“Son of man, behold, I am about to take the delight of your eyes away from you at a stroke; yet you shall not mourn or weep, nor shall your tears run down. Sigh, but not aloud; make no mourning for the dead. Bind on your turban, and put your shoes on your feet; do not cover your lips, nor eat the bread of men.” So I spoke to the people in the morning, and at evening my wife died. And on the next morning I did as I was commanded.”
Wow! The Lord asked Ezekiel to do some hard things. I can’t imagine being commanded not to weep and mourn the death of my wife. No tears on my cheeks?
“And on the next morning, I did as I was commanded.” (18)
I’m thankful 1) for Ezekiel’s model of obedience, and 2) that God has not called me to do that.
What we need to remember is that God equips us to do what He calls us to do. And, we are not alone. He goes with us. I’m afraid that fear or “I don’t want to” keeps us from doing amazing things God desires from us. Sometimes we don’t even try. I never ate pumpkin pie until I was late in high school because I “didn’t like it.” However, I had never tried it. Then, when I eventually tried it, I liked it. In fact, pumpkin pie is one of my favorite pies now. I missed a lot of pleasure because I was not willing to try.
If we transfer this mindset into spiritual matters, imagine what we miss out on. And imagine what others miss out on if we play it safe or seek comfort over obedience.
Father, help me to have a spirit of complete obedience. Help me to have a daring spirit, knowing that you are with me. Amen.
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