Therefore, give the people of Israel this message from the Sovereign LORD: I am bringing you back, but not because you deserve it. I am doing it to protect my holy name, on which you brought shame while you were scattered among the nations. (Ezekiel 36:22, NLT) According to the vision Ezekiel received, God is about to do something for His name’s sake, not for the sake of His people. The House of Israel doesn’t deserve what God is about to do.
By today’s standards, this approach would offend many people. In a day when self-love, self-pity, self-esteem, and ultimately a self-centric view of life are god, this stings. The truth is, life is not about us; it is about God and glorifying God. It is to be God-centric. Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body. (1 Corinthians 6:19–20, ESV) And he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised. (2 Corinthians 5:15, ESV)
What a reminder to keep our eyes off ourselves and keep them on God and others. What a reminder to be careful about our motives: are we doing what we do for ourselves and how others perceive us, or are we caught up in glorifying God with our being? For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. (Ephesians 2:10, NKJV)
Thank you for joining me as I read and journal chronologically through the Bible! This devotional reflection comes from Ezekiel 35-37.