Ezekiel 36:36 Then the heathen that are left round about you shall know that I the LORD build the ruined places, and plant that that was desolate: I the LORD have spoken it, and I will do it
It’s amusing to see the difference between behavior in a child when mom and dad are around and when they are not. Sometimes you can see the transformation when mom enters the room. All of a sudden, the behavior is different. The behavior is better; it is raised to a standard. In our lives sometimes we are not aware of our Father, God in our lives. Being aware of God’s presence makes us think differently about the presence of others. I think about going to a restaurant and dealing with the server, and sometimes I think, “I’m leaving a tract, and if I’m leaving a gospel witness, I had better be sure I leave a decent tip and behave myself in a way that will not turn them off to God.”
In Ezekiel 36 we find the difference that God makes in the lives of His people in their behavior. Our lives are a testimony to God. Your testimony is God’s witness. In Ezekiel 36 the prophet is talking about a day yet to come and he talks about a contrast between what he calls what “the enemy hath said” and “the lips of talkers” and the Word of the Lord. Verse 4 says, “Therefore, ye mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord GOD.” First, God says, “I am for you,” speaking of the land of Israel. Second, He says, “Your end [what is coming] will be better to you than your beginning.” Third, God said, “I am going to give you a new heart.”
Why does He do all this? Why is it all going to come to pass? The answer is “for mine holy name’s sake.” God says in verse 22, “Therefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the LORD GOD; I do not this for your sakes, O house of Israel, but for mine holy name’s sake.” Verse 23 says, “And the heathen shall know that I am the LORD.” He basically says, “I’m going to take you from, gather you out, and bring you into your own land. I will cleanse you, and I will take away your heart of stone, give you a heart of flesh, and put My spirit within you. You are going to remember your own evil ways.” Verse 36 best sums it up when God will say to His people, “Then the heathen that are left round about you shall know that I the LORD build the ruined places, and plant that that which was desolate: I the LORD have spoken it, and I will do it.”
Your testimony is God’s witness. It is a witness to the presence and the power of God. There is coming a day when every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that Jesus is Lord to the glory of God the Father. This world is not your home and your life is not your own. Because that is the case, God will get the last word. Again, in the first few verses there is a contrast between the lips of talkers and the Word of the Lord. The Word of the Lord is what will show itself to be true. God gets the last word and God gets the credit. God says, “I am not doing this for your sake. I am doing this for my sake.” To be sure, God loves you with an everlasting love, but God also is intent on His name being glorified. In part this is done is by your testimony being a witness to God’s grandeur.
So, consider God in your life. As you go through your day today, don’t forget there is a God and He is with you. He is with you and for you and will do better unto you than at your beginning. God is intent on making you a testimony to His presence. When you are giving a tip at a restaurant, when you are talking to a child who has no power, when you are using your authority, when you are responding to authority, consider God.
Consider grace. People should look at your life and realize there is something about your life that cannot be explained solely by your life and by your own doing. There must be some power, supernatural and beyond the natural, that is God’s grace. God wishes to show His grace in you and therefore to others.
Consider others. So many times, I find myself in a Sunday School class or a church, and I’m not trying to be critical, but it seems sometimes we are not aware there may be guests in the room. We talk so carelessly, and don’t think about what we may be implying about God, His nature, and His work in our lives. Everything I say and do is a testimony of my life and therefore a witness of God. God is intent on my testimony being a witness to God’s presence. God is for you. God will do better unto you than at your beginning and God wishes to give us a new heart and for that heart and life to be a witness to His grace in our lives and the lives of other people.