Believers with a Flower-Garden Faith

Through Ezekiel's vision describing the water flowing out from the temple and growing ever deeper, this passage illustrates how faith grows from a weak stage to a mature one. It also contrasts eagle faith with flower-garden faith, emphasizing that we must have a solid faith that does not waver in spiritual battle, not a faith that settles into the world's splendor and comfort.

Rather than boasting of their own righteousness or material blessings, believers must move on to a mature faith that gives thanks unconditionally for God's love and the sacrifice of the cross. To keep from growing proud, as though building a tower of Babel, swept along by Satan's temptations and worldly greed, or from falling into a darkened spirit that takes sin for granted like Sodom and Gomorrah, they must develop spiritual discernment through the word of truth and fight sin with their free will.

What God wants is not a confession made only with the lips but an unchanging faith that believes with the heart, resulting in righteousness. How should we strive to cast off a flower-garden faith that can wither at a single frost, and grow into mature people of faith who stand tall toward God like a great tree in any storm?