Ezekiel 20:31 “For when ye offer your gifts, when ye make your sons to pass through the fire, ye pollute yourselves with all your idols, even unto this day: and shall I be enquired of by you, O house of Israel? As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I will not be enquired of by you.”
Suppose your son stole your car, spent your money, and spread lies about you on Facebook. How would you feel? “Brother Wil, I don’t even have a son!” Well, shuffle the characters to make it relevant to your life. You get the idea, don’t you? What if someone you had taken care of, loved, and guided turned your own resources against you? What if they lied about you, your character, and dragged your name through the mud? How would you feel? What would you do? How would your relationship be affected?
I am so thankful that I have a Father in Heaven who is perfect, although I am not. I am not God’s child because I do right; I want to do right because I am God’s child. If I do wrong, I’m not kicked out of the family, but I set myself up for the judgment of a loving but holy God. There is a high cost for low living!
Israel had experienced the protection of God, enjoyed the provision and direction of God, and inherited a land they did not earn or deserve. They were special because God is extraordinary, and He put His favor on them. Yet they turned on Him! They were barely in God’s Promised Land before they started worshipping idols. They were living lower than the position they had as God’s own.
You may live like everyone else, but, as God’s child, you will never be like everyone else. If you belong to God through faith in His Son, it really is a silly question to ask if you should live different than everyone else-you are different! Whether or not people see that you are different, you are fundamentally different from the world. If you belong to God, but that is not reflected in your life, you are living in hypocrisy.
There is a high cost for low living. When you trusted Christ, God set you apart as one of His own. Your life should reflect that truth every day of your life. What you are in practice you should show in practice. The life you live should tell the truth about your Father in Heaven. What is your life saying?
Prayer Requests:
1. Service tonight in North Salem, IN
2. Bill Rice Ranch Father-Son Adventure this weekend