And you, son of man, do not be afraid of them or their words... Do not be afraid of what they say or terrified by them, though they are a rebellious house. You must speak My words to them, whether they listen or fail to listen, for they are rebellious.

Ezekiel 2:6-7, NIV

 

When God called Ezekiel to preach to Israel, He made clear his responsibility: He was to speak to them the very words of God!

 

It did not matter if the people listened or not, though God clearly wanted them to listen. But Ezekiel's duty did not depend upon a perception of success defined by people heeding his warning. No, Ezekiel's duty was the same regardless of outcome - he was to teach the Word of God.

 

When you think about it, that's the very responsibility that God has charged us with today. Whether people listen or fail to listen, we still have the duty to bring the Word of God to them. "But I don't have anyone to teach" you might be saying. You might think that you have no responsibility at all to tell others of God's saving grace, of the sacrifice of Jesus, or of their duty to God and Christ - but you would be wrong! 

 

You see, we all have a circle of people whom we influence. It might be our children or family or friends or co-workers or whoever, the fact is that we have people in this world that we know and whom we can teach. And though we might fear that they will just think that we are a bunch of religious nuts because we do teach, we still have the duty to teach. And even if they think we're a bunch of hypocrites because we sometimes fail to live up to the word, we still must teach.

 

No matter what excuse we have given ourselves in the past for not speaking God's word to those we influence, we must put aside those excuses and begin to bring God's Word to them...

 

for without the saving message of Jesus Christ, they will be lost. And it will be partly our fault, because we did not love them or God enough to speak the truth. But, if we do speak the truth, they just might repent and be saved. When you think about it that way, our responsibility is not so bad. Here is the message that Ezekiel was to take to his people:

 

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!

Ezekiel 18:31-32, NIV

 

Today is the 18th day of the 30 day challenge to read through the books of the prophets of God, with Ezekiel 1-10 being the reading for today. May God richly bless you as you seek His word and as you take that message to those you love!