Daily Devotion July 13

July 13: Ezekiel 18:19-24

KJV Key Verse: Ezekiel 18:19 Yet say ye, Why? doth not the son bear the iniquity of the father? When the son hath done that which is lawful and right, and hath kept all my statutes, and hath done them, he shall surely live.

Devotion:
People like to blame others for their own situation especially family life; but the truth of the matter is that we each have our own choices to make in life and we are responsible for those choices we make. We cannot blame our own sins on other people because we are the ones who do those sins. Yes this is a bit of a cop-out because there are actually many things in our lives that affect the outcome of our choices so it is not simply black and white.

What Ezekiel is trying to get over here is not to make the whole choice thing black and white but for us to realise we have a choice as to whether we do want to sin or not. He goes on to expand on this a bit by reminding us that God is willing to forgive all sins and separate them from us totally if we are willing to admit them to God and ask for His forgiveness. But it does not stop there because we may turn away from our righteousness and turn back to sinful ways.

So what is the difference here between the Old Testament teaching and the New Testament teaching? Nothing. If we turn to Christ, He is willing and able to forgive us for the sins we have committed. If we turn away from Him we heap up those new sins on our shoulders once again. We do need to ask God to forgive us of our sins, but that means we should be willing to admit to them and turn away from them. Just admitting them and continuing in sin is not going to help anyone; we have to make a conscious effort to turn away from them and no go back – which is very hard!

If we show God we are being honest and trying to turn away from our sins then He is going to be just and faithful to forgive us of those sins. That is His promise to us and one He continues to keep year after year. We are the ones who give in to temptation and turn back to our old ways. Make an effort this time and ask God to give you the strength to continue moving away from the sin in your life; you will enjoy your new life with Him!

Points to Ponder:
What sin do you have in your life?

Are you willing to turn away from it?