The Daily Fountain Devotional Saturday, July 23, 2022
The Daily Fountain Devotional Saturday, July 23, 2022
Saturday, July 23,2022
TOPIC: COMPLETE OBEDIENCE
TEXT: Ezekiel 24:15-end
15 Also the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 16 Son of man, behold, I take away from thee the desire of thine eyes with a stroke: yet neither shalt thou mourn nor weep, neither shall thy tears run down. 17 Forbear to cry, make no mourning for the dead, bind the tire of thine head upon thee, and put on thy shoes upon thy feet, and cover not thy lips, and eat not the bread of men. 18 So I spake unto the people in the morning: and at even my wife died; and I did in the morning as I was commanded.
19 And the people said unto me, Wilt thou not tell us what these things are to us, that thou doest so? 20 Then I answered them, The word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 21 Speak unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will profane my sanctuary, the excellency of your strength, the desire of your eyes, and that which your soul pitieth; and your sons and your daughters whom ye have left shall fall by the sword. 22 And ye shall do as I have done: ye shall not cover your lips, nor eat the bread of men. 23 And your tires shall be upon your heads, and your shoes upon your feet: ye shall not mourn nor weep; but ye shall pine away for your iniquities, and mourn one toward another.
24 Thus Ezekiel is unto you a sign: according to all that he hath done shall ye do: and when this cometh, ye shall know that I am the Lord GOD. 25 Also, thou son of man, shall it not be in the day when I take from them their strength, the joy of their glory, the desire of their eyes, and that whereupon they set their minds, their sons and their daughters, 26 That he that escapeth in that day shall come unto thee, to cause thee to hear it with thine ears? 27 In that day shall thy mouth be opened to him which is escaped, and thou shalt speak, and be no more dumb: and thou shalt be a sign unto them; and they shall know that I am the LORD.
The Daily Fountain Devotional Saturday, July 23, 2022
INTRODUCTION TEXT
In our text today, God told Ezekiel that his loving wife would die and that he should not mourn her. As human beings, we know that this is not palatable or convenient. No reasonable husband would take the news of his wife's death as a symbol of laughter. Ezekiel obeyed God fully and did not mourn his wife as he was commanded. In the same vein, Israel was instructed not to mourn over Jerusalem when it would be destroyed. Israel was to emulate Ezekiel in obedience; there must not be weeping nor mourning when Jerusalem would become desolate. As Christians, we must understand that obedience to God is non-negotiable.
As in the case of Ezekiel, it could sometimes be painful to obey the Lord. At such points, we are to note that we can never be wrong for choosing to do the right things as commanded by the Lord. When God forbids a thing, we need not rationalise and encourage ourselves to do it after all. As a child of God, you should obey God wholeheartedly in all your endeavours today and always. Do not join the camp of those who twist the word of God to satisfy their personal ego and fulfil their selfish desires. You are supposed to be an obedient child. God will help you.
Prayer: Lord, give me grace to obey you in all things in Jesus' name. (Amen)