Ezekiel 3:11-15Then he said, “Son of man, get all these words that I’m giving you inside you. Listen to them obediently. Make them your own. And now go. Go to the exiles, your people, and speak. Tell them, ‘This is the Message of God, the Master.’ Speak your piece, whether they listen or not.”Then the Spirit picked me up. Behind me I heard a great commotion—“Blessed be the Glory of God in his Sanctuary!”—the wings of the living creatures beating against each other, the whirling wheels, the rumble of a great earthquake.The Spirit lifted me and took me away. I went bitterly and angrily. I didn’t want to go. But God had me in his grip. I arrived among the exiles who lived near the Kebar River at Tel Aviv. I came to where they were living and sat there for seven days, appalled.Ezekiel wasn’t always a willing servant. He was angry because he didn’t think that anyone would listen to him. He would look like a fool. If he warned them and they listened then God would forgive them and he would look like a false prophet. If he warned them and they didn’t listen, his time would just be wasted.But God looked at it differently. If he didn’t warn them, then God would hold him responsible. God had a job for Ezekiel and it was to warn the people. It didn’t matter what they chose to do, it mattered what Ezekiel chose to do.When God gives me a job to do, it doesn’t matter how it is received. It matters that I did what God asked me to do. Will I do it with anger and bitterness? Or will I do it with joy?I have the choice to follow God and do what he asks me to do. It is easier to believe that he knows what he is doing and let go of my doubts. I need to let go of how I feel about my work because I don’t want to be ignored or received badly. I need to do my work because God has given it to me to do. And I will do it gladly for him.Lord, forgive me of my sins. Forgive me for my attitude. Cleanse my heart and fill me with your righteousness and your love. Redeem my attitude and make it one of grace and mercy. Set my heart toward you. Let me focus be on you and you alone.Help me to do the work you give me today with cheerfulness. Take my hand and lead me on the path you have set before me.
