Thursday 11 Sep 2014

September 11: Ezekiel 33:7-11

Key Verse: Ezekiel 33:9
Nevertheless if you warn the wicked to turn from his way, and he does not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity; but you have delivered your soul.

Devotion:
Have you ever been put in a position where you are in charge of a situation where the outcome could be dire? Not necessarily life or death, but something close to that… It is not nice being the one who is accountable for what other people have to do, but that is what management is all about in many cases; we are placed in a position where we have to depend on how other people perform. This is never ideal unless you are the one who is able to choose the people who are working for you in which case you normally can have a good idea of whether you will be able to get the job done.

God knows that each one of us is different and He would not ask us to be totally dependent on what other humans can or cannot do. It may seem like that at times but that is not what God is leading us through. If we feel like that it could be that we have not thought the situation through properly yet. God wants us to be able to tell other people about Him and not have to depend on other people knowing about Him to get us out of a sticky situation.

But that could lead us into a place where we feel like other people depend on us and that can place strain on our lives. It is in that situation where we have to give the difficulty to God to allow Him to show us how we can work for Him. He wants us to share His word with others as well as to be honest enough to tell people when they are doing things wrong. We must not go round judging them but trying to open their eyes to what they are doing.

What would you feel like if your friend did not tell you what you were doing wrong even though they knew exactly what was going on? How would you feel knowing they kept the truth from you just so they would not have to sound harsh? It can be difficult but we owe it to our friends to tell them the truth. Christ went one step further and said that we need to love our enemies which means treating them like our friends in warning them when they go wrong as well – not judging, warning!

Points to Ponder:
Are you honest to your neighbours?

Do you think God was honest with you?