Forever Home in the Eternal Family of God

Daily Encouragement for the Family of God by Kenton Cheek

31 August 2024

Reading From Ezekiel 18-19

“Therefore, I will judge each of you, O people of Israel, according to your actions, says the Sovereign Lord. Repent, and turn from your sins. Don’t let them destroy you! Put all your rebellion behind you, and find yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. For why should you die, O people of Israel? I don’t want you to die, says the Sovereign Lord. Turn back and live!”

–Ezekiel 18:30-32

     I think that sometimes people get the idea that God is mean and that He is mean on a whim.  But God is love and He desires everyone to abandon attitudes and behaviors that are unhealthy for them.  His ways lead to spiritual health and prosperity.  Living according to the principles of the whole counsel of the Word of God brings balance, stability and hope to one’s life.  God sees what our deeds will lead us to.  Sin leads to destruction, but repentance leads to life, abundant and eternal.  Yahweh pleads with every human to come to Him for forgiveness and healing.

“I cannot thank You enough for Your love and compassion.  I am grateful for Your goodness and mercy to me.  I pray that I will show my gratitude by sharing the truth of Your love with others.  You have blessed Your people with more than we could ever imagine.  May we share those blessings with others and worship You in the beauty of holiness.  In Jesus’ Name I pray, Amen.”

The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

–II Peter 3:9

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.

 –I John 4:7-12