If you’ve been reading the Word of God with us in our project of reading it through in two years, you should be starting the book of Ezekiel about now. It’s tough to read but let me encourage you to read it prayerfully.
In Ezekiel
God’s purpose, however, was not mere punishment. It also involved restoration. When God punishes His people, He does it to purge them of whatever defiles and disqualifies them from fellowship with Him. Don’t resist God’s punitive purge. That only intensifies and prolongs it, as in the case of Israel as found in Ezekiel 24:13. Respond to God’s chastening by renouncing your evil ways and returning to the Lord with all your heart. Such a response always leads to restoration. God chastens those He loves.
If you feel you’re under God’s chastening rod, remember, He wields it because He loves you. He wants you to deal with whatever is evil in your life and return to Him with your whole heart. Do it today.