Breath, Part I Series

Ezekiel was then commanded to prophesy to the bones. He did, and the bones began to move. They were gradually covered over with tendons and muscles, organs formed and flesh covered their bodies.

Then, God tells him to prophesy again, this time to impart breath into them. The bones that were covered with flesh and muscle were seemingly alive, but there was no breath.

Ezekiel prophesied again, and breath was imparted to the bodies and they became alive.

Life, Everlasting.

I don’t know about you. I can’t vouch for you. But I do know that I can’t stand to go through the robotic motions and the unnecessary rending and rendering of emotions. What about you?

Sterile attitudes, meaningless encounters, make believe spirituality, and all those, by the way, are detestable in God’s sight.

Those bones that got up and walked around had no life, until the transforming Word of the Lord was breathed into their lifeless bodies. Do you have that breath? Do you allow that breath to transform you? Do you breathe in that life-giving breath, and does He impart to you that essential essence of life everlasting? Do you feel life everlasting down in your soul?

Our church is different, thank God, than most churches. We do have life here. God is at work here, and, that is why I like it here so much. The Spiritual development of most of the members is not left up to only the pastor. Everyone realizes that personal spirituality requires personal relationship with God.

Sure, we’ve still got some more rows to hoe, but we seem to be heading in the right direction. Don’t you think?

We can’t stop however, because we, whether personally, in small groups, or even as a church, could fall victim to the same lifeless predicament of those bones if we do not allow, or if we cease to allow, the spoken Word of the Lord to transform our lives and to daily renew our lives.

Lamentations 3:22-23

Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. 23 They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.

If His compassions never fail and they are new every morning, dare I say that we can do any less than recommitting ourselves to him freshly every morning? His breath, His Word, and His transforming Spirit breathe life and freshness into us every morning of our lives, “Great is Your Faithfulness!”

The song we sang this morning says,

Come just as you are

Hear the spirit call

Come just as you are

Come and see

Come receive

Come and live forever

Life everlasting

Strength for today

Taste the living water

And never thirst again

Come, just as you are! You don’t need anything else!

What about the one who received the first breath of life, Adam. Adam was created, according to Genesis 1, on the sixth day, but the first morning that he saw was the seventh day. The day set aside to worship the creator. Jesus said that the Sabbath was created for man, not man created for the Sabbath, and it’s most evident when you see that the very first thing that man was asked to do was to enter into a Sabbath-rest with God.