The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, and majestic in his radiant splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Ezekiel 3:18-19,
"When I say to a wicked man, 'You will surely die,' and you do not warn him or speak out to dissuade him from his evil ways in order to save his life, that wicked man will die for his sin, and I will hold you accountable for his blood. But if you do warn the wicked man and he does not turn from his wickedness or from his evil ways, he will die for his sin; but you will have saved yourself."
This responsibility the Lord laid on Ezekiel as a "watchman" reminds me of his words in Luke 12:48, "From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.
Ezekiel has been given visions of God and entrusted with a responsibility to follow through on what he has been asked to do. He is to take the message of the Lord to the exiled people of Israel in Babylon. These messages are going to be both verbal and acted out in very unique ways. The consequences of Ezekiel's follow-through are enormous to him personally!
A couple of thoughts come to mind. The first is I find it interesting that when God deals with someone he often uses someone to speak through. Moses with Pharaoh and the Israelites. Nathan with David. The list just goes on. Often God uses intermediaries to communicate his message through.
The second thought I have is the gravity of the responsibility we all have before the Lord, as did Ezekiel, to follow through on what he has given us. All of us who comprise his church have been gifted by God to serve, "Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good." I Corinthians 12:7. And, we are expected to touch other's lives to dispense the grace God intends to extend to them, "Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms." 1 Peter 4:10.
God's gifts are wonderful and his grace is beyond measure! How will it be when I account for what the Lord has given me?
This responsibility the Lord laid on Ezekiel as a "watchman" reminds me of his words in Luke 12:48, "From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.
Ezekiel has been given visions of God and entrusted with a responsibility to follow through on what he has been asked to do. He is to take the message of the Lord to the exiled people of Israel in Babylon. These messages are going to be both verbal and acted out in very unique ways. The consequences of Ezekiel's follow-through are enormous to him personally!
A couple of thoughts come to mind. The first is I find it interesting that when God deals with someone he often uses someone to speak through. Moses with Pharaoh and the Israelites. Nathan with David. The list just goes on. Often God uses intermediaries to communicate his message through.
The second thought I have is the gravity of the responsibility we all have before the Lord, as did Ezekiel, to follow through on what he has given us. All of us who comprise his church have been gifted by God to serve, "Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good." I Corinthians 12:7. And, we are expected to touch other's lives to dispense the grace God intends to extend to them, "Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms." 1 Peter 4:10.
God's gifts are wonderful and his grace is beyond measure! How will it be when I account for what the Lord has given me?
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
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