Grow and Wither

You are encouraging them to develop the good behaviours and teaching them to limit the bad behaviours.

Ezekiel 17:1-28

Reference: All the trees of the forest will know that I the Lord bring down the tall tree and make the low tree grow tall. I dry up the green tree and make the dry tree flourish. “ ‘I the Lord have spoken, and I will do it.’ ” (Ezekiel 17:24 NIV)

Explore: When becoming a parent, you are always looking for the best for your children. You are encouraging them to develop the good behaviours and teaching them to limit the bad behaviours.

Your children may not know what is best for them, but a good parent will guide them along the best path. In the end, the child will make their own decisions and it can be very difficult, as parents, to watch them suffer the consequences.

Gracious parents will always have open arms to welcome them back into the fold. But we learn quickly that we can’t always take the burden for our children.

Application: Time and time again, God has given us examples of how we should live. He has shown us throughout the history of the Bible and, through the community of the church, we are taught how to relate that to our current day.

Yet, we still think we have it all together. There are times we go out, relying on our own strength, and don’t acknowledge God’s constant presence.

It’s tricky to think that we all have free will, and yet, God can still have control to make things grow or to make them wither. I’m not sure I even have my head around that. But if we continue to serve Him and do His will, then we will already be invested in the things He is preparing to grow.

Prayer: Lord, our free will can sometimes get us into trouble. May we surround ourselves in Your word so that we understand the things that You would have grow in our lives. Amen.

What is something in your world that you would have God grow?

children, decisions, Ezekiel, free will, grow, parenting, wither