Soon after we purchased our earthly forever home many years ago, we wanted to plan a garden. We had grown a fabulous garden at our previous rental house, canned most of the crop, and enjoyed the harvest of some fantastic vegetables well into the winter. But now we finally owned our own land, and we were brimming with excitement at the thought of cultivating that land. We cleared the land, plowed up that small plot, fertilized it, hedged it with a fence, and sowed our crops. But much to our dismay, the harvest never came. Despite our most earnest efforts, the land didn’t produce, the plants ever matured into a bountiful crop. To say that we were disappointed would be quite the understatement.
With that fruitless garden in mind, my heart was deeply saddened by the situation presented by the prophet Isaiah in my Bible reading today. God Himself had planted a vineyard. He lovingly tended His vineyard, He “fenced it,” He carefully “gathered out the stones.” This was no ordinary seed that He planted, but “the choicest vine.” As protection for His precious crop, He “built a tower in the midst of it.” He waited patiently for the fruit to mature, but it didn’t. Instead of juicy, luscious grapes, the vineyard yielded “wild grapes,” sour and hard, useless, bitter, and unprofitable. The analogy is striking. God had called out His people, separated them from the heathen nations round about them, lavished upon them His love, care, and protection. That unspeakable kindness and love was repaid with rebellion and idolatry. With deep sadness God laments, “What could I have done more for my vineyard?” That tearful phrase breaks my heart; does He ever feel that way about me?
Our Savior has bestowed His love, grace, and mercy on those of us who have called upon Him for salvation. He has chosen us, called us out. He protects us, guides us, carries us, and leads us in our daily walk. He has ordained us to one purpose, that purpose being that we “should go and bring forth fruit.” How’s our fruit? Are we reflecting the glory of God in our life, or are we bearing “wild grapes?”
John 15:16 Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain.
Lord, I don’t want to be as those wild grapes, not bearing the fruit that You intended me to bear. You have done so much for me, help me to be a fruit-bearing child of the King.