Ezekiel 33:7-11 … “So you, mortal, I have made a sentinel for the house of Israel; whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you shall give them warning from me.” vs. 7
Whenever Israel embraced wickedness, Ezekiel had been charged by the Lord to issue a warning. The people were to turn from their wicked ways, and if they did not, they would die! There are some for whom that would be a dream job! They love pointing out the sins of others and issuing dire warnings. A few of us may even have had such persons in our own families. Ezekiel didn’t have a choice about his calling–if he refused to issue the warning he would forfeit his own life. That was likely a powerful incentive for him. But most of us don’t feel that same pressure to offer corrective advice to the people around us, particularly if they are family and friends. In our culture we’ve been pretty much conditioned to keep our mouths shut about the poor behaviors we observe in others. We’ve been taught to “live and let live” and keep our nose out of other people’s business. But that’s not how it is in the family of God. We have responsibilities for one another and if someone is living in self-destructive ways, we are called by God to intervene. They may not like it, and sometimes they’ll ignore us, but many times our intervention will save lives, and our warnings can bring healing.
Thought for the Day: Times I’ve seen interventions save lives.
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