DCLM Daily Manna 2025: DCLM Daily Manna 123January 2025: Sacrificial Service
Text: Ezekiel 24:15-27 (KJV)
15 Also the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
16 Son of man, behold, I take away from thee the desire of thine eyes with a stroke: yet neither shalt thou mourn nor weep, neither shall thy tears run down.
17 Forbear to cry, make no mourning for the dead, bind the tire of thine head upon thee, and put on thy shoes upon thy feet, and cover not thy lips, and eat not the bread of men.
18 So I spake unto the people in the morning: and at even my wife died; and I did in the morning as I was commanded.
19 And the people said unto me, Wilt thou not tell us what these things are to us, that thou doest so?
20 Then I answered them, The word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
21 Speak unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will profane my sanctuary, the excellency of your strength, the desire of your eyes, and that which your soul pitieth; and your sons and your daughters whom ye have left shall fall by the sword.
22 And ye shall do as I have done: ye shall not cover your lips, nor eat the bread of men.
23 And your tires shall be upon your heads, and your shoes upon your feet: ye shall not mourn nor weep; but ye shall pine away for your iniquities, and mourn one toward another.
24 Thus Ezekiel is unto you a sign: according to all that he hath done shall ye do: and when this cometh, ye shall know that I am the Lord GOD.
25 Also, thou son of man, shall it not be in the day when I take from them their strength, the joy of their glory, the desire of their eyes, and that whereupon they set their minds, their sons and their daughters,
26 That he that escapeth in that day shall come unto thee, to cause thee to hear it with thine ears?
27 In that day shall thy mouth be opened to him which is escaped, and thou shalt speak, and be no more dumb: and thou shalt be a sign unto them; and they shall know that I am the LORD.
KEY VERSE: Ezekiel 24:17
“Forbear to cry, make no mourning for the dead, bind the tire of thine head upon thee, and put on thy shoes upon thy feet, and cover not thy lips, and eat not the bread of men.”
David Livingstone was considered the most distinguished European missionary in Africa in the 19th Century. He married Mary, daughter of Robert Moffat, a man of God who inspired Livingstone to go to Africa. Life was difficult for Livingstone and his family as the work plunged the evangelist deeper into the wild interior of the continent, with his wife suffering bouts of ill health. She and her six children went back to England so they could recuperate. Living in near poverty and separated from her spouse, Mrs. Livingstone died aged only 42 years.
Prophet Ezekiel had his own story of sacrificial service to the Lord. God said He would take away his beloved wife. He must not grieve nor cease preaching His Word to the wayward children of Jacob, who were in exile in Babylon. It was a tough deal for the prophet. When the wife died, as God said, He told His servant that it was a sign to him and the people that our conveniences, preferences, or comfort must always give way to heaven’s desires to draw multitudes away from looming damnation.
As we offer to give our lives to the Lord, it must be complete submission to His will. We must count the cost. For instance, ministers of the gospel need to sacrifice some of their family time to attend to the needs of members of the flock of Christ. We may need to give up our limited substance to take care of widows, orphans, the vulnerable, older people, and so on. The Lord also requires us to pay our tithes and give for projects in the church. All these translate to giving up some of our conveniences and gratifications.
Are all these, including our family, so important that they cannot give way to the Lord if He wants to use them for His work? Are we to tell God that we are ready to submit to His Will, but only on the condition that He does not demand our big car, luxurious house, fat bank account, or family? He gave His all to save us. We must also not hold back anything to fulfil His desire of “not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” through our commitment to sacrificial giving and evangelism.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
The resolve to spend and be spent is the badge of true Christian service.
THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
Genesis 35-37
Daily Manna 13 January 2025
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