Ezekiel 3:20 Again, When a righteous man doth turn from his righteousness, and commit iniquity, and I lay a stumblingblock before him, he shall die: because thou hast not given him warning, he shall die in his sin, and his righteousness which he hath done shall not be remembered; but his blood will I require at thine hand.
Ezekiel 18:24 But when the righteous turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and doeth according to all the abominations that the wicked man doeth, shall he live? All his righteousness that he hath done shall not be mentioned: in his trespass that he hath trespassed, and in his sin that he hath sinned, in them shall he die.
Ezekiel 33:12 Therefore, thou son of man, say unto the children of thy people, The righteousness of the righteous shall not deliver him in the day of his transgression: as for the wickedness of the wicked, he shall not fall thereby in the day that he turneth from his wickedness; neither shall the righteous be able to live for his righteousness in the day that he sinneth.
I first came across Ezekiel 3:20 from an article I was reading. It reminded me of what President Renner once told us during sacrament meeting that it doesn't really matter what we've done in the past. What really matters is the here and now.
As I studied and looked up this scripture, I found Ezekiel 18:24 and Ezekiel 33:12. These scriptures made an impact on me. I came to realize that I need to be right with Heavenly Father each moment of my life. It doesn't really matter if I've been faithful the last 15 years, if I now decide to take a break and let my guard down.
I may be tricked into believing that I can always turn over a new leaf in a few days (that might turn into weeks or months or years) and everything will be alright again. I might even be totally convinced that this will work, based on past experiences. The questions is: What if something unexpected happens before I can salvage myself, and I'm taken from this world? I would have died ..... in my sins!
So, I am reminding myself that the "here-and-now-moment" of my life is the one that really matters. No taking breaks or detours but to stay on the strait and narrow, with an eye single to the glory of God.
