Day 230, or August the 18th. Always put God first. Our thoughts today are rooted in Ezekiel
chapter 18 verse 25. Yet you say, The way of the Lord is not just. Here, you Israelites,
is my way unjust. Is it not your ways that are unjust?
And now the big picture surrounding this verse. Some people think that the idea of using
stories or parables began with Jesus. But Ezekiel, along with many other prophets, used
them to great effect. He tells some about Israel likening the nation to God's bride,
a bit like the church is seen as the bride of Christ in the New Testament. He also gives
us a parable about two eagles and another about the vine. Ezekiel becomes very personal
in the midst of his teaching, as he talks about personal responsibility and the fact
that each one of us must bear the judgment for our own sins.
And now today's action step. God seems to be blamed for everything that human beings
don't like. Through Ezekiel God challenges his people to think about this. Is it God's
way or man's way that is unjust? When good things happen today, they are usually attributed
to science or man's ingenuity. We regularly rub God of what is his due. Some time ago
a sportsman collapsed from a heart attack and was rushed to hospital. Thanks to the
immediate professional help that was available to him, he was rushed to hospital and lived.
Great thanks were paid to all concerned, but the statement given by his family was the
most profound. They said, We want to give thanks today firstly to God, who has answered
our prayers, then to all of you who prayed, and finally to the medical staff who worked
hard and skilfully to save the life of our loved one. They realized there was much skill
involved, but they also accepted that it was God who ultimately healed. Throughout our
lives we need to give thanks to God first and then thank others involved. It seems to
me that the exclamation of thank God is usually an empty one. Let's reclaim it for our Lord
and say it with meaning.