Day 238, or August 26. You never know who's watching.
Our thoughts today come from Ezekiel 44 verse 23. They are to teach my people the difference
between the holy and the common, and show them how to distinguish between the unclean
and the clean.
First of all, the big picture surrounding this verse. Ezekiel tells us about the closed
gate which was facing east. This may be equated to the golden gate of today's Jerusalem,
which is also closed. This is the same vicinity as the entrance by which Jesus entered the
city on His triumphal entry, as confirmed by Ezekiel in chapter 44 verse 2. No one will
ever open it and pass through, for the LORD, the God of Israel, has entered here. This
is physical evidence that we can see today that confirms this word of prophecy and its
fulfilment. Ezekiel also has a lot to say to the priests in the temple. He lays out
for them very clearly what their duties are.
And now today's action step. Before you brush these priestly instructions to one side
as only being for leaders and therefore not for the majority of folk, it may be worth
a look at 1 Peter chapter 2 verse 9, which tells all believers, But you are not like
that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God's very
own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for He called
you out of the darkness, into His wonderful light. In other words, all believers have
a direct responsibility to show God's best to the world. The story is told of a missionary
who laboured for years but saw little fruit for his labours. He finally died a disappointed
man. A replacement for him was sent to continue his work. And as he preached Jesus, his hearers
told him that they had actually met this Jesus, but sadly he died, and they were missing him
greatly. Then it dawned on the new missionary. They were talking about his predecessor. How
would your neighbours describe you? Like me, I bet you have a lot of work still to do.