Questions of Life and Death

S - Ezekiel 33:10-11, 13-16 (NIV): "“Son of man, say to the house of Israel, ‘This is what you are saying: “Our offenses and sins weigh us down, and we are wasting away because of them. How then can we live?”’ 11 Say to them, ‘As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live. Turn! Turn from your evil ways! Why will you die, O house of Israel?’ … If I tell the righteous man that he will surely live, but then he trusts in his righteousness and does evil, none of the righteous things he has done will be remembered; he will die for the evil he has done. 14 And if I say to the wicked man, ‘You will surely die,’ but he then turns away from his sin and does what is just and right— 15 if he gives back what he took in pledge for a loan, returns what he has stolen, follows the decrees that give life, and does no evil, he will surely live; he will not die. 16 None of the sins he has committed will be remembered against him. He has done what is just and right; he will surely live."


O - The question was, because of our sins and the circumstances surrounding us, how then can we live? The Lord's response is immediate and filled with hope. His response and Israel's remedy is based upon His eternal, indestructible and irrepressible life - 'As surely I live, declares the Sovereign Lord,'. The Lord has no pleasure in the death of the wicked and no variances for the righteous. The wicked must turn from their evil ways and the righteous must NOT trust in their righteousness and both are called to 'follow the decrees that give life.' No matter what we face or what we've done there is the way of life for all who will follow.

A - Following is critical. Following involves my will and decisions I am empowered/expected to make. The free will given by the Lord does not mean free from consequence. Life and death do hang in the balance but the Living God has no pleasure in death including the death of the wicked. Even when we are besieged by pressurized and desperate situations (caused by others or of our own making) life is still available and the call to follow hasn't changed. Israel's question was how to live and the Lord's question is why will you die? All are called to turn, to turn into life and away from death. It’s a turn we have to take more than once in our lives and more than once in a day. The call of life, the call of Jesus hasn't changed: "Follow me."

P - Dear Lord who is Life,

Thank you for all you are doing known and unknown to me! Lord Jesus, I choose to follow, to turn-in, to come under, to humble myself under your mighty hand, to welcome your promises from afar and your will on earth like they do in heaven. Lord, let me be one who is receiving your life, refreshing, vibrant, irrepressible and pure. Let me be one through whom you give life of the exact same order. Thank you for my assignment and for all that I can't do, can't control and can't influence. Thank you for loving me, wanting me and calling me to yourself. Let your purposes be on, in and through me today. Let me bring you glory and make you glad. Thank you for daily bread and for daily direction and daily life. Thank you for letting me love you back and for allowing such to matter to you (it is the world to me)! This day is your day, I will follow and keep turning in.

Nai Kurie (Yes, Lord),

Steve