June 27, 2023

Scripture: Ezekiel 18:30 – “Therefore, you Israelites, I will judge each of you according to your own ways, declares the Sovereign Lord. Repent! Turn away from all your offenses; then sin will not be your downfall.”

What it means

This was written by the Hebrew prophet Ezekiel in the 6th century BCE. If you read any of the prophetic scripture, you will find a definite pattern of warnings against the people of Israel behaving badly. God is patient up to a point, but if we continue to make poor choices, we are judged by The One who is always fair and just, and the punishment always fits the crime…and it’s never fun.However, we always have the opportunity to turn from our sin, repent, and all is forgiven/forgotten… “then sin will not be your downfall.” That’s a much better option than we typically have – us human beings are never that understanding, but God is. He holds us accountable, but He is gracious and merciful – much more than we deserve.

What it means to me

I spent a little bit of time in Ezekiel during one of my COS classes. The class was difficult, but I still managed to learn quite a bit during it, and am thankful for the opportunity to keep learning at my mature age 😊 If we continue to verse 31 here, we are told that we actually have the opportunity to “get a new heart and a new spirit” – not a bad offer! In verse 32, God assures us that He takes no pleasure in the death of anyone – even us sinners – so let’s opt to “repent and live”, as opposed to continuing in our sin and dying. Again, God is a God of second chances, and third chances, and so forth…but at some point, we are expected to turn from our sins – otherwise, He has no choice but to enact His judgement upon us…so let’s repent and live!

Love you guys, talk to you on Thursday!

In Christ,

Brian