Ezekiel 18:30-32 - "Therefore, O house of Israel, I will
judge you, each one according to his ways, declares the Sovereign LORD. Repent! Turn away from all your offenses; then sin will not be your
downfall. Rid
yourselves of all the offenses you have committed, and get a new heart and a new spirit. Why will you die, O house of
Israel? For I take no
pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Sovereign LORD. Repent
and live!
God gave Ezekiel a word to settle the belief that others
were punished for the sins of their ancestors.
They falsely held on to the belief and even quoted verses form Exodus
34:6-7 to support their belief. God told Ezekiel to tell them that this belief
was wrong…and all proverbs containing that concept should be destroyed.
We are all judged for our own sin….each one accountable to
God. Every sin we commit must be
confessed and we must turn from it….rid our lives of anything that might cause
us to fall back into it. God washes it away and gives us a new heart …..a new
spirit that contains his power and goodness to love others as his son modeled
for us.
The problem is we can’t always erase the natural consequences
that come from the sin that was committed.
We sometimes suffer the effects of someone’s past sin….we feel pain from
their choices. Even after we have confessed our sin….the effects of it continue
forever in the lives of others.
That makes it even more important for me to try and make the
right choices from now on. I can’t take back the hurt I have caused others for any
sins I have committed. All I can do is own up to my mistakes….make amends to
those that I have hurt….and ask God to help me forgive myself. That way I don’t have to backtrack and repeat
the process for sinning again.
One last thought. It
is even more important to let your heart remember that God doesn’t want us to
wallow in the hurt others have caused us. He expects us to offer the same
forgiveness that he offers us. It isn’t always easy….but it can be a powerful
tool of peace in your own life that will power you to love others more deeply.
Father…thank you for the reminder that I am responsible for
my sin only. Forgive me for the hurt I
have caused others…and continue to let those people cross my path so I can make
amends to them. Help me to not make
excuses for the hurt others have caused me….but allow you to flood me with the
power and love to forgive them…so healing and restoration can begin in our
troubled world. Amen.
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