“Therefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord GOD; I do not this for your sakes, O house of Israel, but for mine holy name's sake, which ye have profaned among the heathen, whither ye went.” (Ezekiel 36:22)
God is so amazing! Here we are in the middle of a lengthy discourse by God Himself as He explains through the prophet what He has done, what He is doing, and what He plans to do. What He has done to the Israelites because of their sins and disobedience. What He is doing in setting them free from their guilt and condemnation following their repentence. And what He is going to do by restoring to them their lands, their honor among the nations, and His favor. But notice – it isn’t because they are so great or because they are so special. It is because of the holiness and dignity of His Name.
I have had friends – you know, “friends” – in the past with whom I shared years and tears. We had gone through the fire together, we had experienced the death of mutual loved ones together, we had rejoiced together. We won victories side-by-side and yes, we had suffered a few losses along the way. But then one day they went off on their own. And it wasn’t just that they abandoned our friendship. Oh no, it was way worse than that. They betrayed our friendship. They publicly renounced me, condemned me, accused me, then began sharing things that once were held as private between us. They literally drug my name through the mud and publicly humiliated me. Some friends.
A few years later some of them came back to apologize. They wanted what we had before. At first they tried to act like nothing ever happened. When I held them at arm’s length they began to cry and appeal to my sense of friendship, to my kindness, to my humanity, finally telling me I had to accept them back because that was the Christian thing to do. Oh, and just in case I chose to not take them back they wanted me to know that I wasn’t a REAL Christian.
Once they wound down – I let them rant on and on – I waited a few more minutes, expecting more to come. Everything within me wanted to go “old-school” on them, to bring back “old Timmy”, and lay them out for the count. Thank God I was at least willing to wait for something constructive to say – hopefully led by the Holy Spirit. One thing I have found out (better late than never) is that the enemy hates silence. Heck, who am I fooling? Sometimes I hate it, too.
I started by accepting their apology – at least their apologetic spirit. I confronted them on some of the things they said in an attempt to at least know their real motive. It’s not enough that someone wants back into your life. They need to acknowledge why THEY left it in the first place. Did they still feel and believe those horrible things they said about me? Why come to me now? I have moved on. I don’t need them, but apparently for some reason they need me. Do they now acknowledge the lies they spread and are they willing to now denounce those lies as publicly as they publicized them? What’s in this for me? Why should I let you back into my life and open up my heart to them, to open myself up to be hurt again? All these things I wanted answers for before I can rightfully respond. And as far as the “Christian” thing to do, I asked them to show me where Christ, Who died for those who murdered Him, went back to them after His resurrection and exposed Himself to them again. Sure He appeared to His followers and disciples, but did He go back into Jerusalem and go before Pilate and Caesar Augustus after He rose again?
You should know after reading my thoughts these past weeks and months that I am still a human. I still struggle with issues like the next person. Yes, I try to be biblically correct in my responses. I try to follow the leading of the Spirit of Christ within. And I search the scriptures and my heart to be more like Jesus and grow into His likeness. I wish I could tell you I am spot-on every time, but I can’t lie that well anymore. Sometimes I miss it.
With those who came back to me I have responded exactly as I wrote above. I understand they are sorry they hurt me and want to re-establish what we had before. But I don’t care so much that they hurt me. I care that they made an attempt to ruin my reputation – to besmirch my name. I desire friends, but I don’t need those particular people (I can’t call them my friends anymore). I told them I wll be here for them if and when they need prayer (just like I am for anyone). I told them to feel free to call me anytime they want to talk (just like I tell everyone). I told them I would pray God’s blessing on their lives and those of their families (like I tell everyone). But the price to establish a personal friendship with me again is very costly. My name is all I have and I cherish it and my reputation above rubies and gold.
Look at the passage from which I pulled this verse. God allowed the Israelites to be taken against their will into bondage and forced labor. They were mistreated by their captors, they were disgraced by their loss, and they were stripped of their status before the nations. All because they turned their backs on God, choosing instead to worship idols and other gods. They lived their lives in such a way that they dishonored their God before the people of the world – out-sinning even the heathen! He allowed them to remain in that condition until they confessed, repented, and came back to Him.
This may sound harsh, but God’s love is NOT unconditional. Not everybody goes to heaven. No matter how good a person you are, your good works are filthier in God’s eyes than mentrual rags. It isn’t enough to come to God and feel bad about yourself. It isn’t enough to say “I’m sorry” for seeing yourself as a bad person. God demands more. He demands repentence. He demands confession. He demands perfection. He demands we mean what we say – not just mumbling and repeating some “sinner’s prayer” at the guidance of some preacher. God demands you die on the cross with Christ. Period. Only then will you live with Him. Only then will He restore to you life and health. Only then will He look on you with favor. Then. And ONLY then. Sure God loves everyone – after all, He created us each one individually – and WANTS us to live with Him in heaven forever. BUT. There ARE conditions. Come to Him for real. Come to Him honest. Come to Him.
Be blessed.
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