What can we learn from Ezekiel's response about maintaining personal holiness today? Setting the scene “Then I said, ‘Ah, Lord GOD! I have never been defiled. From my youth until now I have not eaten anything found dead or torn by wild beasts, nor has any impure meat entered my mouth.’ ” (Ezekiel 4:14) Ezekiel’s reverent response • Respectful honesty—he speaks up, yet calls the Lord “Adonai Yahweh” in humble submission. • A lifelong pattern—his protest rests on decades of careful obedience, not last-minute scruples. • God’s accommodation—verse 15 shows the Lord permitting cow dung instead, illustrating that He values a clean conscience (cf. Romans 14:22–23). • Echoes in Scripture—Daniel 1:8 refuses royal food; Peter in Acts 10:14 says, “Surely not, Lord!” Both are upheld, not rebuked. Timeless lessons on personal holiness 1. Resolve before the test comes. • Daniel “made up his mind” (Daniel 1:8). • Ezekiel had decades of settled conviction. 2. Know the standard. • Leviticus 11 spells out dietary holiness; 1 Peter 1:15-16 applies the call to all believers. • A fuzzy line invites compromise; a clear line strengthens courage. 3. Engage God when conscience protests. • Ezekiel did not rebel; he reasoned. • Philippians 4:6 encourages bringing every concern to Him. 4. Obedience and conscience work together. • 2 Corinthians 1:12 speaks of “simplicity and godly sincerity.” • Holding both keeps holiness from sliding into legalism or license. Practical habits to guard purity today • Daily Scripture intake—“How can a young man keep his way pure? … Your word I have hidden in my heart” (Psalm 119:9,11). • Clean “fuel” for the mind—filter media, conversations, and humor (Philippians 4:8). • Accountable community—“Bad company corrupts good character” (1 Corinthians 15:33). • Swift repentance—keep short accounts with God (1 John 1:9). • Regular self-examination—invite the Spirit’s searchlight (Psalm 139:23-24). When we slip • Hebrews 10:22 urges drawing near, “having our hearts sprinkled clean.” • Romans 8:1 reminds that condemnation does not linger where confession and faith meet. • Renewed commitment restores usefulness, much as Ezekiel moved on to obey the rest of God’s hard assignment. Maintaining personal holiness today means carrying Ezekiel’s settled resolve, his informed conscience, and his respectful dialogue with the Lord into every choice, trusting that God still honors the believer who dares to stay clean in a defiled world. |
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