Is It Too Late?

"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 all around among the bones that covered the valley floor. They were scattered everywhere across the ground and were completely dried out. 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 a prophetic message to these bones and say, ‘Dry bones, listen to the word of the Lord!' "
Ezekiel 37:1-4 NLT

Ezekiel was taken to an open valley and plopped down in the middle of dead, dry bones, bleached by the sun. Nothing left of the lives that had been. No life. No hope of life. No chance of having what might have been. What could have been. Over. Finished. No hope of ever being whatever it was they set out to be and all because they wound up on that battlefield. Just dead, dry bones...

Can you see it in your mind? Can you picture that? Not a place that would evoke the desire to do a happy dance...

"And God wants me to do what?!? Are you kidding me?!? Speak to dead, dry bones?!? No way! I'd look like a fool! It's too late for that!"

Do you feel like that? Does your life feel bleached out - dead and dried up? Are you lamenting over what 'woulda, coulda, shoulda' been if you had not ______________? Do you think it's too late?

Ezekiel 37:7-10 The Message, "I prophesied just as I'd been commanded. As I prophesied, there was a sound and, oh, rustling! The bones moved and came together, bone to bone. I kept watching. Sinews formed, then muscles on the bones, then skin stretched over them. But they had no breath in them. He said to me, "Prophesy to the breath. Prophesy, son of man. Tell the breath, 'God, the Master, says, Come from the four winds. Come, breath. Breathe on these slain bodies. Breathe life!'" So I prophesied, just as he commanded me. The breath entered them and they came alive! They stood up on their feet, a huge army..."

Okay, that was just a vision. It's not like that could really happen, right? Well, I'm here to tell you that it can and it does...EVERY time God is invited. Whether it's your dead, dry bones or someone else's. Dry bones, listen to the Word of the Lord!

2nd Corinthians 5:17, "This means that ANYONE who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!" [emphasis mine]

Galatians 6:15-16, "It doesn’t matter whether we have been circumcised or not. What counts is whether we have been transformed into a new creation. May God’s peace and mercy be upon all who live by this principle; they are the new people of God."

Revelation 21:5, "And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful."

God is calling you. He already knows what you did or didn't do and only He can fix it. And believe it - He CAN fix it - and He WILL! But just like the watch can't be fixed till you take it to the jeweler, your life can't be fixed until you put it in God's hands. It's a safe place. Put yourself in His hands. It's NOT too late! It's NEVER too late.

Prayer:

Oh, God!
              Let our hearts respond to Your call, to Your pleading, to Your touch. Let Your will be done, Father. We don't want blessing - we want You. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

From Now Until Easter - Never Too Late

From Ash Wednesday until Easter, I will post from Lent and Easter devotionals offered online. Today's post features excerpts gathered and written by Whitney Hopler, a contributor to Crosswalk.

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Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
2 Corinthians 5:17 NKJV

Each year, Easter's approach gets people excited about celebrating Christ's resurrection and all that it means in their lives. But His resurrection wouldn't mean nearly as much without His sacrifice on the cross. His work in people's lives today always involves growth that's often uncomfortable yet necessary to make a true difference worth celebrating.

Here are some activities that can enrich your spirit during Lent: It's never too late...

Ask God to help you focus on the true reason for Easter, (after all, it wasn't the Easter bunny who rose from the dead). Pray for an increased awareness of the Holy Spirit in your life.

Confess whatever thoughts or actions are hindering your intimacy with God, and ask Him to forgive you and send you the grace you need to live a better life.

Thank God for all the resources He has given you - time, money, energy, talents, skills, etc. Then think and pray about how you can best use those resources to serve God. Commit to start doing so more than you have in the past, and write a plan of some specific ways to get started.

Forgive someone. The Holy Spirit will enable you to do so if you rely on God's power. Write the person a letter, call, e-mail, or visit in person to offer your forgiveness.

Keep a daily journal to record current ways God is working in your life.

Take some time to get to know someone who's different [than you] perhaps someone from a different generation, culture, or economic status, and try to build a genuine friendship.

Simplify your life to care more responsibly for God's creation. Keep a record of what you purchase, then study it to determine why you bought what you did and how you can scale back to what you truly need. Be a good steward of all you have...

Serve your community. Choose one or several projects. Possibilities include helping elderly people with home repairs [or weekly tasks like taking out the garbage, mowing a lawn), reading books to children, volunteering, and visiting people in your local hospital.

Eat a Passover Seder meal like the one Jesus ate with His disciples before He died. Use the experience to worship Him.

Prayer:

Lord, 

         Do Your resurrection work in me. Transform my heart and my life into one that gives You glory and praise in every way. Pull me deeper and bring me closer toYour heart. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen