Live as the Faithful Remnant
Daily Old Testament Reading: Ezekiel 4-7
Daily Focus Passage: Ezekiel 6
The prophet Ezekiel declared a message of coming doom because of the disobedience of the people of Israel. The people lived plagued by the ideology of the world and chased after idols instead of the Lord. Yet, the Lord brought punishment against them while remaining faithful to his covenant with the people. The Lord held a faithful remnant that endured the punishment in faithfulness and would be restored by the Lord. Today, this passage challenges us to evaluate our loyalty to the Lord, understand the importance of living in faithfulness even if we are the remnant, and trust in the promises of the Lord.
LIVING FAITHFUL TO THE LORD
Ezekiel prophesied to a people who knew the expectation of faithfulness to the Lord. Throughout the generations, the Lord declared how the people must obey, worship, and remain faithful to him. The people's history demonstrated God's goodness and the importance of staying loyal to the covenant. Yet, Ezekiel declared a message of doom because the people had lost their focus and no longer lived faithfully before the Lord because they allowed the influence of pagan culture to turn them away from obedience.
Believers today have the same calling to remain faithful to the Lord. We must strive to overcome the threat of living under the world's influence and allowing the world to turn our eyes from the Lord. We must seek to see God's goodness in the past, present, and future. We must remain faithful to his calling, will, and ways. When we live as the remnant, we recognize that we must remain faithful to the Lord no matter the circumstances or culture we dwell in.
LIVING IN FAITHFULNESS
The remnant lived in faithfulness by obeying the ways of the Lord and seeking repentance when their sin became known to them. They sought to reflect the Lord in all situations and remain faithful to his calling, will, and ways. The remnant did not chase after idols and adopted pagan norms. Instead, they pursue after the Lord and live out their faith in him.
Believers must continue to seek the Lord in faithfulness. No matter the situation, the follower of Christ must pursue living in a manner that reflects the Lord and demonstrates a complete reliance upon the Lord. When we live in faithfulness, we allow the Lord to control our paths and set the course for our lives. We gaze through the lens of God at work and not through the moments of life we experience in the world.
LIVE IN FAITH DUE TO THE PROMISES OF GOD
The remnants would live in diaspora, meaning they were scattered among the nations and not dwelling in their homeland. Yet, the people trusted that the Promised Land would still be their ultimate dwelling place because of the promise of the Lord. They understood and lived in faith because they knew that the promises of God were not mere words of encouragement, but, instead, the promises of God were foundational and true.
Believers today live in a foreign land. We live with our eyes gazing upon the eternal Promised Land of heaven. We live in faith because we trust the concrete promises of the Lord. When we live in the promises of God, we find ourselves seeing hope at the moment and a way forward through the pain. When we set our eyes on eternity, we focus on the goal that allows us as the remnant to pursue the re-gathering in the Promised Land.
The prophet Ezekiel declared a dire message of the punishment coming because of the people's unfaithfulness. Yet, he provided a glimmer of hope through the presence of the remnant. The remnant encourages us today to battle against adopting the ways of the culture and living under the influence of the world. We find hope in the eternal Promised Land of heaven and pursue the Lord in faithfulness. What has tempted you to lose focus?
