Read the Bible in a year by reading Ezekiel 20 and 21 today Why God Blesses Sometimes By Don Ruhl God did a great thing for Israel by bringing them out of the land of Egypt where they had been slaves. He led them toward a new land where they could be free and have their own kingdom. However, they rebelled against them repeatedly on the journey. Nevertheless, He still did good things for them and even brought into the new land. Why did He not just wipe them out? Listen to this, for it will explain why He continued to do good things for them. He said, "But I acted for My name's sake, that it should not be profaned before the Gentiles, in whose sight I had brought them out" (Ez. 20:14). If He destroyed them in the wilderness, the Gentiles would have said that God was not able to take them all the way to a new land and make them a nation. Moses even used this argument. Therefore, while He did destroy some of them in the wilderness, He did not destroy the whole nation, but poured out His blessings on them, primarily for His own name's sake. It brought glory to Him, not to Israel. Therefore, we have to be careful when we conclude that we must be doing everything right because things are going good for us. No, it might be that we are in sin but the Lord is only preserving the honor of His name. How then can I know if I am walking in truth with my God? Read and meditate in the Scriptures daily, for they shall reveal to you what your life is. If you want to hear the devotionals read, go to this site: http://web.mac.com/grantspasscofc/iWeb/Site/Podcast%20Devotionals/Podcast%20Devotionals.html Church of Christ 220 NE Savage Street Grants Pass, Oregon 97625 541-476-3100 www.GrantsPassChurchofChrist.com http://associate.com/groups/emaildevotionals/ To unsubscribe, send ANY message to: emaildevotionals-leave@... To subscribe, send ANY message to: emaildevotionals-join@...