- …even if these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they would deliver but their own lives by their righteousness, declares the Lord God. Ezekiel 14:14 – Our righteousness can’t save someone else. While Jesus is the one who makes us righteous and He sure can save others, our faithfulness and righteousness won’t cover the sins of others. We see that being portrayed in our passage and it’s a reality we must believe today. The only way people will be saved from their sin is by they themselves humbly coming before God and seeking His grace. You can’t do it for them or hope that your faith will cover some other people at the end. We need to be actively sharing the Gospel because each person has to choose God for themselves to find His forgiveness . I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1078
- Son of man, these men have taken their idols into their hearts, and set the stumbling block of their iniquity before their faces. Should I indeed let myself be consulted by them? Ezekiel 14:3 – Here we have the Lord speaking about a few of the elders of Israel that had come to Ezekiel with the purposes of hearing the Lord out on certain items. God reveals to Ezekiel that these men, while outwardly following the Lord, inwardly had their hearts captured by idols. God then proposes this question, am I obligated to give counsel to those who seek my counsel yet their hearts are captured by something else other than me? The question is rhetorical, for both know the answer to be no. Yet God says He will still respond, but not with counsel they were seeking, but with judgment on their sin. This passage is a healthy reminder for us today as we approach the Lord in prayer. Has our hearts been captured by sin? Are there any certain sins that we are continually saying yes to and refusing to let go of despite God’s conviction and our awareness that these things need to stop? Understand God hears you, but He is under no obligation to respond the way we are asking Him to. Your sin is interfering with your communion with the Lord. You will not be able to hear the Lord like you should and you will not receive from the Lord what you hope to receive when sin is actively present in your story. As verse 6 then says, repent and turn away from your idols; turn away from your sin. How then have you allowed sin to enter your heart? Bring those things before the Lord, give them to Him, and walk away from the sin that has captured you for too long so your communion with the Lord can be healthy once again. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 2355
Daily DEVO 