Ezekiel 17:22-23 - 'This
is what the Sovereign LORD says: I myself will take a shoot from
the very top of a cedar and plant it; I will break off a tender sprig from its
topmost shoots and plant it on a high and lofty mountain. On the
mountain heights of Israel I will plant it; it will produce
branches and bear fruit and become a splendid cedar. Birds of
every kind will nest in it; they will find shelter in the shade of its
branches.
God gave Ezekiel a word for the people in riddle form. It used
eagles and cedar shoots to explain what had happened in Jerusalem and Israel.
It explained how man had tried to do things on their own power and failed. It explained how man had tried to get out of
the punishment God intended…but all they did was make their life worse.
These verses foretold the coming of the Messiah…the plan of
God that would end the need for any more blood sacrifices. God was planning to allow his son to come to
earth as a baby….and grow up to show the world what his father’s love should
look like. His love for us would be so
great he would die for all our sins….mine and anyone else ever born.
Isaiah spoke of Jesus’ coming too. He said in Isaiah 11:1-3 ….. A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse;
from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. The Spirit of the LORD will rest
on him-- the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of
counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of
the LORD-- and he will delight in the
fear of the LORD. He will not judge by what he sees with his
eyes, or decide by what he hears with his ears;
I can’t help but think that it is the best present anyone
ever gave me for my birthday. I turn 56 this morning. I just can’t imagine
living the last 42 years without this precious gift of salvation. I haven’t got
the full meaning of it yet….cause God’s still working on me. I am still learning how to do it Jesus style…to
listen with my heart….to see with his love…to fear God above all else.
Thank you for waking me up to begin yet one more year of
life this morning. Thank you for the reminder that I got the best present for
my birthday 42 years ago….and you are still teaching me how to use it to its
fullest. Forgive me for not reading the directions
to your precious gift with more rigor…and help me to spend even more time understanding
how to use the gift of love you gave me. Teach me how to use my heart to hear and see
the needs around me each day…so I can pass on the great gift you gave me to
others. Amen.
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