#soap # Ezekiel 14 ## Title: The Stubbornness of God ## Scripture: (Ezekiel 14:11) “so that the house of Israel will no longer go astray from me, nor continue to defile themselves by all their sins. They will be my people, and I will be their God, declares the Sovereign Lord.’”” (NET) ## Observation: My wife taught me a valuable lesson a long time ago about conflict between two people. She told me that when we are experiencing conflict, it is good to stop from time to time and affirm the relationship. This means that we would pause and say, “By the way, I don’t agree with you, but I still love you. I’m not against you. I’m against your view of this situation. This changes nothing about our relationship.” When we started doing this, it changed the dynamic of our conflict. It helped us learn to fight FOR our marriage and not for our side of the argument. This is what God is doing in this passage. The nation of Israel has fallen so far away from Him. He is having to bring justice on them. But, He pauses to say He still hasn’t given up on eventual reconciliation. I’m so thankful for the stubbornness of God that never gives up on us. ## Application: Take a moment and reaffirm your relationship with God today. Also, is there someone you need to do this with in your life? ## Prayer: Thank You, Jesus, for never giving up on us.