"They shall know that I am the Lord"

Sixty-five.

Sixty-five times in the book of Ezekiel God tells His people that the reason for His actions is so that they would know that He was the Lord. Sixty-five. Is God trying to tell us something? Apparently He is of the opinion that we often put other things, people or thoughts before Him. Hmmm..... Brian Gann in his message last Sunday asked us what we worshipped and challenged us to take a look at ourselves in that area. Obviously, this is not a new problem for mankind.

Here's what God had to say about the idolatry of Israel in Ezekiel 8:6: "...Son of man, do you see what they are doing, the great abominations that the house of Israel commits here, to make Me go far away from My sanctuary?..."

Do we really want God far from us? I want Him close to me, but since I am His temple (1 Cor 6:19) how close will He want to get if I am too focused on the cares of this world?

Challenge: Do a time journal for a typical week. See what is really occupying your time. I did this once long ago and it really revealed some things to me. I'm afraid to do it again! How much time are we really spending alone with God?