Spirit Breakfast 🍞☕ 5th March 2019

*Theme:* *Worthless Vine*

*Anchor Text:* Ezekiel 15:1-8 (New Living Translation)
_15:1 Then this message came to me from the lord:_
_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?_
_15:3 Can its wood be used for making things, like pegs to hang up pots and pans?_
_15:4 No, it can only be used for fuel, and even as fuel, it burns too quickly._
_15:5 Vines are useless both before and after being put into the fire!_
_15:6 “And this is what the Sovereign lord says: The people of Jerusalem are like grapevines growing among the trees of the forest. Since they are useless, I have thrown them on the fire to be burned._
_15:7 And I will see to it that if they escape from one fire, they will fall into another. When I turn against them, you will know that I am the lord._
_15:8 And I will make the land desolate because my people have been unfaithful to me. I, the Sovereign lord, have spoken!”_

The grapevine tree is one of the well known and highly valuable trees in existence. This high value is due to the fruit it produces which can be processed into wine. This is what gives it and edge and makes it outstanding as compared to other trees upon the earth.

However, when a grapevine tree lacks and fails to bear fruits, it's value reduces greatly to that of worthlessness. Without the grape upon the tree, it is just a Vine tree.

The worthlessness of the vine is evident in it's inability to be used for other purposes like other trees. The physical characteristics of the vine tree makes it useless to be used for carpentry purposes. It is is soft, brittle, crooked, and seldom large; not so much as a "pin" (the large wooden peg used inside houses in the East to hang household articles on,) can be made of it.

Even as firewood, the vine tree still exhibits it's worthlessness as in that once fire touches it, it gets burned up so quickly. A Vine tree without grapes is utterly useless and worthless.

The story of the worthless Vine tree is that of 'how has the mighty fallen?' One thing we must capture here is that the grapevine tree has a lot of significances:
•The vine represented the future blessings of the Messiah (Genesis 49:11).
•Israel was compared to a vine in Psalm 80:8-19.
•Israel was like a vineyard (Isaiah 5:1-7).
•Israel was like a vine full of fruit (Hosea 10:1).
•Israel started out as a noble vine (Jeremiah 2:21).
•Jesus used the vine to picture the relationship He had with His people (John 15).

This alludes to the fact that Israel, God's chosen people  who were called by His name were Grapevines planted by God Himself. So this made the people of Israel feel so special and full of worth.

The sad thing is that a good number of believers are like vine trees today. We recognize and know our rights and privileges as children of God. We know that we are a _'...chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people...'_ (1 Peter 2:9) We glory in the Grace of God that has been lavished on us. We bask in God's overwhelming Love towards us and the Mercy He showers upon us daily. The blessings are pouring in steadily like rain and we revel in the euphoria of all the spiritual gifts at our disposal even when we still battle with sin from time to time. Yet with all these knowledge of how special we are to God, we are completely fruitless.

The difference between a useful vine and a useless vine is in the fruits. What fruit would you present before the Lord of Hosts when He returns? *The  fruitlessness of a believer is a product of unfaithfulness*, which is the same thing God acused the nation of Israel of in our anchor text.

When you are unfaithful to God it means you've not been abiding in Christ. His Words have not abided in you and the result is unfruitfulness which makes you ultimately worthless.

And no unfruitful vine will ever make it's way into God's kingdom rather, they are thwon away and gathered up to be burnt on that final day of judgement.

*In this Kingdom we produce fruits and if you don't, you are not one of ours.*

*Prayer:* King of Glory, we humbly ask this day that you help us that our hearts wouldn't be exalted by the rights and privileges that we have in you and neglect our service to you. May we be focused on our assignments here on Earth as we replicate you upon the face of the Earth in Jesus name.


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