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Daily Devotions

God’s Office of Repentance

By September 8, 2015September 22nd, 2015No Comments

Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel? Ezekiel 33:11 KJV

Here, we are confronted by a common theme from the book of Ezekiel. People often accuse God of taking pleasure in punishing people. With Israel already under judgment and still facing more it is not hard to imagine that they were thinking the same thing. However, God does not take pleasure in the death of sinners, in fact, it is quite the opposite; He takes pleasure in seeing people live! For this reason, through His Word, through messengers, His longsuffering, circumstances, and even through punishment, He seeks to turn people from the choices that bring the consequences of sin into their lives. God offers life and forgiveness through repentance, but too often people refuse His offer.

Lord, although I was choosing death by the decisions I was making in life, You never gave up on me. Through Your longsuffering, calls for repentance, and offers of forgiveness You kept the opportunity of life before me, and by Your grace turned me from death to life. I am glad that as God You do not take pleasure in the death of the wicked, but instead take pleasure in their repentance.