Wednesday Words of Encouragement

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Ezekiel 18:20b-23 ~

"Righteous people will be rewarded for their own righteous behavior, and wicked people will be punished for their own wickedness. But if wicked people turn away from all their sins and begin to obey my decrees and do what is just and right, they will surely live and not die. All their past sins will be forgotten, and they will live because of the righteous things they have done.

"Do you think that I like to see wicked people die? says the Sovereign Lord. Of course not! I want them to turn from their wicked ways and live."

Throughout the years, I've heard people say that they have a hard time believing in a God who punishes people. God did not create us as little puppets who will do exactly what He wants. He gave us a free will to choose how we will live. He sets up guidelines in His Word as a standard, but it is ultimately our choice. We choose to follow Him or we choose not to.

However, there are consequences for the decisions we make. Just as we love our children and want what is best for them, they sometimes choose a wrong path and have to live with the consequences. The same is true of us.

The beautiful thing about God is that we can turn it around. No matter what we have done. He forgives and forgets our sin if we turn from it. Later in this passage, verse 32 says, "For I take NO pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Sovereign Lord. Repent and live." God doesn't rejoice in the punishment, but He will not force us to follow Him. It's our choice.

What will you choose? 

Comments

  1. lindaFebruary 21, 2020 at 4:32 PM

    oh my gosh I was thinking about this subject this am
    yes we all have free will
    So many of our family members are into money and things of this world -I just need to keep praying for their salvation

    ReplyDelete

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