“Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways,” says the Lord God. “Repent, and turn from all your transgressions, so that iniquity will not be your ruin. Cast away from you all the transgressions which you have committed, and get yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. For why should you die, O house of Israel? For I have no pleasure in the death of one who dies,” says the Lord God. “Therefore turn and live!” Ezekiel 18:30-32

Ezekiel was a priest and a prophet sent by God during the years of the exile to call upon God’s people to repent of their wicked ways and look to God for mercy at a time when the judgment of God was falling upon His people for their turning aside from true worship and service to God into idolatry and disobedience. He warned of, and illustrated, the judgment of God which was coming upon the people for their evil doings – a judgment they would not escape unless they repented and returned to the Lord God!

So also, in chapter 18 of Ezekiel, he warns a people who considered God unfair in His judgments, saying they were suffering for the sins of their fathers and not for their own rebelliousness and sin. They accused God of injustice rather than acknowledging their own wickedness and sin.

Ezekiel’s message? “The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not bear the guilt of the father, nor the father bear the guilt of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself” (Ezekiel 18:20). The father who rebels against the Lord and lives in disobedience and sin will die for his sin. So also the son. But those who repent of their wicked ways, whether father or son, will be pardoned and live!

And these words certainly apply to us today. Every one of us will be judged by God according to our ways. If we turn aside from the Lord God and His Word, we will die in our sins and be judged by God. Even if we have lived good Christian lives all our days but then turn aside and live in sin and disobedience, we will die in our sins. All the good we have done will be forgotten!

If, on the other hand, we see the error of our ways and the sin and disobedience in our lives and turn unto the Lord God for mercy and forgiveness in Christ Jesus and then, as a fruit of faith, seek to live for Him, all our sins will be forgiven of God and we will be counted righteous and holy in God’s eyes for Jesus’ sake.

Therefore, God also calls out to us, warning us that God will judge each of us according to our ways and there will be no escaping His judgment.

But God also tells us: “‘Repent, and turn from all your transgressions, so that iniquity will not be your ruin. Cast away from you all the transgressions which you have committed, and get yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. For why should you die, O house of Israel? For I have no pleasure in the death of one who dies,’ says the Lord God. ‘Therefore turn and live!’”

God does not desire to condemn us to eternal death and suffering in hell. Rather, He desires that we repent of our sinful and rebellious ways and look to Him for mercy and forgiveness for the sake of Christ Jesus and His atoning sacrifice upon the cross for the sins of the world! God grant that we heed His voice!

You are holy and just, O God. We have sinned and gone astray. Forgive our sins for Jesus’ sake and move us to walk in Your ways. Amen.

[Scripture is taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.]

“Blessed are those who keep His testimonies, who seek Him with the whole heart!” Psalm 119:2 (Read verses 1-8)

How do you seek the LORD? This is a question I had to ask myself after reading Psalm 119:2: “Blessed are those who keep His testimonies, who seek Him with the whole heart!” Read verses 1-8 to see what such whole-hearted devotion to the LORD God is like.

1 Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the Lord! 2 Blessed are those who keep His testimonies, who seek Him with the whole heart! 3 They also do no iniquity; they walk in His ways. 4 You have commanded us to keep Your precepts diligently. 5 Oh, that my ways were directed to keep Your statutes! 6 Then I would not be ashamed, when I look into all Your commandments. 7 I will praise You with uprightness of heart, when I learn Your righteous judgments. 8 I will keep Your statutes; Oh, do not forsake me utterly!

It is so easy to seek the LORD half-heartedly or, to be honest, with even a smaller portion of our heart than that. We want the LORD and His forgiveness and a place in His eternal kingdom, but our hearts desire and seek after other things in this world as well. Thus, we spend little time in His Word, are not always eager to worship and pray, are hesitant to tell others of Christ Jesus, and the like.

Upon examining my own heart, I was moved to pray the words of Psalm 51 and especially verse 10: “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.” Perhaps you too may want to examine your hearts.

Thank God that Jesus sought us with all His heart and gave His life upon the cross to redeem us and cleanse us from our sin! In Him, we find forgiveness and life eternal.

“Create in me a new heart, Lord, that gladly I obey Thy Word and naught but what Thou wilt, desire; with such new life my soul inspire. Grant that I only Thee may love and seek those things which are above till I behold Thee face to face, O Light eternal, through Thy grace.” (The Lutheran Hymnal, #398)

Scripture is taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.