What's your purpose?

 

Ezekiel 17:23

On the mountain heights of Israel I will plant it; it will produce branches and bear fruit and become a splendid cedar. Birds of every kind will nest in it; they will find shelter in the shade of its branches.

 

Thought for the day – What is your purpose?

Ezekiel’s vision is a vision of an eagle plucking the choicest leaves from a tree and planting it. It grows and grows and becomes this fantastic tree that provides shelter in the shade of it’s branches. That’s not where the vision ends but God comes back to it at the end of the chapter.

And it got me thinking about what the purpose of a tree is and then what our purpose is, as our churches being places where those who are vulnerable and marginalised can find shelter.

And I’m not being all social justice here. This is one of the purposes of the church. Scripture is clear about this. Right from the formation of Israel, the widow, the orphan and the foreigner have always been in the forefront of the protections God puts in place. They represent the communities that no one see or cares about. Jesus describes them as those who are hungry, thirsty, lonely, in prison. These are the people that we should be providing shelter for. These are the people our branches need to be providing shade for.

Does your church do that? If not, why not? That is part of our mission, and it’s an integral part of the great commission to make disciples. We are the tree made from the choicest shoot. We are the offshoot of the vine. We are the hands and feet of Jesus. Let’s act like it.