Bill Rice Ranch - First Light Devotionals 

Ezekiel 4:3b  "This shall be a sign to the house of Israel."       

 

Truth Demonstrated

 

Recently, my family and I spent the night in San Antonio, Texas, while on our way home from a month of travel.  The next morning, we took an hour or two to tour the Alamo. Through pictures, videos, models, and text, the museum at the Alamo tried their very best to tell the story of the Alamo so that people living over a hundred years after the battle could understand what actually happened.

 

History is somewhat boring to many people, but the truth is, everyone loves a good story.  Something that helped clarify the battle in my mind (and doubtless other visitors) was one of the models they had of the battle.  In the museum, they had a representation of the fort, the opposing armies, cannons, etc.  That model was demonstrating the historical facts of the Alamo.

 

In a similar way, your life should demonstrate God's truth.  Sometimes the truth God wants to convey through a person requires more than words.  Often it would be easier to just give our words instead of giving our lives!  Ezekiel 4 contains models and illustrations that God wanted Ezekiel to show the children of Israel.  Ezekiel made a small model of a battle that would take place to "be a sign to the house of Israel." 

 

Can people see abstract truths of the Bible illustrated in your real life?  Take love, for instance.  What is love?  Is it merely a feeling or some distant hope, or is it something people can see demonstrated in your life?

 

How about forgiveness?  Is God's forgiveness of a sinner impossible for your lost family to conceive of because they have never seen forgiveness demonstrated in your life?

 

How about holiness?  Do people have any concept of how holy God is by seeing the difference it has made in your life?

 

Although I had never seen God, as a young boy, I did see a father who loved me.  I didn't know anything about the judgment of God, but I was well-acquainted with my dad's correction when I did wrong.  When the Bible spoke of God as a Father who will judge sin but who loves sinners, I understood because God's truth had been demonstrated to me.  His truth should be proclaimed, but it should also be demonstrated.  Sometimes it takes the entire canvas of your life to portray God's truth!

 

 

 

Prayer Requests:

- Services this weekend in Plainwell, MI; Madison, OH; and King George, VA

 

 

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