(All scripture from the World English Bible, ebible.org, all rights reserved)
“Yet you say, ‘The way of the Lord is not equal.’ Hear now, house of Israel: Is my way not equal? Aren’t your ways unequal? When the righteous man turns away from his righteousness, and commits iniquity, and dies in it, then he dies in his iniquity that he has done. Again, when the wicked man turns away from his wickedness that he has committed, and does that which is lawful and right, he will save his soul alive. Because he considers, and turns away from all his transgressions that he has committed, he shall surely live. He shall not die. Yet the house of Israel says, ‘The way of the Lord is not fair.’ House of Israel, aren’t my ways fair? Aren’t your ways unfair? “Therefore I will judge you, house of Israel, everyone according to his ways,” says the Lord Yahweh. “Return, and turn yourselves from all your transgressions, so iniquity will not be your ruin. Cast away from you all your transgressions in which you have transgressed; and make yourself a new heart and a new spirit. For why will you die, house of Israel? For I have no pleasure in the death of him who dies,” says the Lord Yahweh. “Therefore turn yourselves, and live!”
(Ezekiel 16:44-52)
“Who may ascend to Yahweh’s hill?
Who may stand in his holy place?
He who has clean hands and a pure heart;
who has not lifted up his soul to falsehood,
and has not sworn deceitfully.
He shall receive a blessing from Yahweh,
righteousness from the God of his salvation.
This is the generation of those who seek Him,
who seek your face—even Jacob. Selah.”
(Psalm 24:3-6)
God is not asking the impossible from us because He gives us what we need to succeed: Himself. If we stay focused on Him, put His Word and His will first, then we’ll be able to succeed because we will be acting how He told us to. God sums up His Law in Ezekiel 18:5-9 ““But if a man is just, and does that which is lawful and right, and has not eaten on the mountains, hasn’t lifted up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, hasn’t defiled his neighbor’s wife, hasn’t come near a woman in her impurity, and has not wronged any, but has restored to the debtor his pledge, has taken nothing by robbery, has given his bread to the hungry, and has covered the naked with a garment; he who hasn’t lent to them with interest, hasn’t taken any increase from them, who has withdrawn his hand from iniquity, has executed true justice between man and man, has walked in my statutes, and has kept my ordinances, to deal truly; he is just, he shall surely live,” says the Lord Yahweh.” But the people were refusing to comply. They were doing the opposite. They were doing it so well they were a joke. An abomination even to the ungodly nations. But God was calling them to repent. To turn to Him. To rely on Him. To let Him guide them, correct them, and lead them. To let Him be the focus of their lives. If they would do that, they would succeed. It was THEIR choice.
God is always calling us to do what He says. And the primary thing He says for us to do is to rely on Him. To let Him be our God. To let Him be our Source. To let Him be the one we trust. To let His words be the words that come out of our mouths. To let His Word be the foundation of our thoughts. To let Him be first and foremost in our lives, the one we think on throughout our day. The one we listen to. The one we trust. And the one we rely on. That person who seeks God first is the one who will succeed. The one who will be in alignment with God and His moral character. That is the one who will receive the Blessing because they will be standing where the Blessing is delivered: in Him.
Summary
It isn’t ONE choice. It is constant and consistent choices that are focused on getting close to God. To learn what He says about us. To agree with His will, which is throughout His Word. To align with His moral character and plant the seeds of His Fruit in our hearts to that His character starts to become our character. To love Him because He loves us. To rely on Him because He’s trustworthy. To seek Him because He is there leading us toward Himself. Calling us. We need to answer and keep our eyes and hearts focused on Him. It doesn’t mean staying on our knees 24/7 with our noses pressed into a Bible. It does mean thinking about what we read, worshipping Him in our thoughts, and checking in with Holy Spirit to see what He would have us say and do. To be partners with Jesus, who is the Bridegroom to our Bride.
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