The Reconstructed

How do you eat this crap? Ezekiel 4                 When I was young, my brother and I would set up miniature army men and build forts. Then we would get a handful of rubber bands and take turns shooting at our opposing armies. This passage in Ezekiel chapter 4 remind me of those times because Ezekiel…

Side Effects of God Speak Ezekiel 3 Sometimes when God speaks to us, it comes with a side effect. We are touched by an inkling or message and we are convinced God has given us instruction but we become dazed. The initial energy that comes with the word of God lifts us up by His…

When Glory Looks Weird Ezekiel 1 and 2                 Ezekiel, an Old Testament prophet has a vision before He is called by God. He has this vision, sitting by the Chebar canal, with exiled people, people without a home, without a plan, maybe feeling without purpose. To be in exile is to be out of place,…

One of the titles of Jesus is Son of David. You know David, the man who had a lot of blood on his hands, the king who married 3 women who were once the wives of other men. This is not David’s legacy though. In the eyes of God, David‘s heart is commended. If you…

The book of James, known for a message of works demonstrative faith and instruction in righteous living also provides an ambitious appeal to mercy. James 2:13 “For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.” James was a man of fervent and frequent prayer; he closes his letter…

Nobody likes to think of God angry.  Yet if not for His anger and his sense of justice, there would be no need for mercy. God allows His emotions to be affected by humanity. It shows that he is not cold and that He may show compassion. Habakkuk 3:2 is an appeal from a prophet to God…

God is good; God cares about His Honor. Since nothing can be taken away from God, when man tries to compromise God’s honor, something is taken away from man. For Moses and Aaron a lack of trust disqualified them from leading the people of Israel into the Promised Land. Instead of speaking to a rock,…

Mercy is my favorite Bible word. Some would say that mercy differs from grace because grace deals with giving for the sake of love while mercy deals with withholding something. After all, to be merciful typically means to not give someone what they deserve. Mercy does not mean withholding love or affection, rather it is…

“But I have this against you that you have abandoned the love you had at first.”            Why would anyone or an entire community abandon their love for God? A community that is commended for their toil, patient endurance, and hatred of evil deeds and does so without growing weary is told to remember the…