Good tree

Ezekiel 47:12 
Fruit trees of all kinds will grow on both banks of the river. Their leaves will not wither, nor will their fruit fail. Every month they will bear fruit, because the water from the sanctuary flows to them. Their fruit will serve for food and their leaves for healing.

Imagine a river that flows continuously with fresh, nutrient-rich, life-giving water. Imagine a climate where the weather is always just right, perfect for planting and growing. Imagine trees that are always bearing ripe fruit, every month of the year. Imagine trees whose leaves contain healing power. Sounds like a great place to me.

Well, this was Ezekiel’s vision of the area surrounding God’s temple. Out of the temple, flowing toward the east, was a deep river. Its water caused the trees on both sides to flourish in every season. The river flowed all the way to the sea, bringing its healing power and strength along with it. Even the sea was healed by the water that flowed from God’s temple (Ezekiel 47:8). The trees grew strong and produced good fruit and provided healing with their leaves.

This is an incredible picture of the Christian life. We have become the Temple of God wherein the Holy Spirit resides (1 Corinthians 16:19). Out of us should flow a river of Living Water: the grace that’s offered through the finished work of Christ (John 4:14). Not only are we the Temple from which the Living Water flows, but we are also the trees that line its banks.

We are Christians who, in all seasons, produce good fruit! We don’t produce rotten fruit; we produce the Fruit of the Spirit because Jesus lives within us. We should be bearing the fruits of love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 22:23). There is no law against these things! Moreover, our hands, symbolized by the leaves of the trees, are for bringing the healing and restorative power of Jesus Christ to others.

This River that flows is a never ending supply of grace. It is His grace that caused us to take root. It is His grace that grew us into strong trees. It is His grace that supplies us with the nutrition to produce good fruit. It is His grace that works in our hands to bring healing to those around us. And, in the end, it will be His grace that reaches the sea, and it too will be healed.

Know that you are a tree planted by the River. You are a good tree because the source of your growth is good, not because you work hard to be good. Because you have a perfect Source you have been given the gracious power to produce good and nourishing fruit, food for the masses. Because you have a perfect Source, you have been given the power to heal and restore.

The more Jesus you drink up, the stronger you become. The more Jesus you consume, the healthier your fruit is and the greener your leaves become. Choose today to drink from the River and then let the River flow to those around you. Allow it to run its course all the way to the sea!