Pleasing God

Scripture:

Ezekiel 18:23  "Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked? declares the Sovereign Lord.  Rather, am I not pleased when they turn from their ways and live?

Observation:

Earlier in this text, God was saying that if someone is righteous and turns unrighteous, every good thing he has done will not be remembered.  He went on to say that if an unrighteous person turns righteous, he will not remember their old unrighteous ways.  Here He completes this with declaring that He doesn't take any pleasure in the death of the wicked.  He is pleased when people turn from their ways and live.

Application:

God is pleased when we turn from anything ungodly in our lives.  He is pleased when we choose Him over the ways of this world.  God is honored when we choose to turn from wicked things and follow Him.  His desire for us is to choose life and for us to walk in His blessing and favor, but sometimes we don't see that because we don't turn completely to Him.

Prayer:

Father, help me to walk with You completely.  Teach me to hear Your voice and to respond with a strong "yes" every time You show me something that needs to change in my life.  I want to please You in every area of my life.

Yours,
Jeff