Briers and Thorns

The wind whips through the trees, chilling my fingers as they clutch the camera. I long to stay outside, photographing, but I am much too cold to remain out of doors any longer.

I head inside and go up to my room. As I get warmed up, I pull out my Bible, devotional book, and little notebook. As I read today's Scripture passage, these two verses stand out to me: 

Ezekiel 2:6-7:

And you, son of man, do not be afraid of them nor be afraid of their words, though briers and thorns are with you and you dwell among scorpions; do not be afraid of their words or dismayed by their looks though they are a rebellious house. You shall speak My words to them, whether they hear or whether they refuse, for they are rebellious.

I love the imagery in these verses, the pictures of briers, thorns, and scorpions. Here, God is encouraging Ezekiel to not be afraid of the house of Israel and to preach God's word boldly. This is an encouragement to us today. We need to boldly speak the words of God, but we cannot do it on our own. Earlier on in this passage, in verse 2, the Holy Spirit fills Ezekiel so that he will be able to obey God's commands. The same applies to us today - we need the Holy Spirit to help us obey God's commands; we cannot do it on our own. We need to accept God's help and boldly share His word.

{via}

p.s. just an unrelated side note - I started a 365. The button is over in my sidebar. I'd really appreciate it. :)