LEARNING DAILY

 

Ezekiel 18:21-23, “But if a wicked man turns from his sin in which he has committed, keeps all My statutes, and does what is lawful and right, he shall surely live; he shall not die. None of the transgressions which he has committed shall be remembered against him; because of the righteousness which he has done, he shall live. Do I have any pleasure at all that the wicked should die?” says the Lord God. “and not that he should turn from his ways and live?”

 

What a great word from the prophet Isaiah to encourage us! Do you have eyes to see and ears to hear that God’s desire is for the wicked to choose to no longer sin and to turn to Him. When the sinner chooses to turn to the Lord Jesus Christ, He welcomes Him with open arms, forgives him/her and the Holy Spirit comes to change the person into His image. Every person comes to the point of making the decision to follow the Lord Jesus Christ on a narrow way leading to life with Him in eternity or to continue walking a broad way that leads to destruction or eternity in hell.

 

No one needs to continue walking in the ways of a sinful, self-centered world without Jesus Christ. But to do so results in their choice to face judgment for their way of life and those choices apart from God. The choice to walk a broad way does not please God. It is God’s desire that each sinner come into fellowship with Himself and live; He is never pleased when a wicked person (one who has rejected Jesus Christ) dies in sin.

 

Timothy wrote in his first letter that God wants all men to be save and come to the knowledge of truth, affirming what Ezekiel wrote. God always leaves the possibility of repentance for those who have walked the broad way to come to Him. Both Ezekiel and Timothy write of an invitation for those who have never given their life to Him to be saved by Him, to be changed by Him in their thinking and what they do, and begin to follow Him by walking a narrow way through faith. There is not one person who has done anything too terrible to be saved nor anyone who has lived such a good life that they do not need a Savior. But each person must decide for themselves what they will choose; because God desires all to be saved does not mean He will save everyone. An individual’s choice is always involved.

 

The last aspect of what Ezekiel wrote was that when God forgives, He will not bring up what He has forgiven to punish us with. Once something is forgiven, that which is forgiven is forgotten. We ask for forgiveness based on faith that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He took our place on a cross and died for our sins – past, present, future. Even as we walk on the narrow way, we are being cleansed and perfected to walk into His kingdom. When we sin, we still ask for forgiveness and walk in the faith of 1 John 1:9. We must do that continually!

 

I am so thankful for God’s grace and His forgiveness and that He continues to cleanse me of unrighteousness. Without it there would be no hope. But because of His grace and forgiveness, I can walk the narrow way with the knowledge of eternal life with Him in His kingdom. I choose to walk this way doing all I can to walk the life He desires and commands. Make it your choice as well; “because of the righteousness which he (you) has done, he (you) shall live”!