the over-confident and the ambitious, and in doing so, he has bestowed upon himself the title of father of the oft-used phrase “God-willing” that is considered common parlance among Christians the world over.
James says: 13 Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” 14 Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. 15 Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” 16 As it is, you boast in your arrogant schemes. All such boasting is evil. 17 If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them.
We turn now to our reading of the Psalms, and find in these verses the most strikingly simple, yet most magnificent praise that David offers up to the Lord. May it be that these very words of thanksgiving be found on our lips as well:
21 I will give you thanks, for you answered me;
you have become my salvation.
22 The stone the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone;
23 the LORD has done this,
and it is marvelous in our eyes.
24 The LORD has done it this very day;
let us rejoice today and be glad.
25 LORD, save us!
LORD, grant us success!
And again, in these simple words, David praises the Lord in a most humble way that is to be emulated by the reader:
28 You are my God, and I will praise you;
you are my God, and I will exalt you.
29 Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good;
his love endures forever.
Finally, three verses from the book of Proverbs, authored by Solomon, wise king of Israel, that are worthy of record and rumination:
3 A ruler who oppresses the poor
is like a driving rain that leaves no crops.
4 Those who forsake instruction praise the wicked,
but those who heed it resist them.
5 Evildoers do not understand what is right,
but those who seek the LORD understand it fully.
May God bless the reading and reflection of His Word. Amen.
