Are you offering the gift of mercy and grace that is only found in Jesus?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

When I say to a wicked person, ‘You will surely die,’ and you do not warn them or speak out to dissuade them from their evil ways in order to save their life, that wicked person will die for their sin, and I will hold you accountable for their blood.
(Ezekiel 3:18 (NIV))

What do you think of when you see wickedness in the world?

Do you succumb to human nature and find yourself thinking that these wicked people will get what they deserve?

How does that attitude fit our basic job description that was given to us by Jesus?

Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
(Matthew 28:19-20 (NIV))

Have you ever stopped to consider that these words from Jesus are His instructions to us to say “You will surely die” to a wicked person?

Think about that for a moment with respect to your salvation. What if no one ever told you what Jesus is asking you now to tell others? Where would that leave you? Wouldn’t you want to be told that you would die, but there is a way to escape this death? Wouldn’t you want to know that you have fallen short of what is expected of you?

for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
(Romans 3:23 (NIV))

Wouldn’t you want to know the consequences of this short coming, as well as the fact that God has already set things in motion to offer you grace?

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
(Romans 6:23 (NIV))

Wouldn’t you want to know that God has set a perfect plan in motion to redeem you from these consequences and that it is a free gift of grace only available through accepting His Son, Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior?

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,
(Romans 8:1 (NIV))

After reading all of this, we must go back to what was presented in Ezekiel. We are told that if we do not warn them, if we do not share that repentance and grace can be theirs, then we will be held accountable. With that said, salvation is not only for you and I. It is a gift that is to be continually given through the testimonies of those who have already received.

Are you warning others of what is to come?

Are you offering the gift of mercy and grace that is only found in Jesus?

Copyright 1998 – 2023 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
https://www.dailylivingministries.org
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Have you embraced your new job description?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.
(1 Peter 2:9 (NIV))

If you have ever been employed, you have probably been given a job description. Have any of them ever sounded so full of promise and hope as the one that we have been given as a follower of Jesus? Even your dream job in this world falls drastically short of this new calling, this new job description, that we have been given.

Think about that for a moment. Let it sink in!

How would your resume be received if you put the words from this passage on it? Everyone wants to be part of an elite group. Even in a fallen world, being able to rightfully claim that you are a member of a chosen people should catch someone’s attention. What about being able to claim that you are part of royalty? What about convincing people that you are special and set apart as holy? I realize that this sounds like we, as the Body of Christ, are bragging, but we aren’t bragging about anything that we have done. Nothing of our own has been able to place us into this special job description. It was only because of the grace and mercy freely given to us at the cross that any of us can claim these traits. Sometimes I think that members of the Body of Christ fail to see ourselves the way that God sees us. We see ourselves as sinners, as filthy rags with no value. Because we know where we have been, we fail to embrace where we are called to be. We fail to embrace how God sees us and to where He is calling us.

Have you embraced your new job description?

Copyright 1998 – 2018 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
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It IS in our job description!

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ^©

He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
(Acts 1:7-8 (NIV))

How many times has it been said that man must wait on God?

This is another example of man’s need to be patient. We must wait on the Father. We must be patient with Him in His perfection, for He has been patient with us in our sin.

Even so, we are not to just sit and wait for God to unfold His plan. We have been given a job. We must tell all that we meet about God’s grace and mercy through the gift of His Son, Jesus Christ. To use today’s terminology, “It IS in our job description.”

If you were to have a job review by Jesus, would you be given a high mark for performance of your assigned duties?

Copyright 1998 – 2013 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
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