Unlimited GraceUzorak

 The Grace of the Gospel Carries You 

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 (Ezekiel 47:12, NIV). 

The Gospel is like that mighty stream that is pictured in Ezekiel. It originated as a trickle from the temple, first a few inches high, and then it was up to the ankle, then up to the knee, the thigh, and then, finally, it forms mighty rivers to swim in! 

In the same way, true religion is not something we carry. True religion is something that carries us. The religion of Moses became a yoke of bondage when the Jews forgot the meaning of the symbols and the prophecies and the types. When the Jews saw these things externally only, as a means of finding heaven, they all became a yoke of bondage rather than pointing them to grace (II Corinthians 3:15–18). 

When we turn to the Lord, we suddenly see how all those Old Testament laws, types, symbols, prophecies, and sacrifices, all point us to the Saviour. The law is a school master to bring us to Christ (Galatians 3:24) and when we come to Christ and He writes the law in our hearts, we will want to do what is right.  When we fail and do not keep the law, we experience God’s free grace.  Do you feel the laws of God as a burden or as freedom? 

It is only out of gratitude. The only obedience God will accept is the obedience of gratitude. He will not accept any other. Whatever is not of faith is sin (Romans 4:23).