relationships (Ezekiel 15:1-8) The Only Way to Thrive

(Ezekiel 15:1-8) 

Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 2 “Son of man, how is the wood of the vine better than any wood of a branch which is among the trees of the forest? 3 Can wood be taken from it to make anything, or can even a peg be taken from it on which to hang any utensil? 4 If it has been put into the fire for fuel, and the fire has consumed both of its ends and its middle part has been charred, is it then good for anything? 5 Behold, while it is intact, it is not made into anything. How much less, when the fire has consumed it and it is charred, can it still be made into anything! 6 Therefore, this is what the Lord God says: ‘As the wood of the vine among the trees of the forest, which I have given to the fire for fuel, so have I given up the inhabitants of Jerusalem; 7 and I set My face against them. Though they have come out of the fire, yet the fire will consume them. Then you will know that I am the Lord, when I set My face against them. 8 So I will make the land desolate, because they have acted unfaithfully,’” declares the Lord God.

TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:

The Lord God is a consuming fire (Hebrews 12:28-29), and everyone will have to pass through it.  Another way to say this is that all people will stand before the Lord to be judged.  At the White Throne Judgement, all unbelievers (who have rejected the Lord's forgiveness and salvation) will be judged and punished for every sin they have committed.  At the Bema Seat Judgement, all believers (who have accepted the Lord's forgiveness and salvation), will be judged and rewarded for every good deed done in the Lord's righteousness, wisdom and strength, and all to His glory.

If a person remains without God in their lives, whether they behave wickedly or try to be as good as possible all on their own, their end is the same.  

Salvation and eternal life is only found in the Lord Jesus Christ, which is to have a personal relationship with Him.  He is the vine, and only in Him we are able to grow and be built up, survive, thrive and produce fruit.