Saturday 1 Apr 2023

April 1: Ezekiel 37:21-23

Key Verse: Ezekiel 37:22
I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel. There will be one king over all of them and they will never again be two nations or be divided into two kingdoms.

Devotion:
I sometimes wonder what the prophets thought when they were told by God they had to deliver good or bad news – often news which the people would find hard to understand or believe. God will always try to give us a good path to follow, but because we live in the world and are bound by earthly rules and regulations, we often get lost before we can go in the direct God wants us to.

The people of Israel were caught up in many different things because they were in a new country and they were split up into groups or factions; not because they wanted to fight but because of their own desires to be in their own tribal areas. Each group was now in a different area and they no longer had the common focus of following the cloud of smoke or the pillar of light. Instead all manner of things were gaining their attention...

When we focus on things outside of our lives with God we are going to get persuaded from time to time to go off on a tangent to the way God wants us to walk. This is the temptations of the world and the evil one will do all he can to try and make those temptations as big and appealing as possible!

God’s intention was to make Israel an example to the world so people would be encouraged to find God in amongst the failings of the world. Jesus came to open the doors so we can all find a way of avoiding the worldly things. We still have that direction and as disciples we should be the example through which people can see Christ rather than the world!

Points to Ponder:
What sort of example are you in your community?

Will you try to reflect Jesus’ light more in your community?