A Useless Vine

Scripture:    

The word of the Lord came to me: "Son of man, how is the wood of a vine better than that of a branch on any of the trees in the forest?  Is wood ever taken from it to make anything useful. Ezekiel 15:1-2

I will make the land desolate because they have been unfaithful, declares the Sovereign Lord.  Ezekiel 15:8

This month I have been reading in the book of Ezekiel  and I read the above scripture and it spoke to me.  I realized the Ezekiel uses dramatic portrayal to arouse the curiosity of the people.  This scripture could be for us today as well as when the scripture was written.  It was to rivet their attention on the events soon to transpire in Jerusalem.  Packing his household belongings, Ezekiel heads for the city wall, where he digs a hole and climbs through---a picture of the soon-coming deportation of the people and the loss of all they called home.

Look around your house, and see if you can find at least five things that are virtually useless: broken shoestrings, pens with no ink, etc.

In chapter 15, Ezekiel likens Jerusalem to a useless vine.  Vines are excellent for growing fruit, but good for little else.  You can't make furniture or build a fire with them, or turn them into anything particularly useful. In fact, a vine that is fruitless is worthless.

The inhabitants of Jerusalem were worthless to God because of their wickedness and idolatry. They failed to produce the fruit God expected from them.  Check up on your usefulness quotient today. Does God have free rein to produce the fruit of the Spirit in your life?  It is one of the reasons Go has placed us on this planet.

PRAYER:  Lord, help us to grow so that we can let you have free rein in our life so that we can be useful and produce the fruit you want from us.  Amen

Marilyn (Jones) Albin

marilynalbin@yahoo.com