Sin Has Consequences

Day 216

Reading: Ezekiel 17:1 - Ezekiel 21:32

Now before the grace preachers hit the delete button, this blog is about the daily readings. Sin has a prize that is painful, and that's not a spelling mistake. Reading through the Book of Ezekiel we keep seeing God calling His children back to Him. Sin can be defined as that which displeases God. Sin has plagued mankind from the Garden of Eden. Sin didn't begin when you came into the earth. 

It was the sin that resulted in Adam and Eve being evicted from the Garden of Eden. Disobedience to the command of God resulted in Adam and Eve leaving the place God had settled them. In the Law of Moses, blessings were promised for obedience and curses to those who disobeyed. The whole reason the children of Israel went into captivity was in fulfilment of God's word that when they walked in disobedience the children of Israel would become slaves. Sin makes you a slave of a system that is not your natural place.

Ezekiel was sent to not only tell the children of Israel of the days ahead but also to remind them that the sin leads to death. From Genesis to Ezekiel we see God's desire for humanity is to flee sin. In fact, one constant theme in the Bible is Sin and its consequences. Sin only leads to death. We have to live a life that understands the consequences of sin and its effects not only personally but corporately. 

As I read Ezekiel chapter 18 my heart was stirred to pray for my heart to hate sin. I know that might sound strange, however reading this chapter I realized that God emphasized that the penalty of sin is death. My prayer for you and me is that we hate sin. To hate sin is to hate what God hates. God doesnt hate people He hates the actions that are sinful. May God strengthen us to run away from sin and walk in righteousness. The psalmist prayed that God would unite his heart to the fear of the Lord Psalms 86:11. May God cause our hearts to be single eyed in our pursuit and worship. 

Memory Verse: Ezekiel 18:4

Decree:

Ezekiel 17:24

"And all the trees of the field shall know that I, the Lord, have brought down the high tree and exalted the low tree, dried up the green tree and made the dry flourish; I, the Lord, have spoken and have done it." (italics mine)