Ezekiel 3 Devotions by Stephen Taylor

Ezekiel 3:22-24

The hand of the LORD was on me there, and He said to me, “Get up and go out to the plain, and there I will speak to you.” So, I got up and went out to the plain. And the glory of the LORD was standing there, like the glory I had seen by the Kebar River, and I fell facedown. Then the Spirit came into me and raised me to my feet. He spoke to me and said: “Go, shut yourself inside your house.” 

 

No matter how much we grow in the Lord, we never outgrow obedience, reverence, humility, or awe! We can learn a lot from these couple of verses. This isn’t the first time Ezekiel has heard from the Lord or been in His Presence, yet He still shows Him the same reverence or respect as the time before.

 

We can’t grow complacent with the Lord. He is our Father, our loving Heavenly Father, but let us not forget He is still God and worthy of all praise, glory, and honor. We are to humble ourselves and wait for the Lord to lift us up, and that’s exactly what I see here in this verse.

 

One of the things I love about this is that this same thing happened just a chapter or so earlier (Ezekiel 1:28-2:1), but he doesn’t let his past experience determine his present actions or response. He still humbled himself before the Lord, and we must too! Because of Christ, we can approach our Father with confidence, not cockiness. And our confidence is not in us but in Christ! If it were works-based salvation, I have to believe everyone would be in Hell. If we had to do a good thing to counterbalance every sin we committed, we would all be doomed! But because Jesus Christ was crucified and resurrected, we can come to the Father humbly, boldly, confidently, and eternally.

 

So, whether we have been walking with the Lord for 30 years or 30 days, let us never forget Who paid for us, how much it cost Him, and Who we belong to now, and since we know these things, let us approach Him with a right heart and a willing spirit.

 

Romans 6:20-22 - When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness. What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death! But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life.

 

God bless! I love you all! Glory, Honor, and Praise now and forever to Papa God, Jesus Christ our King, and the Holy Spirit!

 

 

Ezekiel 3:22,23

The hand of the LORD was on me there, and He said to me, “Get up and go out to the plain, and there I will speak to you.” So I got up and went out to the plain. And the glory of the LORD was standing there, like the glory I had seen by the Kebar River, and I fell facedown.

Ezekiel’s obedience to the LORD’s command took him into the LORD’s presence, and the same can be said about us! Our obedience will directly affect His presence or lack thereof in our lives. Of course, God is God and can do what He wants, but those who eagerly and earnestly seek Him with all of their hearts will find Him.

One of the ways we do this is by obeying His Word. Obedience is not weakness but a willingness to humble ourselves before our God and trust that He knows what’s best. It’s amazing to me that Ezekiel, at this point, is called by God, has been given orders about His ministry, and is clearly hearing the LORD right where he is, and yet He does not argue or put up a fight but humbly and faithfully obeys what the LORD tells him. Do we?

I believe that we miss a lot of what God is doing and wants to do in, on, and around us because we don’t obey His Word. Some of this disobedience comes from active rebellion, but some is born out of ignorance. Are we taking the time to read His Word and apply it to our lives with the Holy Spirit’s help? Are we spending more than just Sunday morning with Him? The relationship the LORD desires holds some of the same truths as the relationships we have around us. They take time, effort, energy, sacrifice, willingness, intentionality, intimacy, and desire. Are these things we would use to describe our relationship with the LORD, or is it something much more surface-level?

Matthew 4:18-20- As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, He saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” At once they left their nets and followed Him.

God bless! I love you all, but His love is what the world so desperately needs. Glory, honor, and praise now and forever to Papa God, Jesus Christ our King, and the Holy Spirit!