Scripture: Ezekiel 9:9, 10 NLT
Then he said to me, “The sins of the people of Israel and Judah are very, very great. The entire land is full of murder; the city is filled with injustice. They are saying, ‘The Lord doesn’t see it! The Lord has abandoned the land!’ So I will not spare them or have any pity on them. I will fully repay them for all they have done.”
Observation:
Oh, the irony. The injustice, indeed. Just prior to this in Ezekiel's vision, the Lord shows him the idolatrous sins of the people, and how they've defiled the temple. And then, with the temple filed with "detestable sin", they complain that the Lord isn't hanging around like a kicked dog, waiting for a chance to make up.
Application:
Is there anywhere in my life that I'm doing that? Attributing to God faults or shortcomings that are my own? Or that belong to my heritage or culture?
Yesterday, God led me carefully through a simple, everyday experience, so I could learn one very important thing . . . He really IS a jealous God, and he doesn't want me to be better friends with anyone else than I am with Him. ;o) He taught me gently; just whispered a gentle check through the Holy Spirit when I wanted to turn to a mortal (and a pretty darn awesome one at that) for an answer to a dilemma. I mulled over that for a bit, because even though I listened to the Holy Spirit, I still did a teensy bit of mental foot stomping. And then, it hit me. God was jealous! He didn't want me to be better friends with anyone else than I am with Him. :o) I laughed long and loud at that . . . not derisively, but because it tickled my sense of humor to realize that the Lord God of Hosts sees me just as He sees the Israelites and Judah. He doesn't want anyone to come before Him. And that's pretty cool--definitely worthy of joyful laughter.
Prayer:
Father of mine, I glorify You for Your incredible, patient, endless love. For Your faithfulness to me, while I'm learning to be faithful to You. For Your awesome sense of humor, and the way You make me laugh as You show me more and more relationship all around me--between people, between Your people and Yourself, and best of all, between You and me. And I love how it feels like You show me these things, in part, to see me laugh. :o) Keep it up, my God, please! I just want more of You, and to sing and laugh and walk with You all the day long. Because You are Good. So, so good! In Jesus' name, Amen. :o)
