The Vision, Day 22 Someone to stand in the gap. Read Ezekiel chapter 22. As God continues to share the judgment that is coming with Ezekiel, he makes an interesting statement. God says that he has been looking for someone who is able to build a wall and stand in the gap between the sinful people of Israel and the holy God. God has looked for this person and not been able to find him. God wants to be able to see that gap bridged. Interestingly, that is exactly what Jesus Christ does. Jesus Christ comes as the one who is able to stand in the gap. He builds the…

The Vision, Day 21 A look forward. Read Ezekiel chapter 21. God continues to share about the upcoming destruction and judgment that the people will experience. He indicates that everything will become a ruin and the crown will be stripped from the people. This had to have seemed like a overwhelming and terrible idea, and yet God states it here. The hope of the coming King is in this verse. We see the foreshadowing that God will remove the crown until he gives it to the one who it rightly belongs to. Such a wonderful reminder that no matter what we’re going through and the terrible difficulty of life and…

The Vision, Day 20 Do we see ourselves? Read Ezekiel chapter 20. The people were coming to inquire of the Lord, but the Lord wasn’t going to listen to them. They had their opportunity to come before him, and they had chosen instead to continue in their sin and not seek his repentance. Interestingly, God makes the statement that they needed to remember their conduct and loathe themselves for what they have done. Sometimes we have to help people understand that they are lost before they can be saved. In the world we live in, people tend to think that they are OK and doing OK. They know they have…

The Vision, Day 19 Expectations. Read Ezekiel chapter 19. We just read in the last chapter how each person is responsible for their own choices and the consequences of those choices. Today, we see God telling Ezekiel to write a sad song. This sad song is to be a reminder of the failure of the kings of Israel. These kings were raised by their mother to be strong and good, but instead they made the decision to do bad things. As a result they were captured and carried away. Their mother had great expectations for all they would accomplish, but unfortunately their own choices limited them. It can be hard…

The Vision, Day 18 Choices. Read Ezekiel chapter 18. We each have a choice to make. We can choose to repent and obey God. Or, we can choose death. There are no other alternatives. The avoidance of the choice just means that we have, by default, chosen death. Will we make the decision to choose Christ and choose life today? Here’s the video devotional – https://youtu.be/0Turvl7dYdY

The Vision, Day 16 God’s faithfulness in his covenant. Read Ezekiel chapter 16. Throughout this chapter, we read of God’s faithfulness. We also read of the people of Israel’s complete and utter betrayal of that faithfulness. It’s such a stark reminder of the way in which God treats us, and how we in turn often treat him. While this chapter is specific to the people of Israel, it is a reminder of the character of God. Who he is never changes. He has offered a covenant to us through his son Jesus Christ and even when we are not faithful to him, even when we fall short and we don’t…

The Vision, Day 15 Consequences. Read Ezekiel chapter 15. The people had to understand that their choices had consequences. As we see Ezekiel sharing God’s message to the people, God reminds the people that the land is also suffering because of their sin. God is bringing judgment on everything and that includes the land. Plants won’t grow and crops will fail because of the sin of the people of Israel. We need to understand that when we sin, there are ramifications that reach far beyond just ourselves. Sin impacts other people and we impact the world around us. Are we being good stewards of everything that God has given us…

The Vision, Day 14 Individual accountability. Read Ezekiel chapter 14. As the Lord is continuing to explain judgment on the people of Israel, he makes the statement that even if Noah, Daniel, and Job were involved, they would only be able to save themselves. The people of Israel would understand those were three of the most righteous people from their recorded history. Even as good as they were, their belief in Christ and obedience to him were only good enough to account for themselves. Their children and their family still had individual responsibility to God. We must understand that each one of us have our own accountability to God. We…

The Vision, Day 13 Liars. Read Ezekiel chapter 13. The land was full of prophets. The problem was that most of the prophets were not actually prophets of God. Instead, they would put together their own vision or desire for the people, and then they would tell it to them using God’s name. Saying that God had spoken to them. Lying to the people about what they were to be doing. It’s so hard to live the way God wants you to live, when you have so many different people spouting ideas about what God has actually said. The people in this day and time we’re reliant on the prophets…