“Then you shall know that I am the Lord, when I have dealt with you for My name’s sake, not according to your wicked ways nor according to your corrupt doings, O house of Israel,” says the Lord God. Ezekiel 20:44
How a person deals with another person often depends on what was done and who that other person is. Dealing with a loved one is often different than with a total stranger or an actual enemy. People will choose differently how to deal with a person based off of how that person treated them.
Ezekiel records God telling Israel that that they will know He is God when He has dealt with them according to His name’s sake, not according to their wicked ways.
The world often holds to the eye for eye and tooth for tooth manner of dealing with other people. If one harms another, then harm will be dealt back. If one treats another well, then that one will be treated well. As a result, much harm goes around, and many do not understand God’s way of dealing with people.
In the beginning God set the rule for Adam and Eve to obey one rule. When they did not, it brought sin and death into the world. Since that time, every person has sinned, from the youngest to the oldest, no one is immune from sin.
Every time a person sins against God, no matter the size of the sin, God has the right to destroy that person by the harshest means possible. Instead of destroying the person, God reaches down in love and provides a way to forgive the person and give that person undeserved eternal life.
This is done for His name’s sake, because He is perfect love, holy and just. He is Lord and every person needs to know this.
Every time you have sinned against God, you only deserve the worst punishment from God possible and for it to last for eternity. God has not dealt with you in that way. When you repented of those sins, God has chosen to forgive you, rather than deal with those sins. He has dealt with you according to His perfect love and mercy.
Take a moment to think about how many sins God has chosen to forgive you of. Recognize what you deserved. Now realize how well God has dealt with you in spite of all your sins. Know that He is Lord and God.
Today I pray that you will know Jesus as your Lord and Savior; that God will reveal to you what you deserve; that you will see how well God has treated you; that you will see God’s great love and mercy; and that you know that God is Lord.
Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash
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