Jan. 13 - The Heaviness of Ministry

From the First Lesson for this day, Ezekiel 3:12-21

There is a cartoon I once saw of a Church building at the edge of a cliff. The Church was just above the pathway and on the pathway were crowds of people walking straight for the cliff, with no apparent warning of the dangers ahead.

In this cartoon, the Church was shuttered and the artist had drawn a few "z-z-z's" to indicate that the Church was asleep as people walking be her were falling to their deaths.

It's an image that has always haunted me.

In today's lesson, I see that image all over again. Ezekiel is put in the position of that Church on the cliff. The Lord tells him: "Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me."

Part of my responsibility as a pastor is to be that "watchman" for the congregation I serve. It is one they have clearly defined for me in my position description - the first item in fact - to "preach the Bible."

The problem is that not everyone likes what the Bible has to say. There are topics that we don't like to really discuss... or we like to discuss them as long as they apply to others and not us.

Here is Ezekiel's commission:
"When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand."

"Yet if thou warn the wicked, and he turn not from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul."

"Again, When a righteous man doth turn from his righteousness, and commit iniquity, and I lay a stumbling-block before him, he shall die: because thou hast not given him warning, he shall die in his sin, and his righteousness which he hath done shall not be remembered; but his blood will I require at thine hand."

"Nevertheless if thou warn the righteous man, that the righteous sin not, and he doth not sin, he shall surely live, because he is warned; also thou hast delivered thy soul."

Simply put: If you don't preach to the wicked and they perish it's Ezekiel's problem. If you preach to them and they don't repent, then Ezekiel's job is done. If a righteous man is sinning and you don't warn him, it's on Ezekiel; if he does repent, then you've done your job.

I am a preacher. God, help me to preach Thy word, not mine. No one will repent because of what I say - they will repent or not at what Thy Word has to say. Lord, let me preach Thy Word.