Love Songs

“My people come to you, as they usually do, and sit before you to listen to your words, but they do not put them into practice. With their mouths they express devotion, but their hearts are greedy for unjust gain.” Ezekiel 33:31 NIV

Devotion – “What a powerful sermon, Pastor.” “Your teaching really made sense to me.” “That devotional spoke to my heart.” So what? None of it matters one bit unless what you hear changes what you do. That’s the real problem with life. We all have plenty of information. We just don’t put it into practice.

God comforted Ezekiel. He understood the issue. His people proclaimed devotion. They listened to the words of the prophet. But it didn’t change their behavior. They were the Old Testament examples of 1 John 4:20. They said, “I love God” but God said, “You’re lying.”

The Hebrew word translated “devotion” is agav. It is used only two times in the Bible. The second occurrence helps us understand the meaning in this verse. The second occurrence is in the very next verse, Ezekiel 33:32. In that verse, God says that Ezekiel is like a singer of “love” songs, agav songs. Why does God use this imagery? Because love songs sound so nice and pleasant and wonderful and they are utterly useless when it comes to really demonstrating love in a relationship. They are just words, not actions. So God says to Ezekiel, “My people hear the words, but they do something else.” They say what they believe, but they do what they value. And what they value is personal gain.

Look around you. Do you see your life and the lives of those in your community with God’s eyes? Do you hear the words but can’t find the actions? I know all about that kind of living, the kind that says, “I love God” but puts my own gain at the top of the list. God broke me like a splintered oak before I could see the struggling flowers at the base of the tree. There are a lot of trees in the forest of self-assurance. My fear is that God will have to bring a raging fire before we realize our situation. Don’t think He won’t. Wherever we sing love songs but practice selfish gain, God will kindle a consuming blaze. Better to burn it all up than let majestic oaks insult heaven.

Straight-line Christianity. Say it. Do it. That’s the love song God wants to hear. Only you can prevent forest fires.