I'm Following Jesus – Page 2080 – Mark 8:34 And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.

KJB Daily Devotion – Following Jesus Through Every Chapter
Date: Friday, August 31, 2018
Chapters: Ezekiel 16-17
Message: Planted In Christ

Hello My Friend,

There is no better gift than eternal life, and the only way we can get it is through Jesus Christ our LORD. Amazingly, the second we get it we keep it, no matter how many times we mess up, even if we walked away from God right now we would still see Him in heaven because we are trusting only in His Son for our salvation, regardless of any good or bad that we have done. Praise God! However, eternal life does not mean we will not face the consequences of sin should we choose to remain living in sin. Christian’s are not perfect by a long shot, no one is, but we can learn to live the way God wants us to live so we can enjoy life on earth before we get to heaven without the added pain and suffering of living in sin. “Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.” – Galatians 5:1,13.

Sin always brings consequence, and as much as we try to avoid it it runs to us because of our sin nature. We can tame our sin nature as we develop our relationship with Christ, the closer we get to Him and do the things He does the more we become like Him, hence we become a reflection of Him. As long as we stick close to Him we will resist temptation, but if we have just one hand or foot leaning away from Him that temptation starts to look good to us, which is why so many Christian’s get caught up in some of the worst sins. When God chose Israel to be His people, He did not because they were more righteous than anyone else, He did it because He made a promise to Abraham and Jacob. Through Ezekiel, God describes the state of Israel as a homeless and naked bride that He married, took in, and cleaned up.

“Now when I passed by thee, and looked upon thee, behold, thy time was the time of love; and I spread my skirt over thee, and covered thy nakedness: yea, I sware unto thee, and entered into a covenant with thee, saith the Lord GOD, and thou becamest mine. Then washed I thee with water; yea, I throughly washed away thy blood from thee, and I anointed thee with oil. I clothed thee also with broidered work, and shod thee with badgers’ skin, and I girded thee about with fine linen, and I covered thee with silk. I decked thee also with ornaments, and I put bracelets upon thy hands, and a chain on thy neck. And I put a jewel on thy forehead, and earrings in thine ears, and a beautiful crown upon thine head. Thus wast thou decked with gold and silver; and thy raiment was of fine linen, and silk, and broidered work; thou didst eat fine flour, and honey, and oil: and thou wast exceeding beautiful, and thou didst prosper into a kingdom.” – Ezekiel 16:8-13.

“and thou didst prosper into a kingdom.” As long as we stick close to Jesus we prosper, and even though we may face some trials as Christians, we endure them, overcome them, and through them become stronger in the LORD. However, we are no exception to the Jews, just as Israel fell we too can fall, and just as quick. Through Ezekiel God describes Israels fall as an adulterous, whorish wife.

“Thou hast moreover multiplied thy fornication in the land of Canaan unto Chaldea; and yet thou wast not satisfied herewith. How weak is thine heart, saith the Lord GOD, seeing thou doest all these things, the work of an imperious whorish woman; In that thou buildest thine eminent place in the head of every way, and makest thine high place in every street; and hast not been as an harlot, in that thou scornest hire; But as a wife that committeth adultery, which taketh strangers instead of her husband! They give gifts to all whores: but thou givest thy gifts to all thy lovers, and hirest them, that they may come unto thee on every side for thy whoredom. Behold, therefore I will gather all thy lovers, with whom thou hast taken pleasure, and all them that thou hast loved, with all them that thou hast hated; I will even gather them round about against thee, and will discover thy nakedness unto them, that they may see all thy nakedness. And I will judge thee, as women that break wedlock and shed blood are judged; and I will give thee blood in fury and jealousy.” – Ezekiel 16:29-33,37-38.

“that they may come unto thee on every side for thy whoredom.” You think that sin acts alone? It does not, we do what we do in the first place because we were first enticed by someone else. You see, we think we can overcome sin on our own, but we cannot, we need Christ for He is our strength. The second we loosen that grip on Him and temptation comes knocking on the door, it is much easier to let it in. And if we do and seem to have gotten away with it that makes it more tempting to go back. The problem with sin is that it never satisfies, it always leaves us wanting more, and if we keep living like that, before we know it we are living in sin and thinking we are off the hook because we have not gotten caught. That is when the warnings begin, and if not taken judgment until all of a sudden it is exposed to the world. “But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.” – James 1:14-15.

God’s purpose for judgment of His people is to reclaim their hearts, to get them back to trusting in Him, and not the false gods they have created. God is unchanging in His character and He will not bless anyone who assumes He will overlook their sinful lives because their good religious works are highly praised by others. Through Ezekiel, He tells a parable about some trees, reminding the faithful of His everlasting covenant with them.

“Thus saith the Lord GOD; I will also take of the highest branch of the high cedar, and will set it; I will crop off from the top of his young twigs a tender one, and will plant it upon an high mountain and eminent: In the mountain of the height of Israel will I plant it: and it shall bring forth boughs, and bear fruit, and be a goodly cedar: and under it shall dwell all fowl of every wing; in the shadow of the branches thereof shall they dwell. And all the trees of the field shall know that I the LORD have brought down the high tree, have exalted the low tree, have dried up the green tree, and have made the dry tree to flourish: I the LORD have spoken and have done it.” – Ezekiel 17:22-24.

“and have made the dry tree to flourish:” God has a knack for bring life to dead things, once we receive Christ as our Saviour He gives life to our dead souls, after that it is up to us to see it flourish as we allow Him to live in and through us. This parable is actually God telling the Jews that He was going to engraft the Gentiles into the vine. We underestimate just how beautiful and essential trees are, apart from becoming wood or paper, they clean the air, produce much needed oxygen, and provide food for all of God’s creation. In order for trees to flourish they need to have good roots, the second the root gets damaged the tree begins to die. Amazingly, dead roots can be separated from the living and with proper care will begin to flourish once again. The root to man is its soul, but the one who gives life to the soul is the true Vine, Jesus Christ, if we are not rooted in Him, we will die eternally. Sin can damage our roots, but Jesus can give us the proper care to remove them, and help us flourish. “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.” – John 15:4,5

Jesus Christ Magnified: “Thus saith the Lord GOD; I will also take of the highest branch of the high cedar, and will set it; I will crop off from the top of his young twigs a tender one, and will plant it upon an high mountain and eminent: In the mountain of the height of Israel will I plant it: and it shall bring forth boughs, and bear fruit, and be a goodly cedar: and under it shall dwell all fowl of every wing; in the shadow of the branches thereof shall they dwell.” – Ezekiel 17:22-23.

Today’s Prayer: God, I know that I have done wrong in my life, but thanks to Your mercy, grace, and sending Your Son to die for me all the wrong is now erased, never to be remembered by You. God, forgive me for subjecting my mind, body, and living soul to things that are shameful to You. Lead me and guide me, show me the path to take that leads me to the Godly, Christ centered, joyful life that brings life not only to my soul, but mind, spirit, and body too. Give me Your power, mercy, grace and strength to flourish in Your vine. I love You, Lord and ask these things in Jesus’ name. Amen.

God Bless You, I am praying for you,

Christina

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