Let God's Words sink into your heart! (Ezekiel 3:10-11)

Ezekiel 3:10-11

 
 
New Living Translation (NLT)
 
 

¹⁰ Then he added, “Son of man, let all my words sink deep into your own heart first. Listen to them carefully for yourself. ¹¹ Then go to your people in exile and say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says!’ Do this whether they listen to you or not.”
 
 
Ezekiel needed to take God's words to heart before preaching them to others. God's message must sink deep into your heart and show in your actions before you can effectively help others understand and apply the Gospel.
 
 
Joe
















 

Sometimes we have to share our faith with unkind people (Ezekiel 2:6-8)

Ezekiel 2:6-8

New Living Translation (NLT)


 

⁶ “Son of man, do not fear them or their words. Don’t be afraid even though their threats surround you like nettles and briers and stinging scorpions. Do not be dismayed by their dark scowls, even though they are rebels. ⁷ You must give them my messages whether they listen or not. But they won’t listen, for they are completely rebellious! ⁸ Son of man, listen to what I say to you. Do not join them in their rebellion. Open your mouth, and eat what I give you.”





God gave Ezekiel the difficult responsibility of presenting His message to ungrateful and abusive people. Sometimes we must be an example to or share our faith with unkind people. The Lord told Ezekiel not to be afraid and rebel, but to speak His words, whether or not the people would listen. He also wants us to tell the Good News, whether it is convenient or not (see 2 Timothy 4:2 below).


 

2 Timothy 4:2

New Living Translation (NLT)

 

² Preach the word of God. Be prepared, whether the time is favorable or not. Patiently correct, rebuke, and encourage your people with good teaching.


 
Joe
















 

We must learn from God's discipline. (Lamentations 3:39-42)

Lamentations 3:39-42

Living Bible (TLB)


 

³⁹ Why then should we, mere humans as we are, murmur and complain when punished for our sins? ⁴⁰ Let us examine ourselves instead, and let us repent and turn again to the Lord. ⁴¹ Let us lift our hearts and hands to him in heaven, ⁴² for we have sinned; we have rebelled against the Lord, and he has not forgotten it.




Parents discipline children to produce right behavior. God disciplined Judah to produce right living and genuine worship. We must not complain about discipline but learn from it, trusting God and being willing to change. We must allow God's correction to bring about the kind of behavior in our lives that pleases Him.



 
Joe



















 

Do you reject God in your daily life? (Lamentations 2:7)

Lamentations 2:7

The Message (MSG)


 

⁷ God abandoned his altar, walked away from his holy Temple
    and turned the fortifications over to the enemy.
    As they cheered in God’s Temple, you’d have thought it was a feast day!




Our place of worship is not as important to God as our pattern of worship. A church building may be beautiful, but if its people don't sincerely follow God, the church will decay from within. The people of Judah, despite their beautiful temple, had rejected in their daily lives what they proclaimed in their worship rituals. Thus their worship had turned into a mocking lie. When you worship, are you saying words you don't really mean? Do you pray for help you don't really believe will come? Do you express love for God you don't really have? Earnestly seek God and catch a fresh vision of His love and care. Then worship Him wholeheartedly.





Joe













 

True freedom comes from obeying God. (Lamentations 1:14)

Lamentations 1:14

New Living Translation (NLT)


 

¹⁴ “He wove my sins into ropes
    to hitch me to a yoke of captivity.
The Lord sapped my strength and turned me over to my enemies;
    I am helpless in their hands.




At first, sin seems to offer freedom. But the liberty to do anything we want gradually becomes a desire to do everything. Then we become captive to sin, bound by its "yoke." Freedom from sin's captivity comes only from God. He gives us freedom, not to do anything we want, but to do what He knows is best for us. Strange as it may seem, true freedom comes in obeying God - following His guidance so that we can receive His best.



Joe


















 

Your past is your school of experience. (Jeremiah 44:9-10)

Jeremiah 44:9-10

New Living Translation (NLT)



 

⁹ Have you forgotten the sins of your ancestors, the sins of the kings and queens of Judah, and the sins you and your wives committed in Judah and Jerusalem? ¹⁰ To this very hour you have shown no remorse or reverence. No one has chosen to follow my word and the decrees I gave to you and your ancestors before you.




When we forget a lesson or refuse to learn it, we risk repeating our mistakes, The people of Judah struggled with this; to forget their former sins was to repeat them. To fail to learn from failures is to assure future failure. Your past is your school of experience. Let your past mistakes point you to God's way.




 
Joe

















 

God can cure the disease of sin. (Jeremiah 30:12,13, & 17)

Jeremiah 30:12,13, & 17

New International Version (NIV)



 

¹² “This is what the Lord says:

“‘Your wound is incurable,
    your injury beyond healing.

¹³ There is no one to plead your cause,
    no remedy for your sore,
    no healing for you...

¹⁷ But I will restore you to health
    and heal your wounds,’
declares the Lord...



 
The medical language here conveys the idea that sin is terminal. Sinful people cannot be cured by being good or being religious. Beware of putting your confidence in useless cures while your sin spreads and causes you pain. God alone can cure the disease of sin, but you must be willing to let Him do it.




 
Joe