If you live in the western world, I ask you, “are the actions you are taking today helping break apart the institutions, laws, customs and traditions that have evolved over the centuries?” In other words, “are our Christian values slipping through our fingers right before our eyes?” If we are in danger of watching our churches dwindle in the west then we do not need to look further than ourselves. In Judeo-Christian history, God sent prophets to warn us from time to time about the conditions of our lives and the consequences our sins will create. The end result is that we reap what we sow. This warning we find in many places within Scripture. The passage in Ezekiel 36: 16-38 is one clear example. It is prophetic because its purpose is to shake us up from our sins and draw us closer to God: “And the word of the Lord came to me, saying: Son of man, when the house of Israel dwelt in their own land, they defiled it with their ways, and with their doings: their way was before me like the uncleanness of a menstruous woman. And I poured out my indignation upon them for the blood which they had shed upon the land, and with their idols they defiled it. And I scattered them among the nations, and they are dispersed through the countries: I have judged them according to their ways, and their devices. And when they entered among the nations whither they went, they profaned my holy name, when it was said of them: This is the people of the Lord, and they are come forth out of his land. And I have regarded my own holy name, which the house of Israel hath profaned among the nations to which they went in.” The prophet Ezekiel was sent by God to gather sinners back to living in the ways God wants us to live, with hearts of flesh and not hearts of stone, in forgiveness, love and compassion toward others. God wants us to be strong in faith and not fall into the trap of sin and be lured through temptation to harm our bodies or other people. Our call is to live in holiness through a prayerful relationship with God and to reach out to others to share the light of Jesus Christ. Ultimately, living in the path of God produces great fruit, great results and abundance: “And you shall dwell in the land which I gave to your fathers, and you shall be my people, and I will be your God. And I will save you from all your uncleannesses: and I will call for corn, and will multiply it, and will lay no famine upon you. And I will multiply the fruit of the tree, and the increase of the field, that you bear no more the reproach of famine among the nations. And you shall remember your wicked ways, and your doings that were not good: and your iniquities, and your wicked deeds shall displease you.” At the end of the day, when we turn away from evil and embrace the ways fo God, moment by moment, we build a life filled with blessings. The dangers, perils and uncertainty we find within western institutions today can be surely tackled by turning hearts toward God. The outcome of our futures depend on our faith in Jesus Chirst as Lord and Saviour of all people. If we do not repent and come to the throne of grace, our nations and societies could fall apart and be scattered like Israel of old.
We Reap What We Sow Ezekiel 36:16-38
