OK, OK, I'M NOT DEAD... OR ...EXCUSES ARE LIKE ARMPITS

No, I'm not dead...
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Have you heard the old saying... "Excuses are like armpits, everyone has a couple and they both stink." I've got a couple and as the saying goes, well, you get the picture...
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Thanks for your patience, I hope you've had plenty of time to catch up on your reading project. If not, you are not going to want to proceed reading this blog entry until you do.
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Well, what'sa been up to? I've been having a great life with 9 new cancer patients referred to our ministry. That's not really great for them, but I'm thankful we've have the confidence of others who feel thay can call us when they have a friend whose facing cancer...
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Now back to our regularly scheduled program...
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Remember the question? Would God ever call us to attend a dead church? Many of you have chimed in and I'm looking forward to the comments after we jump into this quagmire.
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So, here we go...
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Both hands forward, now lean into the dive...
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Ezekiel 37 is a wonderful passage full of interesting things about God's character and his love for His people, here are a few observations of this to start our journey...
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G God is clearly the one who knows the condition of things...
...........................................and people...

Carefully note the following phrases...

"valley full of bones" Vs. 1

" there were very many in the open valley; and, lo, they were very dry." Vs. 2

"And he said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live" Vs. 3

" I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live" Vs. 5

" and ye shall live; and ye shall know that I am the LORD." Vs. 6

"but there was no breath in them." Vs. 8

So Virginia, yes, God truly is the only one who knows if something is dead, but sometimes he allows others, for the sake of the dead one, to see it.

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G God is the one who decided that Ezekiel was to go to the

..........................................valley of "dry bones."

You can tell me all you want that God has "CALLED" you to judge whether the bones were dry, but in reality, he put Ezekiel in this valley and set him before "death"to teach him and his "congregation" (Israel) a lesson.

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G Even if Ezekiel wanted to raise the dead without God,

.........................................he would have found it "impossible."

"And he said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live?

And I answered, O Lord GOD, thou knowest." Vs. 3

When asked if the condition would change he did not answer "of course not".instead he turned the question to the one who knew the answer. Whether you like it or not, God's questions to you and I are not for HIM

to find information, instead they are for YOU AND I to learn truth. When you look at Jobs life (probably the one who asked God the most questions in scripture next to the writer of the psalms) you see an interesting course of events.

First, God didn't answer his questions. You need to understand this point before you move on. God owes you no answers, if he decides to let you in on what he is doing, it's so you will find the path of obedience, not the path of intelligence.

Second, when Job got done asking questions, God asked a few of his own, all of which were rhetorical (which means the answers were obvious).

Last and certainly not least, Jobs questions, the lack of answers and Gods little quiz only brought Job to the natural conclusion all of us would come to if in his place,

"Then Job answered the LORD and said: "I know that You can do everything, And that no purpose of Yours can be withheld from You. You asked, 'Who is this who hides counsel without knowledge?' Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand, Things too wonderful for me, which I did not know. Listen, please, and let me speak; You said, 'I will question you, and you shall answer Me.' "I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear, But now my eye sees You. Therefore I abhor myself, And repent in dust and ashes." (Job 42:1-6 NKJV)

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My brain is tired and it's getting late, till next time, I think I've given you enough to chew on

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Happy molars!