Turn and Live

Cast away from you all the transgressions which you have committed against me, and get yourselves a new heart and a new spirit! Why will you die, O house of Israel? For I have no pleasure in the death of any one, says the Lord GOD; so turn, and live. Ezekiel 18:31-32.

Why would we choose to die? Why indeed. I ask that question of myself periodically when I go back through the passages of time and see where I chose disobedience against the Will of God.
When I came across the verses in Ezekiel last week in my reading it struck me about God's heart. Note the last sentence where the inspired writer says that God has no pleasure in the death of any one. Any one. Not just the just but the unjust. Not just those that walk in the way but those that find themselves off the path. He loves them all. He takes no pleasure in their death.

So why then do we die spiritually? We die because we do not "Turn and live". We continue to follow the broad way that leads to destruction rather than making a turn and following the way that leads to God. In that we die.

What does it take to turn and live? For me it has meant coming to the place where I realized fully that the path I was on was leading me to not only physical death but more importantly to spiritual death. Yes, I was saved; but, I was dying spiritually in that I could not hear the voice of my Father. I heard only the voice of the one who would steal me away from the heart of God. Bit by bit my flame of passion for the things of God eroded away until I could no longer feel His presence.

Because of God's great love for me, He used the everyday situations of life and my family to show me how great was my need of Him. I could no longer walk in the "strength" of my own decisions. I had to come to the end of myself and realize that it was in my weakness that His strength could sustain me. The road became more and more lonely and dark until finally I was able to say enough.

In the past two months I have begun to see that the blessing of turning comes in knowing that I am walking toward the Light. I am walking closer to the Lover of my Soul. I am hearing the sweet sound of the Holy Spirit once again. New people have come into my life and have brought me great joy. And some of my friends from days gone by have returned. It is like a breath of clean air.

God loves us all the same. He sees our great need. He provided a means of salvation through the shed blood of His precious Son. All He asks of us is that we accept the free gift of grace and bow our knee to the Lordship of Christ. Turn and live - may you find your way back!