So I spoke this message, just as he told me. Suddenly as I spoke, there was a rattling
noise all across the valley. The bones
of each body came together and attached themselves as complete skeletons. Then as I watched, muscles and flesh formed over
the bones. Then skin formed to cover
their bodies, but they still had no breath in them. Then he said to me, “Speak a prophetic message to the winds, son
of man. Speak a prophetic message and
say, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says:
Come, O breath, from the four winds! Breathe into these dead bodies so they may
live again.’” So I spoke the message as
he commanded me, and breath came into their bodies. They all came to life and stood up on their
feet—a great army. Then he said to me,
“Son of man, these bones represent the people of Israel. They are saying, ‘We have become old, dry
bones—all hope is gone. Our nation is finished.’ Therefore, prophesy to them and say, ‘This is
what the Sovereign Lord says:
O my people, I will open your graves of
exile and cause you to rise again. Then
I will bring you back to the land of Israel. When this happens, O my people, you will know
that I am the Lord. I will put my Spirit in you, and you will live
again and return home to your own land. Then
you will know that I, the Lord,
have spoken, and I have done what I said. Yes, the Lord has
spoken!’” Ezekiel 37:7-14 (NLT)
Dr. Fredric Brandt was the Botox doctor to the stars; he
used Botox products to curtail the effects of aging, such as wrinkles in the
skin, or the typical crows-feet around the eyes and brows. He also wrote books and hosted a radio show
to promote his practice.
The 65 year-old celebrity doctor's body was discovered this past Monday in a Miami home. The police have reportedly ruled the death a
suicide. Considering our culture’s
obsession with the physical appearance, it is no wonder Dr. Brandt’s Botox services
were in high demand.
When Ezekiel looked at the valley of dry
bones, representing what was left of Israel’s glory, it was a bleached, barren
sight. The bones were very
dry! God told the prophet to
speak to the bones and they came back together, muscles, flesh, tendons, skin and
all. The bodies were perfectly put back
together; still, they lacked one thing – breath!
Reality – all the Botox in the universe could not have done better
in making those bodies look perfect. However, as good as they looked they lacked
what only God gives – spirit!
Now this is a critical observation, and I don’t want you to think
I’m against looking as good as you can, but the line is crossed when physical
appearance becomes more important than spiritual vitality. Paul the apostle nailed it for his
up-and-coming pastor-protégé, Timothy:
“Physical training is good,
but training for godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and
in the life to come.” 1 Timothy
4:8 (NLT)
In eternity God will grant us a glorified body like Christ’s, with
no imperfections. But too many people
spend an inordinate amount of time and attention in this present life trying to
hold back the wrinkles of skin and crows-feet, while neglecting the growth of
spirit and godliness in their soul.
These physical bodies in which we live this life are temples for
the Holy Spirit of God, and we ought not to abuse them; we are stewards of
everything God has given. However, the
engine of this body is the soul, spirit and mind.
When you look at the pictures of Dr. Brandt it’s obvious the
doctor practiced on himself what he preached.
However, all the Botox and other procedures didn’t change the fact that the
physical appearance he labored hard to achieve and maintain could not keep him
from the grave.
And within a relatively short period of time the body he tried to
preserve will be food for worms. We can
only hope his soul was in better condition.
For You Today
Did you work out this
morning? Did you take your vitamins and
orange juice? Take the shower, use deodorant,
trim what needs trimming, comb, spruce up, cover and dress all the best you
know how?
Good.
Did you leave something out?
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