May the mumbling commence!
Oh, to be nourished and healed! That’s what the river of life can provide
that flows out of the Temple of the Lord.
Embrace that river. But,
beware! The Lord Almighty may take you
to places and responsibilities that you did not anticipate. Read from one of my favorite passages of
Ezekiel in chapter forty-seven:
Then the man brought me back to the entrance of the
Temple. There I saw a stream flowing eastward from beneath the Temple
threshold. This stream then passed to the right of the altar on its south
side. The man brought me outside the
wall through the north gateway and led me around to the eastern entrance. There
I could see the stream flowing out through the south side of the east
gateway. Measuring as he went, he led me
along the stream for 1,750 feet and told me to go across. At that point the water was up to
my ankles. He measured off another 1,750 feet and told
me to go across again. This time the water was up to my knees.
After another 1,750 feet, it was up to my waist. Then he measured another 1,750 feet, and the river was too deep to cross without swimming.
He told me to keep in mind
what I had seen; then he led me back along the riverbank. Suddenly, to my surprise, many trees were
now growing on both sides of the river!
Then he said to me, "This river flows east through the desert into the
Jordan Valley, where it enters the Dead Sea. The waters of this stream will heal the salty waters of the Dead
Sea and make them fresh and pure. Everything
that touches the water of this river will live. Fish will abound in the
Dead Sea, for its waters will be healed. Wherever
this water flows, everything will live. Fishermen will stand along the shores of the
Dead Sea, fishing all the way from En-gedi to En-eglaim. The shores will be
covered with nets drying in the sun. Fish of every kind will fill the Dead Sea,
just as they fill the Mediterranean! But the marshes and swamps will not be
purified; they will be sources of salt.
All kinds of fruit
trees will grow along both sides of the river. The leaves of these trees will
never turn brown and fall, and there will always be fruit on their branches.
There will be a new crop every month, without fail! For they are watered by the river flowing from the Temple. The fruit
will be for food and the leaves for healing." (Verses 1-12)
How much of our lives are we willing to give to the
Lord? Do we wade in the kiddies’
pool? Or do we jump into the deep
waters?
And we are not talking about a calm lake. We are talking about a living river,
constantly flowing. Our faith life is a
journey. It never remains the same. Life and vitality meet the people who are
watered by this stream that turns into an unpredictable river.
God will take you up and plant you like one of the trees
by the river. So, what it is our God-given
goal? To see that the multitudes get fed
from God’s Word is our goal. To provide
a safe place for healing is our goal.
So, let’s jump in! And bask in the praise of our Lord… not the
praise of humanity. Read from John
chapter twelve:
But despite all the
miraculous signs he had done, most of the people
did not believe in him. This is exactly what Isaiah the prophet had
predicted:
"Lord, who
has believed our message? To whom will the Lord reveal his saving
power?"
But
the people couldn't believe, for as Isaiah also said,
"The Lord
has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts—
so their eyes
cannot see, and their hearts cannot understand,
and they cannot
turn to me and let me heal them."
Isaiah was referring to Jesus
when he made this prediction, because he was given a vision of the Messiah's
glory. Many people, including some of the Jewish leaders,
believed in him. But they wouldn't admit it to anyone because of their fear that the Pharisees would expel
them from the synagogue. For they loved human praise more than the
praise of God. (Verses
37-43)
May all we do bring praise from
God!
Enough mumbling for now…
Peace Out
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