That the wicked turn from his way and live

/in , , /by

“And you, son of man, say to the house of Israel, Thus have you said: ‘Surely our transgressions and our sins are upon us, and we rot away because of them. How then can we live?’ Say to them, As I live, declares the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live; turn back, turn back from your evil ways, for why will you die, O house of Israel? (Ezekiel 33:10-11 ESV)

To those who earnestly meditate on the WORD of God. One thing more difficult to comprehend besides the holiness of God is the grace of God.

People often misinterpret God in the Old Testament as an angry God whereas in the New Testament he is a “nicer” God. Make no mistake, God is one and the same. Did not Jesus too, display righteous anger when His Father’s house was sullied by profiteering? Did he not declare woes upon unrepentant nations?

However God is “angry”, one thing that He excels in is His grace. In today’s text, we note that even the people themselves declare themselves to be beyond help. “Surely our transgressions and sins are upon us, and we rot away because of them”. Thankfully though, in the eyes of the LORD this is what we call confession.

The people acknowledge they have sinned. Also do note that it is the LORD that brings it up in the first place. The holiness of God declares to them, and the grace of God will vindicate them.

The LORD is gracious! Hallelujah! Praise be to the God on high and His Son Jesus Christ!

Prayer points:

  1. Ask the LORD to help us in our weaknesses.
  2. Pray for your loved ones, that even in their weaknesses they know the LORD is in control and no one else
  3. Praise God, for He is perfecting us day by day

Prayer of the day:

Dear LORD, we come before you with a penitent heart (confess your sins). O LORD, Scripture tells us of your holiness; Scripture also affirms your grace. It is the promises held within them that I know and assured that you’ll never leave us nor forsake us. We acknowledge we can never hope to overcome on our own. We thank you for the promises in John 14 when you promised us the comforter, the Holy Spirit, who will guide us. LORD, teach us to be more like you every day.

In Jesus name we pray, Amen.