Shame, A Rough Motivator

Clouds rapidly moving in this morning; they tell of snow to come. Okay, so probably not going to happen today or even in August, maybe in September but October is more likely. Yes, I'm not much of a foretelling prophet this morning. Ezekiel had messages of the future direct from God, who is of course the source of any true foretelling. Most of us are given only today, a few guesses about tomorrow, and perhaps a vague idea of what might be next year. The prophecies God has given us for the future don't have a time stamp on them, so we are left with that wondering. How great that is, for we have time to share the good news of our Lord Jesus! The love of our neighbor is a wonderful motivator for sharing. However, there is another way.

Have you ever been motivated to change your behavior through shame? Yes, me too. It's a rough way to go, a hard taskmaster with a brutal whip. I don't believe that shame is God's favorite tool; more like one He gets out only at great need. Love, patience, joy, peace, and other tools God uses more often, though in our fallen nature we may not see them. I believe that my Lord would much rather lead from the front, showing us that He sees the pitfalls ahead and leading us around them. He also seems to like to lead from the side, with His comforting arm around our quaking shoulders. But in the extremity, when repentance is needed and no other tool will get our attention, shame will do. So great is the Master's love, that His desire we not be lost will allow Him to take up tools He would rather not.

A picture of shame in action was painted by Ezekiel, but the news was not all bad. In chapter 7, God shows some survivors of the terrible destruction of Jerusalem. They are ashamed, but they are the remnant that survived.

‘​Those who survive will escape and be on the mountains
​​Like doves of the valleys,
​​All of them mourning,
​​Each for his iniquity.
Every hand will be feeble,
​​And every knee will be as weak as water.
​​They will also be girded with sackcloth;
​​Horror will cover them;
​​Shame will be on every face,
​​Baldness on all their heads.' (v. 16-18)

Mourning for our iniquity is one way to be in agreement with God. Another is to believe in the saving and forgiving grace of His Son, and that is reason to rejoice on this day!

Bucky