Dead Wood

Yesterday I mentioned the word to Ezekiel about the uselessness of a vine, which is contrasted by the life giving vine of Jesus. As I meditated on these passages, I thought of the ways that mankind takes useless things and uses them. For instance, it was a thorny vine that was used for Jesus' crown. I noticed a wreath made out of vines being used as a decoration. The other day I saw a vine carved into a walking stick......a crutch.

While on one hand it is resourceful to make a wreath and a walking stick, the words of Jesus in Matthew 23: 27-28 keep ringing in my ears: "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like white-washed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness. Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness."

There are so many things and people we put time, energy and money into trying to redeem or make useful, when we need to let them go and focus on things of real value. So much of life is wasted on the external trappings while the Lord is left waiting to receive only our leftover time, energy and money, and our personal destiny goes unfulfilled because of our focus on dead wood and dead works.