Ezekiel 48

Ezk 48:35b And the name of the city from that time on shall be, The Lord Is There." (ESV)

With these words, "The Lord is There," the book of Ezekiel ends. This final chapter describes how the land will be allotted and laid out with the prince, the priests and the temple at the center. "The Lord is There" is particularly significant because earlier in Ezekiel's prophecy he watched the glory of the Lord leave the temple and the city. The Lord was clearly not there. For all of the apocalyptic and cryptic visions of Ezekiel, he ends with a clear, simple statement of promise and hope. There will be a day when it can again be said of Israel and Jerusalem, "the Lord is there."

What does a nation and a city look like when God is in her midst? Much of the final few chapters of Ezekiel are dedicated to communicating just that. But that raises another question. What does a life look like when the Lord is there? Perhaps the best description of that is listed in Galatians 5. God called it the fruit of the Spirit.

Fruit can be imitated. People can hang wax fruit on a tree, stand back and say, "Look at what a fruitful tree I have." But that doesn't make the tree fruitful. It only makes it fake. By the same token, people can fake the fruit of the Spirit, at least for a time. We can grit our teeth and try real hard. We can put on an act that is contrary to who we really are. But when the Spirit is active, when the Lord is there, genuine fruit results and God is glorified.

Father, forgive me for how often I have been willing to settle for "wax" fruit in my life rather than truly allowing you to be at the center of who I am. Today may I walk in humble dependence and may those around me truly see the fruit of the Spirit.

By His grace,
Rick weinert