The Vineyard

“Yet I planted you a choice vine, wholly of pure seed. How then have you turned degenerate and become a wild vine?”

John 15:1  “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.

Psalms 80:8     You brought a vine out of Egypt; you drove out the nations and planted it.  You cleared the ground for it; it took deep root and filled the land.  The mountains were covered with its shade, the mighty cedars with its branches.  It sent out its branches to the sea and its shoots to the River.  Why then have you broken down its walls, so that all who pass along the way pluck its fruit?  The boar from the forest ravages it, and all that move in the field feed on it.  Turn again, O God of hosts! Look down from heaven, and see; have regard for this vine,  the stock that your right hand planted, and for the son whom you made strong for yourself.  They have burned it with fire; they have cut it down; may they perish at the rebuke of your face!  But let your hand be on the man of your right hand, the son of man whom you have made strong for yourself!  Then we shall not turn back from you; give us life, and we will call upon your name!  Restore us, O LORD God of hosts! Let your face shine, that we may be saved!

Isaiah 5:1     Let me sing for my beloved my love song concerning his vineyard: My beloved had a vineyard on a very fertile hill.  He dug it and cleared it of stones, and planted it with choice vines; he built a watchtower in the midst of it, and hewed out a wine vat in it; and he looked for it to yield grapes, but it yielded wild grapes.  And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah, judge between me and my vineyard.  What more was there to do for my vineyard, that I have not done in it? When I looked for it to yield grapes, why did it yield wild grapes?

Jeremiah 12:10     Many shepherds have destroyed my vineyard; they have trampled down my portion; they have made my pleasant portion a desolate wilderness.

Do you see the image of Christ and those who believe and those who don’t?  See the question, “What more was there to do, that I have not done? ”  Put this into context with these verses;  “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.  For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil.”  The choice vine is Christ.  What more could He do to redeem and give people new life, eternal hope, lasting peace, courage, peace, and strength for life this side of eternity?  It seems as though we choose to live in the vineyard but want nothing to do with producing fruit worthy of the vine to which it is planted.  To live like this is a lie to ourselves.  This lie is fueled by neglect and complacency and almost total void of God’s word applied in the heart and mind of the grapes it is intended to produce.   Living this side of eternity is not a game to something to be taken lightly.  God want’s all of our heart, all of our mind, and all of our soul for the purpose of humbly serving, honoring, following and obeying Him. 

He is our true peace

“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me.”

“the LORD lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.”

“Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.”

John 16:33    I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

Psalms 29:11    May the LORD give strength to his people! May the LORD bless his people with peace!

Psalms 72:7     In his days may the righteous flourish, and peace abound, till the moon be no more!

Psalms 85:10     Steadfast love and faithfulness meet; righteousness and peace kiss each other.

Romans 5:1    Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ

Ephesians 2:14     For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility  by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace,  and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility.  And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near.

2 Thessalonians 3:16     Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in every way. The Lord be with you all.

Philippians 4:7    And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Psalms 27:1    The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?

Psalms 56:3     When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.

Psalms 56:11     in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can man do to me?

Psalms 91:5    You will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day,

Psalms 112:7    He is not afraid of bad news; his heart is firm, trusting in the LORD.

Isaiah 12:2     “Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid; for the LORD GOD is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation.”

Isaiah 41:10     fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Jeremiah 1:8    Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you, declares the LORD.”

When things are going well we understand peace, or at least we think we do.  But true peace from and through God is understood when in the times of trials and trouble we find peace that passes all understanding.  Being afraid, having concern, and worry are natural responses and common to all man in times of uncertainty.  I heard a person speak once that said: “you can not stop initial thoughts from coming to your mind but certainly what you do with them you can”.  We have our Heavenly Father walking with us.  He has given us great promises of peace even though we are under attack from situations that seem to surround us.  At times it appears we are alone in this but in fact we have our great defender, who is all powerful, all knowing, ever present at all times.  Peace is found in trusting in, relying on, and clinging to God.  Our hope and faith is built on the Creator of all there is.  We seek and find peace when it is all laid at His feet and we are carried through in His ever loving arms.  We do not know when life will throw us trials and troubles.  Keep your eyes, heart and mind on the only one who can and will protect, lead, and give you place of refuge.

Before the foundation of the world

“Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world.”

John 8:48  The Jews answered him, “Are we not right in saying that you are a Samaritan and have a demon?” Jesus answered, “I do not have a demon, but I honor my Father, and you dishonor me. Yet I do not seek my own glory; there is One who seeks it, and he is the judge.  Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death.”  The Jews said to him, “Now we know that you have a demon! Abraham died, as did the prophets, yet you say, ‘If anyone keeps my word, he will never taste death.’  Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died? And the prophets died! Who do you make yourself out to be?”  Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died? And the prophets died! Who do you make yourself out to be?” Jesus answered, “If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. It is my Father who glorifies me, of whom you say, ‘He is our God.’  But you have not known him. I know him. If I were to say that I do not know him, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and I keep his word.   Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad.” So the Jews said to him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?”  Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.” So they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple.

Proverbs 8:22    “The LORD possessed me at the beginning of his work, the first of his acts of old.  Ages ago I was set up, at the first, before the beginning of the earth.  When there were no depths I was brought forth, when there were no springs abounding with water.  Before the mountains had been shaped, before the hills, I was brought forth,  before he had made the earth with its fields, or the first of the dust of the world.  When he established the heavens, I was there; when he drew a circle on the face of the deep,  when he made firm the skies above, when he established the fountains of the deep,  when he assigned to the sea its limit, so that the waters might not transgress his command, when he marked out the foundations of the earth,  then I was beside him, like a master workman, and I was daily his delight, rejoicing before him always,

Micah 5:2      But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days.

Scripture is very clear in stating Jesus was with God from before the foundations of the world.  I don’t think much about this but probably should.  Some of the people were looking for the “Anointed One” to come.  And when He arrived in the flesh some believed He had come and others who should have been able to see did not.  Jesus looked at them and called them liars and told them they did not know God.  Today we see the same where some people see and others don’t.  Some believe and some don’t.  We are not blindly following a myth.   This is the Son of God who came to redeem the world and wishing none would perish but would come to everlasting life.  We have been given free will to believe or not.  We are give free choice to humbly serve, honor, follow and obey Him.  Our life this side of eternity is very short.   Make the most of it living for Him alone and finding heart, mind and soul desire serving Him and His purpose.

Zeal for serving God

“  Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord.”

Proverbs 18:9  Whoever is slack in his work is a brother to him who destroys.

Proverbs 10:4     A slack hand causes poverty, but the hand of the diligent makes rich.

Proverbs 23:20     Be not among drunkards or among gluttonous eaters of meat,  for the drunkard and the glutton will come to poverty, and slumber will clothe them with rags.

Proverbs 24:30    I passed by the field of a sluggard, by the vineyard of a man lacking sense,  and behold, it was all overgrown with thorns; the ground was covered with nettles, and its stone wall was broken down. Then I saw and considered it; I looked and received instruction.  A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest,  and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and want like an armed man.

Luke 15:13    Not many days later, the younger son gathered all he had and took a journey into a far country, and there he squandered his property in reckless living.

2 Peter 1:5    For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge,  and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness,  and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love.  For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.  For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins.  Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall.

I read these verses today and wonder if we are being reckless and slothful with God’s word and application into our daily life.  A little sleep here, a little rest there, and the next thing you know there are days, weeks, month, and years squander on things other than living for God.  A slack hand causes poverty and how true this is in the life of a believer who does not remain diligent in serving God.  Life appears to be fulfilling but in the end their field of influence is covered in weeds yielding no fruit.  Do not be  slack in serving God, reading His word, listening to His whispers of leading,and  following and obeying Him. Cultivate your heart, mind and soul with the word of God.  Believing, commitment, dedication and action are required for fruit and if it is produced surely it ought to be seen.