Monday: A Flowing River
Read Ezekiel 47:1-8. What’s going on with the temple that Ezekiel saw in vision?
The temple appears to have sprung a leak. You may wonder, did a pipe break, or what? In this case, the leak was a good thing.
Image © Greg Walker from GoodSalt.com
This water leaking out of the temple was going “toward the east.” East of Jerusalem is the Salt Sea (also known as the Dead Sea), the lowest body of water on earth. Between Jerusalem and the Dead Sea is approximately 21 miles (about 34 kilometers) of largely desert country, which includes the Arabah, also known as the depression of the Jordan and the Dead Sea. That sea itself is so salty that nothing can live there.
However, when the water from the temple reaches it, the dead waters of the sea are “healed.” This can be understood symbolically as God’s church, the temple (1 Pet. 2:4-5), reaching out and being a source of health and healing to those dead in trespasses and in sin.
Read Matthew 5:16. What is Jesus saying to us here in regard to how we are to represent Him to the world?
The Zambezi River in Zambia, Africa, starts as a shallow brook that comes from under a tree. As it flows toward Victoria Falls it grows from a brook (ankle-deep) to knee-deep, to waist-deep, and then to a river that is deep enough to swim in. Likewise, though small at the beginning, the river from the temple increased in momentum and impact, and became a river “deep enough to swim in-a river that no one could cross” (Ezek. 47:5, NIV).
Your church’s healing influence may start small, but it can grow until it transforms your community! “Our work has been presented to me as, in its beginning, a small, very small, rivulet.” – Ellen G. White, Testimonies for the Church, vol. 7, p. 171.
| Light, water-both of these are images used to talk about what God can do through us to help others. How can we become better conduits for ministering to those in need? |
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"Let your light shine so before,that they may Glorify your father in heaven" -Matthew 5v16.
I see two principles of stewardship in this verse as well as in todays lesson.The stewardship of INFLUENCE and SPEECH.these two are so intertwined when we get into or among people,our actions,our choice of dress,hairstyle,and how we behave whether angry,annoyed,irritated,excited,how we express love to our marital partners,kids and those we date and how we speak has so much influence such that before we minister to a community of people who know us,our prior influence already determines whether the Jesus in us whom we reflect or portray or shine before men is worthy to be glorified or not by those who see how we live and behave amongst them during the week.
Our influence is measured daily by non adventists and even worse we also measure each other such that we get to a point of washing our dirty linen in public and instead of lifting up Christ,we expose the filth amongst us to the world.may we position ourselves to the will of God so that He shall reach out to people through our sanctified lives.
I read to the end of the chapter and found God's intention for the Arabs! "And it shall come to pass, that ye shall divide it by lot for an inheritance unto you, and to the strangers that sojourn among you, which shall beget children among the children of Israel; ...".
In everything that we do should bring honour and glory to God. The way we interact with people who are of different class than us or social status should reveal that we are children of God and His ambassador. We must not look for praise for the good that we do because that is the manifestation of God working in us.
What a commentary. As i read Ezekiel 47 vs 1-8 I couldn't help but think of a national geographic program I once saw about Zambezi river where it starts and the journey it takes across the countries till it reaches the ocean, likewise our influence can flow across all against race or class. As we drink from the river of life may our lives be changed to be a great testimony to those around us.
Victor,
Your comment this morning deeply touched my heart. The aggravations of this world (at times)can cause me to act in such a way that is contrary to what I believe Jesus expects of me. I want others to see Jesus in all I do. Not on a part time bases. But, ALL THE TIME....
Wonderful is the work which the Lord designs to accomplish through His church, that His name may be glorified. A picture of this work is given in Ezekiel’s vision of the river of healing: “These waters issue out toward the east country, and go down into the desert, and go into the sea: which being brought forth into the sea, the waters shall be healed. And it shall come to pass, that everything that liveth, which moveth, whithersoever the rivers shall come, shall live:... and by the river upon the bank thereof, on this side and on that side, shall grow all trees for meat, whose leaf shall not fade, neither shall the fruit thereof be consumed: it shall bring forth new fruit according to his months, because their waters they issued out of the sanctuary: and the fruit thereof shall be for meat, and the leaf thereof for medicine.” Ezekiel 47:8-12. AA 13.1
you will realize that nomatter how small our actions maybe ,it is always sending a message about the God we worship to the people around us.sometimes we fail to even evangelise to the people we live with because they look and weigh our deeds weather they reflect the love that was in jesus.thus we should not forget to preach about jesus in the smallest means
As we surrender ourselves to the Holy spirit daily, spend time in prayer and feed upon His word we will be empowered by God to be influential in any situation we engage in. The will of God will become our way of life to the extent that when we are executing our daily duties we will be effectively accomplishing God's will for our lives and thus impact our communities in a positive, progressive way.