Tuesday, March 9, 2010

What Does It Prosper?


LENT--DAY 18


SCRIPTURE

Ezekiel 17:1-10 (NRSV)
Allegory of the vine


The word of the Lord came to me: O mortal, propound a riddle, and speak
an allegory to the house of Israel. Say: Thus says the Lord God:
A great eagle, with great wings and long pinions,
rich in plumage of many colors,
came to the Lebanon.
He took the top of the cedar,
broke off its topmost shoot;
He carried it to a land of trade,
set it in a city of merchants.
Then he took a seed from the land,
placed it in fertile soil;
A plant by abundant waters,
he set it like a willow twig.
It sprouted and became a vine
spreading out, but low;
Its branches turned toward him,
its roots remained where it stood.
So it became a vine;
it brought forth branches,
put forth foliage.

There was another great eagle,
with great wings and much plumage.
And see! This vine stretched out
its roots toward him;
It shot out its branches toward him,
so that he might water it.
From the bed where it was planted
it was transplanted
to good soil by abundant waters,
so that it might produce branches
and bear fruit
and become a noble vine.
Say: Thus says the Lord God:
Will it prosper?
Will he not pull up its roots,
cause its fruit to rot and wither,
its fresh sprouting leaves to fade?
No strong arm or mighty army will be needed
to pull it from its roots.
When it is transplanted, will it thrive?
When the east wind strikes it,
will it not utterly wither,
wither on the bed where it grew?


DEVOTION

Today's allegory is a wonderful reminder that we ought not put our hope in kings and kingdoms which are here today and gone tomorrow. Rather, we should put all of our hope in our God who is King of Kings and Lord of Lords, forever and ever, Amen!

As human beings we are prone to want to put our hope in kings and kingdoms that we can see. We are drawn to wealth, power, and presitgue. We want to "rub elbows" with people of importance and we sometimes allow our desire for bigger and better things to get in the way of our true worship of God Almigty.

Furthermore, we sometimes chase the "almighty dollar" or the approval of other human beings to such an extent that we sin against God--failing to love GOD with all of our hearts, minds, souls, and strength and to love our neighbors as ourselves.

Today we are reminded that it may appear--for a season--that these vain glorious pursuits are prospering. It may seem that we are making real progress as we bow dow to idol gods. But, in the final analysis, these people, places, and things that we thought were so important are going to fade away and all that is going to be left is JESUS.

Jesus once asked, "What does it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his soul?" This is an important question my friends and worth meditating upon.

As we meditate, let us remember that it is in GOD that we live and move and have our being. We can do NO-thing apart from the power of God at work in us! Let us cease our struggle and strife for stuff and rest in Jesus. God is well able to care for us!


Let us pray:

God, help me to remember that you are the only King who can never be dethroned and yours is the only kingdom which will last for eternity! Please help me to remember that my relationship with you through Christ Jesus is the most important thing in my life. Please forgive me for those times that my priorities have been out of order. Today, I give you first place in my life and pledge to share our love with others. In Jesus' Name, Amen.



INVITATION

If you have questions about how to become a friend and follower of Jesus, please see the devotion entitled, “Come to Jesus” @ http://bit.ly/JVhaL


ANNOUNCEMENT

During the Lenten Season, all Good News readers are challenged to forward this blog to one person each and every day! Read, share, and BE good news! Go in peace, serve the Lord! (Thanks be to God!)

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