Friday 11 Mar 2022

March 11: Ezekiel 18:21-28

Key Verse: Ezekiel 18:21
But if a wicked person turns away from all the sins they have committed and keeps all my decrees and does what is just and right, that person will surely live; they will not die.

Devotion:
I know I have talked about how God is willing to forgive anything we bring to Him, but these verses remind us God has always been this way – He does not change, we just think differently! Ezekiel tell us the words given to him by God: He is willing and able to forgive any sin which is brought to Him if the person willingly turns away from those sins. Why do we have to turn away from them? Because it shows God we have changed in the way we think and are willing to adjust our ways to be His ways instead.

The next few verses tell us He will totally forget our sins when we do turn away from them. This is not something new which would only come into effect after Jesus came, but something which has always been here. God does not change!

The same can be said for a righteous person who turns away from there righteousness and does wicked things – they will get picked out and they will have to face up to what they have done. When they continue to live that wicked lifestyle, they are in the same boat as someone who has always lived the wicked lifestyle. What God is looking for is people who want to change their ways and live a righteous life with Him.

When we say God is just, we often forget what justness is! If we live the wicked life, we will not be accepted by God until we turn away from that life and repent. If we live a righteous life and turn toward wickedness, we risk being called out by God for what we are doing. If we do not repent and turn away from that wickedness, we will not be accepted by God when the times comes. But, we can turn back to Him and turn away from the wicked things to be part of His flock again.

Jesus cemented this by saying He would be our advocate when the time comes!

Points to Ponder:
Will you ask God to forgive the things you have done wrong?

Will you turn away from those things?