Day 44

Some days I forget how great it feels to live for God and to know that I am working for the betterment of his kingdom. It is refreshing when you are at that point and can see the work he is doing in your life. Let me start off by saying that I am blessed to have the family and the friends that I have and the positions God has put me in are much better than most people.  I know I have said this before, but hold on tight to the ones you truly love because you never know when that opportunity to talk to them will be gone. I have been thinking about when we disappoint God and sin and how we can resist because we are called by him. I have talked about not beating yourself up over sinning but rather moving on and gaining strength from it and I have discussed the never ending love of God and how he will always forgive us. In addition to putting on the armor, we are instructed by him not to rebel and therefore stand firm in the word. We see this when he calls Ezekiel to preach to the Israelites.

Ezekiel 2: 1-10, "He said to me, 'son of man. stand up on your feet and I will speak to you.' As he spoke, the Spirit came into me and raised me to my feet, and I hear him speaking to me. He said, ' Son of man, I am sending you to the Israelites, to a rebellious nation that has rebelled against me; they and their fathers have been in revolt against me to this very day. The people to whom I am sending you are obstinate and stubborn. Say to them, "this is what the Sovereign Lord says." And whether they listen or fail to listen--for they are a rebellious house--they will know that a prophet has ben among them. And you, son of man, do not be afraid of them or their words. Do not be afraid, though briers and thorns are all around you and you live among scorpions. Do not be afraid of what they say or terrified by them, they are a rebellious house. You must speak my words to them, whether they listen or fail to listen, for they are rebellious. But you, son of man, listen to what I say to you. Do not rebel like that rebellious house; open your mouth and eat what I give you.' Then I looked, and saw a hand stretched out to me. In it was a scroll, which he unrolled before me. On both sides of it were written words of lament and mourning and woe."  Once again we are told not to be afraid of what those around us say when we stand up for God because he is watching over us and his will shall be done. 

I think what I can take from this is that I need to remember that I am a son of God and rebelling is not in my best interest. I must take all that he has given me and put it to good use. Ezekiel goes on to literally eat the scroll because it is what God gives him. I can apply this in a figurative sense in that God will give me the words to speak everyday to people and as long as I rely on him I will not have to be worried about what to do or say. Just because I am around people who are rebellious and follow the ways of the world, I do not have to harden my heart towards God and be a rebel as well. I need to become like Ezekiel and heed all the information and warnings that God sends my way. Confronting myself yet again and saying that I will stand up for what I believe is true and not let myself cower in the face of sinners. Do you ever have those moments where you want to do something for someone or just smile at the stranger walking by but you are unsure of how they will react or what they will say? I struggle with that everyday and I find comfort in this verse when it says "Do not be afraid of what they say or be terrified by them, though they are a rebellious house." I should be confident in the Lord and in his awesome power because he will enable me to do the work he has called me to do as long as I step out in faith and follow.  I know some of this seems repetitive but I am trying to drill it into my head so that I do not forget it.

Until I learn to be completely selfless, I will have a hard time reaching out to people, but I am still able to help people who come to me for advice as I can pray with and for them in the Lord and continue to do his work. I know this is my calling and I am answering the call for good.

I am always looking for ways to help people and to connect with people, if you know anyone who would enjoy reading this or might need to get something out of it, please spread the word, I think that something small can lead to change all over, it is just a matter of how we go about things. I continue to pray for all of you and hope you all have a blessed night.

Joseph Robinson