“Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel. Whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you shall give them warning from me.”
Ezekiel 3:17, ESV
We have been given the Gospel as a saving Word for those who are dying. The warning is not meant to be a word of condemnation but a word that is life-giving, freeing, and saving. Faith does not come with force, nor will one be guilted into believing, but we are called to proclaim the truth of Jesus Christ, praying for those who are in danger and offering words of correction when necessary. If we saw a person about to walk in front of a moving vehicle, most of us would do what we could to pull them out of the path to safety. This is the importance of the Gospel. It doesn’t mean we shake our heads and wag our fingers looking down on others, but we are servants who seek to lift up and protect those who have fallen. Christ came not to condemn but to fulfill the Law that all may know the love of our God.
Let us pray. I thank you, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, your dear Son, that you have kept me this night from all harm and danger, and I ask you to protect me this day also from sin and every evil, that in all I do today, I may please you. For into your hands, I commend myself, my body and soul, and all that is mine. Let your holy angel watch over me, that the wicked foe have no power over me. Amen.