FREELY

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

“I am filled with fury against you, declares the Sovereign Lord, when you do all these things, acting like a brazen prostitute! When you built your mounds at every street corner and made your lofty shrines in every public square, you were unlike a prostitute, because you scorned payment.”

Ezekiel 16:30-31

This ends today’s reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Today’s devotion centers on four main points, three of which are in today’s scripture passage. The fourth is part of God’s message to all of us at the message’s end.

First, take a look at these verses as we continue our study of Ezekiel, Chapter 16:

“I am filled with fury against you, declares the Sovereign Lord, when you do all these things, acting like a brazen prostitute! When you built your mounds at every street corner and made your lofty shrines in every public square, you were unlike a prostitute, because you scorned payment.” Ezekiel 16:30-31

Now for three of the four major points as mentioned at the onset of this devotion:

1. The people of Israel freely sinned.

It’s true. The people did not flinch in adopting wicked idolatry as their primary worship and spared no expense in implementing it. You’ll recall from yesterday’s devotion that God called out the Israelites for taking the garments He had given and decorating the area where the idol was, an idol or idols that had been fashioned from the gold and silver in beautiful jewelry God had provided. They also horrifically sacrificed their own children, God’s own children, at the altar of those idols. Additionally, you could find a shrine to worship false gods at every street corner within the city of Jerusalem which leads to the second major point:

2. Others freely sinned, seizing the opportunities set up by the Israelites.

Anyone was free to go inside the shrines and worship false gods in clear view of God. This is because the Israelites didn’t try and conceal their shrines or charge an admission fee to use them. We know this because the Lord tells us Himself when He states the Israelites “scorned payment” for people to use their instruments of sin. But as we know, this didn’t mean there was no cost for the sins committed, a fact that leads to the third point:

3. God freely sent judgment upon His people.

The Israelites, and anyone else who decided to violate God’s commands and worship idols, simply were asking for God to make good on His threats of punishment and God was glad to answer their challenge. He needed no authority from anywhere to execute His consequences on His people. He was the Lord God Almighty, the Master and Maker of all, and could freely do as He chose to do in order to turn His people from wickedness towards righteousness.

And so God sent His harsh judgment on His people and all the places of worship they had built to other gods were destroyed and left in smoldering ruin. Even God’s temple in Jerusalem, which had been defiled by the Israelites who worshiped idols within, was not spared but leveled.

The sad part about all this is that it could have been so much different. All the Israelites had to do is commit themselves to be freely and fully dedicated to God as He was to them. It would have been just as easy to do that as it was to sin against Him and a lot less painful. For God would have much rather blessed His people then punish them. At His very core, He is a God of love and mercy and grace and compassion. We need to remember this as we look at our fourth (and closing point):

4. God freely saves us through His Son, Jesus Christ.

God didn’t set a fee for salvation. There is no levy we are required to pay to gain eternal life. No, God set the conditions for being saved this way:

For God so loved the world that he gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16

Note that there is no fee required for salvation. Just a showing of commitment.

For if we believe in Jesus Christ as Savior, we will be freely saved, washed clean of our sins by the precious blood of Jesus, the Lamb of God who came to take away the sins of the world.  

Friends, you are freely able to receive this invitation from God the Father who longs to abide with you forever through the atonement brought by Jesus, His Son. And trust me, it’s the best free thing you will ever receive.

Have you accepted His offer yet?

Amen

In Christ,

Mark
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