In Ezekiel 33, the people accuse God of being unjust. God warns them that they will be judged by their deeds.

Now, there are people who think your good and bad deeds are weighed on a scale and whether or not you go to heaven or hell depends on which side weighs more. Did you do more good or more evil?

But God says He doesn’t operate that way. He knows we all deserve death. There is none righteous.

God warns people that their righteousness can’t save them. If they trust in their righteousness, it’s going to lead to their downfall because they will end up acting wickedly. The wicked deeds will blot out the memory of any good.

On the flip side, God says that the wicked who turn from their ways, repent, make restitution for wrongs done, then choose righteousness, will live. Their righteous acts will blot out the memory of the wickedness they had done before.

What does this tell us about God?

While God sees all and knows all past, present, and future, He wants us living in today. What’s important to us is how we are living right now, the choices we are making today.

He removes our sin from His sight. He looks at us with optimism for the future.

We can’t rely on past faith and past victories. We need to walk in our salvation every day.

This is a good thing. We need to realize we need salvation every day. We need our Savior every day.

We don’t get to just get saved and live our own life. We work out our salvation with fear and trembling by fearing God and turning to Him daily, relying on His mercy.

We throw ourselves on His mercy to keep us from evil day by day, and we rest knowing He delights in showing mercy and that His steadfast love never fails.