Rooted In Christ

Date: Wednesday, September 03, 2014
Today's Chapters: Ezekiel 17-19
Message Title: Rooted In Christ
Hello My Friend,

There is no better gift than the gift of eternal life. Amazingly, once we get saved we are always saved, no matter how many times we mess up. If you were to walk away from God right now, you would still see Him when you die because you are trusting only in Jesus Christ for your salvation, not by any good or bad that You have done. Praise God! However, eternal life does not mean that a person living in sin will not face consequences of those sins. 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 for 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.

When God sent the Jews to Babylon He did so in order to turn them away from their sin, and back to Him. Some people escaped the capture and were intent on doing what they wanted anyway. God was not please and used Ezekiel to tell them what was about to happen as the result of their breaking their covenant with Him. Still talking about vines, God gives a parable about two eagles, Babylon and Egypt, and the dead branches of Israel, which would be cut off. Within this warning comes a promise, a goodly tree, one they could dwell in and be saved. “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.

Trees, as beautiful and essential as they are, we underestimate what a tree can do, apart from becoming wood or paper, trees 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 get damaged the tree begins to die. Amazingly, dead roots can be separated from living and with proper care they will begin to flourish once again. The root to man is it's 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. 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.
There are people who live in the world who are honestly good people, they are quick to help those in need, try to do the right thing, and even believe in God. However, there is one big difference, they do not know Jesus. We will all stand before Jesus one day, those who know Him will be in heaven, those who do not will be in hell. This is where a lot of people reject God, they cannot understand how God can send a good person to hell when they have done nothing wrong. The truth is, we have all done something wrong at one point in our lives, it is pride that keeps us from admitting that. Whether we feel we deserve it or not, God says the punishment for sin is hell. Through Ezekiel, God explains why the wicked can be saved, the good can end up in hell, and why none of our own righteousness can save us.

“Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die. The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him. But if the wicked will turn from all his sins that he hath committed, and keep all my statutes, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live, he shall not die. All his transgressions that he hath committed, they shall not be mentioned unto him: in his righteousness that he hath done he shall live. But when the righteous turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and doeth according to all the abominations that the wicked man doeth, shall he live? All his righteousness that he hath done shall not be mentioned: in his trespass that he hath trespassed, and in his sin that he hath sinned, in them shall he die.” - Ezekiel 18:4,20-22,24.
Since God is our Creator, He has control over our souls, we can do whatever we want with our body but in the end, the soul is God's, and He decides where it will end up when our flesh dies. Sin is any wrongdoing that we have ever done from the time we knew we can get away with something, sin is sin in God's eyes, whether a person has killed someone or lied, it is still sin, and the punishment is hell. That is why righteousness cannot save us, the second we sin again, all of the good gets cast out. It's like when you make one mistake and it's only the mistake people remember for years to come. There is only one way to be redeemed and saved from hell, and that is making Jesus Christ your Saviour. “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.” - Titus 3:5-7.

God gives commands so we can live the best life we can live here on earth and not have to suffer too much, it is sad that so many people think that His laws are unjust and cruel. While we are no longer subject to the laws of Moses, they do hold some merit because it is things that we should be doing anyway. What is wrong with having a little discipline in our lives, to live a moral life that does not defile our bodies or anyone else's? We are children of God, He lives inside of every believer, yet, day after day many chose to defile what Jesus sacrificed His life to save. God does not want to see anyone one of His souls end up in hell, no matter what wrong they have done, but it's time we repent, turn away from our sins, and turn back Jesus.

“Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die? saith the Lord GOD: and not that he should return from his ways, and live? Again, when the wicked man turneth away from his wickedness that he hath committed, and doeth that which is lawful and right, he shall save his soul alive. Because he considereth, and turneth away from all his transgressions that he hath committed, he shall surely live, he shall not die. Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways, saith the Lord GOD. Repent, and turn yourselves from all your transgressions; so iniquity shall not be your ruin. Cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby ye have transgressed; and make you a new heart and a new spirit: for why will ye die, O house of Israel?” - Ezekiel 18:23, 27,28, 30,31.
A soul with out Jesus Christ is a dead soul, it has no life to it, it wanders around looking for some kind of life, but cannot find it. A soul that has Jesus Christ is a living soul, it has life to it, but it too can wander, looking for life, and until it submits solely to Jesus Christ it cannot be found. “Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him. For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.” - Romans 6:9-12.
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, since I made Him my Saviour. Lord, forgive me for subjecting my mind, body, and living soul to things that are shameful, and or an abomination to You. Lead me and guide me, show me the path to take that leads me to the godly, Christ filled, joyful life that brings life not only to my soul, but mind, spirit, and body too. 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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