Happy Wednesday, September 3rd, 2025. Have you ever sat through a sermon and thought, “Oh, that’s perfect—for my spouse… or my neighbor… but not me.” Or maybe you’ve read a verse and said, “I’ve heard this one before. Joe really needs to hear this.” There’s a dangerous phrase that sneaks into every one of our hearts: “That doesn’t apply to me.” And that’s exactly the problem Ezekiel runs into. He just poured out God’s Word with passion and tears, and the people brushed it off with a smirk. “Isn’t he just telling parables?” In other words: “Cool story, bro.”
Today's Reading:
Ezekiel 20,21; Psalms 111; Revelation 8
Scripture
Then I said, “Sovereign Lord, they are saying of me, ‘Isn’t he just telling parables?’” (Ezekiel 20:49)
Observation
The point of a parable isn’t to entertain—it’s to pierce the heart and call us to repentance. When we dismiss it as just a “cool story,” we miss its purpose. Jesus said parables reveal truth to the humble but hide it from the hardened. Every parable is God’s gracious invitation to respond to His Word. But if that Word is rejected, God begins to raise the volume.
Israel missed the point of the parable—so in the very next chapter, they got the point… of the sword.
Application
How often do I respond to God’s Word the same way? I hear a sermon, read a passage, or sense a nudge from the Spirit, and I treat it like “good content” instead of urgent counsel. I nod, I underline, I even quote it later—but I don’t obey it.
God never intended His Word to be background noise or inspiration wallpaper. It’s supposed to shape my decisions, my relationships, my future. If I keep shrugging off His voice, He loves me enough to raise the volume—moving from “parable” to “sword.”
Prayer
Lord, forgive me for the times I’ve shrugged off Your Word with a “Cool story, bro” attitude. Give me a heart that responds quickly to Your Word, and doesn’t need You to raise the volume with stronger lessons. I never want to treat Your voice as background noise, but as the most important truth in my life. Amen.
-Chris Kiriakos