SCRIPTURE: Ezekiel 31
OBSERVATION/APPLICATION:
I made it beautiful with abundant branches, the envy of all the trees of Eden in the garden of God. [Ezekiel 31:9]
Today’s words are a warning to the king of Egypt, using the glory and fall of Assyria as an example of what is coming.
Assyria is compared to a tree in Paradise – that is quite a comparison!
This is no doubt poetic emphasis, making the point that no matter how great Assyria had become, she also came crashing down.
In this world, when the great and mighty ‘trees’ do not produce the kind of ‘fruit’ that God expects, they will be torn down.

The next day as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus was hungry. Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to find out if it had any fruit. When he reached it, he found nothing but leaves, because it was not the season for figs. Then he said to the tree, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his disciples heard him say it. [Mark 11:12-14]
Jesus uses the fig tree as an illustration for the failure of Israel – God’s specially chosen and blessed people – to produce good fruit, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, etc.
It seems kind of harsh, since it was not the season for figs.
But the disciples had heard Jesus often talking about producing good fruit, and cutting down trees with no or bad fruit, that they would know what this meant.
Mark connects this incident with the cleansing of the temple [Mark 11:15ff], to show the connection between this active parable and His stern rebuke of the temple leaders.

God holds all of us accountable for our actions, and for the results of our lives.
Not just those who believe in Him, but everyone.
Name any person, celebrity or ordinary person, known or unknown.
He gifts every person, plants them like a tree, and expects them to bloom where they are planted.
No one can claim success on their own, God is behind it all.
And He holds everyone accountable for what they do with the position they have been given; and if people abuse or waste their opportunity, He will take it away from them.

What am I doing with the life and opportunity and gifts that He has entrusted me?
A day is coming when God will look over my branches to see what kind of life I am producing with the ‘beauty’ and ‘abundance’ He has given to me.
He gives me plenty of warning, it’s not like I didn’t know this was coming.
I have everything I need for life and godliness, am I making the effort to be fruitful?
For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. [2 Peter 1:5-8]

PRAYER:
Lord, may I not be ineffective or unproductive. May my life be the kind of life that produces Your blessing, not Your cursing.