There are many things that come to mind right away when I think about standing up. I think about the issue of 'standing up' for rights or for a good cause. But I also am reminded of the many requirements a person must meet before he is able to physically stand up.
- There is a measure of independence required to stand up. You cannot stand up until you can do it for yourself.
- It takes maturity to stand. You cannot stand before you are old enough, or mature enough, to physically do it.
- It requires balance to stand up. You cannot lean to far to one side or the other if you want to stand.
- Standing also needs responsibility. You must be more dependable and responsible to stand on your own.
- Ezekiel is called by God. v. 1. There are many stories in the Bible of people who are called by God. God asks Ezekiel to "stand up." This is his way of getting Ezekiel in the process of serving him. He is called to stand for the people of God and with the people of God.
- It is the Holy Spirit that actually stands him up. v. 2. The response of Ezekiel to the presence of God is to fall down on his face. He stays on his face until God raises him up. This is great news. When God calls us he is going to work with us so that we can accomplish his will.
- Ezekiel is called to preach, whether there are people to hear or not. v. 5. We are not necessarily called to success, but to faithfulness. We may be called to reach people who are not there to hear. Or we may need to reach out to those who have no desire to listen.
2 comments:
How has God called you? Has he stood you up? What or who do you need to stand up for?
Yes, God has called me to be a witness for Him. I would say that He has definitely stood me up, or rather given me the words he wants me to speak. Growing up I was so shy that I would never consider standing up for anything unless I was with a group that was also standing. And even then I wasn't very sure of myself.
Now sometimes I am amazed at what the Lord/Holy Spirit puts on my lips. I know that it has to come from above for I would never do it on my own.
I do have a few soapboxes that I stand on from time to time. But I'm not sure that they are all from the Lord. My prayers are that I will listen before I speak. My prayers are that I will listen & then have the wisdom to speak when I need to speak instead of being fearful of what others will think. It just takes a lot of courage & wisdom to know the difference.
What do I stand up for? Well, there several things, the most important one however is standing up for my faith & knowing why I beleive. It's not just what I grew up with. It's what I've grown to know is true & good. God IS good, all the time God IS good. And He will never fail me.
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