Thursday, July 12, 2018
Ezekiel 17:22-23 (NIV84) 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.
MUCH FROM NOTHING
When the promised Savior appeared on earth there was nothing about His outward appearance that would lead people to take note of Him as Someone destined to accomplish special things. But, of course, our God specializes in making much out of nothing. He deliberately chooses to do great things through things that amount to nothing in the world's eyes. Consider Jesus' lowly birth in a stable and the nowheresville village He grew up in or the humble way that He lived. In this way the Lord makes plain to us that He is the One doing the great thing of saving us from sin and death. It is His power at work in things weak and ordinary. May we always recognize that all the glory belongs to Him. He has made us living stones in His Church.
In the same way the Lord made much from nothing in causing His Church to spread and grow. He pictures this in the words of Ezekiel: "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" (17:23). The Lord here describes the remarkable future growth of His Church. It would start out small but increase in size and in the course of time become worldwide through the sowing of the Gospel seed in hearts.
During His earthly ministry Jesus was eager to share the words of eternal life with everyone. He never limited His ministrations to certain groups of people or classes of society. What a comfort this is! It assures us that the sprig that sprouted from the stem of Jesse was born in fullness of time to redeem us too. No doubt about it! Therefore, let us in turn work and pray that His reign of forgiveness may come to many more, through the preaching of the "weak" Gospel, so that souls the world over may know the joy of being part of Jesus' Church, just as we are.
