Ezekiel 33:32
"Indeed, to them you are nothing more than one who sings love songs with a beautiful voice and plays an instrument well, for they hear your words but do not put them into practice."
Heavenly Entertainment?
The words above were spoken by God to the prophet Ezekiel. People were listening to God's message like they would listen to a nice song on the radio. They apparently enjoyed hearing it but it wasn't relevant to them - it was just interesting and entertaining. They felt no need or obligation to act on what they were hearing.
How many times do we do the same thing? Hear Jesus in Luke 6:46, "Why do you call me 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I say?" Hear James 1:22, "Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says."
Is Jesus "nothing more than one who sings songs" to you? I'm ashamed to admit it but at times this has been true of me and my relationship with Jesus. He had a beautiful voice and was pleasing to think about. His words were intriguing and interesting but I had no heart to obey them. I wanted to understand Him, to gain wisdom and knowledge, to be comforted and encouraged. My intentions in hearing Him didn't include obeying Him. I was deceived - not by Satan, but by myself. To be deceived is to believe what is not true. I believed I could gain wisdom and understanding without obedience. I believed I would receive comfort and encouragement without obeying. I believed I would understand Jesus without obeying Him. I believed what was not true.
The road to obtaining all the things I desired was the road called obedience. If I wasn't doing what the Lord said, I was being disobedient - I was sinning. Instead of crying out for Him to give me the power to obey, I side-stepped the issue. I sat back and was entertained - deceiving myself.
Needless to say, I didn't find the wisdom, knowledge, comfort or encouragement I was looking for while doing that. In fact, I experienced their opposites. When I repented, (agreed with God that what I was doing wasn't right) and asked Him to help me and give me a heart to obey, I found what I was looking for.
A lot of us cringe at the word obedience. It's almost as if God's will were the most awful thing in the world. The truth is: God is love and his commands are for our good. His words spring from His love. They are designed to prevent us from experiencing sorrow, shame, heartache and trouble.
Thought for Today:
Lord, help me to see that your commands are for my own good. You are all-knowing Lord, and Your will is always best. Forgive me for treating You "as nothing more than one who sings songs". When I read Your word - let it be with a heart to obey.