When my father died several years ago, it was quite unexpected: he was vacationing with my mother in Jamaica. As it turned out, he died of what was a very treatable condition; but because he received the poorest of treatment in a very low-level hospital he had no chance.

As far as most people are concerned, sincerity counts when it comes to religion. It doesn’t matter that the religions of the world often teach doctrines that are mutually contradictory. What counts is a person’s sincerity: so long as the practioner is sincere about what s/he believes, their belief system is valid and they can be “saved.”

Have you ever made a promise only to break it? You promised to show up finally at your child’s ball game, but the office meeting went late and you missed it again. Your promise to help your spouse around the house lasted only a week. You confidently assured your parents that you would get an “A” on your next report card but could only muster a “B.”

This may well have been Ezekiel’s first public utterance since the messenger came with the news that Jerusalem had fallen (ch 33:21). The prophet makes clear that behind the waywardness of God’s people lay a failure of leadership, here expressed by the shepherd metaphor.

The failures of ancient Israel brought dishonour on God’s name among other nations (v 22). In the same way the way we behave in Christian churches can add fuel to the attacks of atheists against God.

The truth behind this psalm is that what you DO depends on what you ARE, and what you ARE depends on WHAT YOU FEED YOUR MIND ON.

Do our parents really understand us? Is their advice at all useful?

Every young adult has wondered whether their parents really “get it.” When we are young, they make us obey rules, and when we become adults, their rules seem arbitrary and encumbering.