Driving around Yucaipa’s rolling hills, you’re bound to see a myriad of beautiful houses. Ideally, people move into these houses and turn them into homes ¬– where families meet and memories are made. It is obvious that many of them were built with those intentions in mind because they contain several of the accommodations that are desired in a home. Occasionally, when you look close enough, you’ll spot a perfectly good house that is both abandoned and unavailable for purchase. Month by month, passersby watch it as it sits empty having been rendered useless. Regardless of the reason, you can tell by looking at the house that if it was made available, someone would jump at the opportunity to live there. One can’t help but feel like it is a shame that it is going to waste.
During the days of Ezekiel, the promise land that was designed to be a home for God’s people had become a wasteland. It had everything they needed and more (Exodus 3:8), but the city had been struck down because of their sin (Ezekiel 33:21). Even though a few inhabitants remained, the once glorious land is described by God as “waste places” (33:23) because it was no longer fulfilling its purpose. God intended for it to be a worshipful land, but it became an idolatrous one (33:25). God designed it to protect His family, but it became a land where the vulnerable are devoured and fall by the sword (3:27). It was another home that was going to waste.
Similarly, the church is not exempt from this outcome if she is not fulfilling her purpose. God’s household is designed to be a pillar and support of the truth (1 Timothy 3:15). It is made up of individuals who are devoted to offering spiritual sacrifices for God’s glory (1 Peter 2:5) and were chosen to proclaim His excellencies (2:9). It is not always going to be easy to stay on course, but we will never go wrong being a home for God’s family to thrive spiritually.
In Love,
Sage