To be, or not to be, that is the question.
The word of the Lord comes again to Ezekiel. This time, He compares Israel to a vine and speaks of its usefulness. Israel was called to be a people who honored the Lord and reflected His character to the nations around them. Yet, because of their persistent unfaithfulness, they failed to fulfill that calling.
"Thus I will make the land desolate, because they have persisted in unfaithfulness,' says the Lord GOD."" Ezekiel 15:8
Israel, as a nation, had continually chosen not to honor and serve the Lord. Hundreds of years earlier, Joshua declared, "But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD." The people also pledged their faithfulness, yet over time, the nation repeatedly turned away from Him.
The question of their faithfulness was, in a sense, to be, or not to be, and they chose the latter.
Similarly, every day we face choices. Some estimates suggest the average adult makes thousands of decisions each day. But what if those decisions were grounded in the Gospel?
I don't mean that we must mention the Gospel with every breath, but rather that we intentionally consider Christ and His Kingdom as the foundation for how we live, respond, and make decisions.
Today, we get to choose: to be, or not to be. Will we walk in faithfulness to the Lord, or allow other things to take priority in our hearts?
With each step of obedience and faithfulness, the Lord is glorified. Others have the opportunity to witness His goodness as we live as salt and light in a world that desperately needs Him.
Let's choose today to walk faithfully with Him, not to earn His love, but as a response to the grace and love He has already shown us.
-To Know Jesus. To Live on Mission.