A Vine or a Tree?
How useful are you to the Lord? That is a question that we all need to ask ourselves. Hopefully we are useful to our family because we are strong enough and wise enough to fulfill our responsibilities. Also, we should be useful to our employer, or we probably won't have a job for very long. It could be that we are even useful to our community in some way, so that we add value to the lives of the people around us. However, the most important thing is to be useful to God.
God gave Ezekiel a parable or an analogy to give to the people of Judah. It was to teach them a lesson. (Ezekiel 15:2) "Son of man, how does a grapevine compare to a tree? Is a vine's wood as useful as the wood of a tree?" Of course, God was not talking about the grapes that grow on the vine, just the wood of the vine. It was not strong enough to build with, and when you burned the wood of a vine, it would not burn very long or put out much heart, so it didn't compare well to the wood of a tree.
If we are spiritually weak, we are not very useful to the Lord. Spiritual growth takes time and energy. We don't get strong in the Lord automatically after we become a Christian. We have to allow the Spirit to guide us, and we have to be determined to do what He says to grow. It isn't easy. It is like physical exercise. We have to exert our muscles more and more over a period of time to get stronger. Without consistency, we will never get strong.
So, when it comes to us getting spiritually strong, we have to spend time in prayer every day, whether we feel like it or not. In fact, we need to pray without ceasing all day long. Then, we need to feast on the Word of God, reading, studying, and memorizing the Bible. The more we know and understand God's Word, the stronger we are and the more useful we are to the Lord. Then, we can share His Word with those who need it. Also, we must listen to the Spirit and serve the Lord and others in the way He tells us. The more we serve, the more we learn, and the more useful we are to the Lord.
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Tomorrow, I intend to read Ezekiel 18-20.