As we have seen through our reading today, the nation of Israel was not living as the Lord had declared. They had turned from the Lord and worshipped other gods, they had done things their own way and forsaken the Lord. Yet, He is now giving these same people hope, knowing that they will turn away from their wicked ways and he "will look on you with favor" (Eze 36:9b NIV). "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh" (Eze 36:26 NIV).
Even today when so many have fallen into doing their own thing, doing what is right in their own eyes, we must remember that God allows pain and suffering for a purpose. That is, to draw us closer to Him. But once again we are reminded that we must be careful to follow His decrees and laws. (see Eze 37:24) He longs to show Himself holy through us, His people, who have surrendered to Him. We are here to bring glory to Him, not for our own pleasure. We are here to bring His love to the people around us, not what we can get from those around us. He longs for us to open our hearts to Him and to do what He has called each of us to do.
Read: Ezekiel 36-39 Taken from "Faithful Promises of God"
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