Thought of the Day !!

The Lord took hold of me, and I was carried away by the Spirit of the Lord to a valley filled with bones. He led me around among the old, dry bones that covered the valley floor. They were scattered everywhere across the ground. Then he asked me, "Son of man, can these bones become living people again?"

"O Sovereign Lord," I replied, "you alone know the answer to that."

Then he said to me, "Speak to these bones and say, `Dry bones, listen to the word of the Lord! This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Look! I am going to breathe into you and make you live again!
Ezekiel 37:1-5 (NLT)

Ezekiel is to prophesy to a people who have been taken from their homes and placed in exile in Babylonia. These are the Israelites who had turned their back on God and began worshiping other idols. But God shows them that even though they are being punished He is not going to abandon them.

The lifelessness of the bones in this vision given to Ezekiel represents hopelessness. And in bringing them back to life, God brings the hope of a new beginning. For the Israelites in captivity there is hope of one day returning to their homes. Ezekiel is also told to say that God "will open your graves of exile and cause you to rise again. Then I will bring you back to the land of Israel."

For us today the hope lies not in dry bones from a valley floor being brought to life, but a Son who laid in a tomb who was brought to life after three days. The Israelites craved freedom, a place of their own, and new life. The same is offered to us through Jesus.

Our God is a God of new beginnings...of resurrection...of life. He chooses to take death and make life out of it for those who choose Him.

In the love of Christ,
greg