The Vision, Day 26 Absolute judgment. Read Ezekiel chapter 26. Reading verses like these can be really hard. We think of God as a loving and gracious God, and he is. But he is also infinitely holy. He cannot allow sin to remain. Seeing God’s judgment spelled out so clearly can be difficult to read, but God will root out sin. God will punish sin. Make no mistake, God’s loving nature demands that his holiness be protected. Are we recognizing all of the nature of God, his love and his holiness? Check out the video devotional https://youtu.be/ZOYv6Ehi_M4

The Vision, Day 25 Judgment on the surrounding areas. Read Ezekiel chapter 25. God has shared over and over again that judgment is coming to the land of Israel and Judah, but in this chapter, he wants the surrounding countries to understand something more. Even though God’s people have been disobedient, that does not give others the right to laugh at them or make fun of them or do things against the people of Israel and people of Judah. Because these other countries have been doing that, they are going to be judged. God is going to bring judgment against the people for the way they’ve treated Israel. Even when…

The Vision, Day 24 The idol. Read Ezekiel chapter 24. The people had gotten to the point where they were worshipping the temple and sanctuary itself instead of the one who created them. The people had become so arrogant that God had to destroy his temple because they were speaking it more than they were worshipping him. What good things in our life have we made into idols? What items that gave been given to us by God, do we love more than the one who gave them to us? We are to worship only God. Video devotional here: https://youtu.be/J8QbztEyYpg

The Vision, Day 23 Penalty. Read Ezekiel chapter 23. This long chapter is the story of how Israel and Judah have essentially run around on God. They have wanted care and compassion for everyone else except God. Unfortunately, there is a penalty for that. God was going to bring a penalty on them for all that they have been doing. Do we obey God or are we running after our own lusts and desires? Check out the video devotional here: https://youtu.be/uLhmTDKozKo

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…