Today's Reading: Ezekiel 36:22-28

Daily Lectionary: Numbers 14:25-45; Luke 18:35-19:10

"[God says] I will. . . I will. . . I will. . . I will. . . I will. . . I will. . . I will. . . I will. . . " (Ezekiel 36:24-28)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Eight times. . . EIGHT times God describes in just five verses what HE will do for His people, and you know what? What God does covers EVERYTHING! He does the work not only for our justification, but He also does the work for our sanctification. He is 100% responsible for our ENTIRE lives in Christ.

Every aspect of our Christian faith--our new lives, our love, our ability to pray, to serve, to worship, to engage in witness, our certain hope, our ability to forgive, heart-felt endurance, compassion, the fruit of the Spirit, the gifts of the Spirit, our ability to confess our sins, to hold to Christ, to remember our Holy Baptism, to thirst for the Holy Supper--EVERYTHING is from God's "I will." We are so blessed in our biblical Lutheran confession to know this and to constantly confess this.

Many people who identify themselves as Christians miss this crucial teaching. Even many Christians think that our new lives are a 50/50 co-working with God. They wrongly believe that God does His part, and we must do ours. God reaches down to us, and we must raise our hand to reach Him. He invites and we must accept. He comes and we must open our hearts, etc. etc. etc.

No! We can't reach up because on our own we are dead in our trespasses and sins (Ephesians 2:1). We can't accept without the Holy Spirit's instigating faith in us. We cannot open our hearts because without Christ our hearts are hard and sick. If not for God's "I will," we would be lost, completely lost.

God says, "I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleanness" (Ezekiel 36:25). Think Holy Baptism. God does the cleaning. God does the saving. "And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules" (Ezekiel 36:27). This is sanctification, the new life. Who makes it happen? God does.

On account of His gracious "I will," you are now counted among His people: "You shall be my people, and I will be your God" (Ezekiel 36:28b). The One who says to you, "I will" makes it happen! In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

O LORD, stir up the hearts of Your faithful people to welcome and joyfully receive Your Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ, that He may find in us a fit dwelling place; who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch