Drastically Dry!
"Then He said to me, "Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They indeed say, "Our bones are dry, our hope is lost, and we ourselves are cut off."
(Ezekiel 37:11)
In reading Ezekiel's vision of the dry bones, it makes me think about the church today. Like the house of Israel, we as the church today, seem to be dry in our commitment and service for the Lord.
In all of my career as a pastor, I have served churches that were just satisfied with the mediocre and mundane. It was a constant scene of just coming to church on Sunday, and filling our stomachs on fellowship dinner Sundays, a few extra activities that displayed a lack of interest, and apathy, and that's it. It's like we existed, but there was no life in us.
We were very much like these dry bones.
We may talk about hope, but at the same time, we act as if we have no hope at all, and have no interest in reaching those who are walking without hope. And when trials come our way, we feel such a distance, in our relationship with the Lord. Without a doubt we feel"cut off."
What was needed in Ezekiel's vision, is what is needed today. God said to Ezekiel
"Again He said to me, “Prophesy to these bones, and say to them, ‘O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! Thus says the Lord God to these bones: “Surely I will cause breath to enter into you, and you shall live. (Ezekiel 37:4-5)
Here are the applications the church needs to fulfill in order to exhibit the life of God in our hearts, in our walk, and in our work for the Lord.
1. We are to hear the Word of the Lord!
We are to stop listening to the world, and start listening to God. The world wants us as a church, to crawl in a corner, and never be heard of again. And our world is in the mess it is in, because we have done just that. The prophets and the apostles were so inspired by the Word of God, that they gave their lives to proclaim it. Are we not to have that same purpose and desire?
It's like pulling teeth to get people to come to Bible Study, when the doors of the church are open for it. No wonder there is a dryness in our spiritual lives.
2. We are to have God breathe His Spirit in us. I believe God is wanting us to have an open heart to all that He presents to us, in order that we might have a vibrant, and a radiant spirit in our Christian character and commitment. Of all people in this world, we as Christians have the answer to the problems that face us today. But does it look like we do?
The challenge for us as the church today, is to stop being institutions full of dry skeletons. With God's Spirit in us, we can be Christian individuals that make up communities that show the power and purposes of God.
Instead of being a people who are drastically dry of God's Spirit with in us, we can be a people who are alive unto God, and showing forth a positive enthusiasm inspired by God's Word, and His presence in our lives! GP
Photo: chrisjmit/58 images/Pixabay License/Free for commercial use/No attribution required/www.pixabay.com
The