For the months of May and June, we’re exploring God’s handiwork in our lives. The last couple of weeks, we’ve meditated on the analogy of a vineyard to understand the purpose for which we were created and how God tenderly cares for us. This week, this third devotion comforts us with the assurance of fruitfulness:

IN WORD – God is looking for a good crop in the lives of His people. He has planted, cultivated, and watched over His vineyard, and He anticipates a bountiful harvest. Before Jesus died on the cross and was resurrected, that harvest was often meager, as in the case of Isaiah’s audience. Jesus Himself demonstrated the unfruitfulness of God’s people by causing a fig tree to wither and telling His own parables of disappointing vineyards.
But He also spoke of abundant life, rivers of living water, and branches that bear much fruit. His life—as He lived it on earth and as He now lives it in us—is the good crop God is looking for. We sometimes lose that insight in the details of our daily lives, and that causes us to stumble. We begin to think that God defines a good crop as more productivity: more time in prayer, more Bible verses memorized, more people served, more church services attended, and more good deeds done.
All of those can be part of a good crop if—and only if—they flow through a branch that is intimately attached to the Vine Himself. Grapes that come by any other means are not really grapes at all. Grapes that come from the true Vine, however, are sweet and succulent, nearly bursting as they are harvested. They have drawn their flavor and aroma from the life of the Vine, and they are exactly what the Vinedresser had in mind when He planted His vineyard. He looks at them with delight.
IN DEED – Believe it or not, that’s God’s plan for your life: to look at you with delight. You might have thought His plan was entirely about being a better, more productive disciple, but those are poor words that pale in comparison to the picture of the vineyard. God’s ultimate intention in your life—today and forever—is to look at your Vine-fed heart with utter delight. That should remove your pressure to perform and free you to love and flourish. As the Vinedresser watches you today, let Him see your beauty. “As the vine sends its energy through the branch to bear fruit, so Christ can send His energy through you.” – John MacArthur (in “Worship the King” by Chris Tiegreen)

Psalm 91 describes in many tangible ways the flourishing life of someone under God’s care. Take time this week to reflect on whether you are experiencing God’s plans for your life and ask the Holy Spirit to help you strengthen and enlarge the vine of your relationship with Jesus. As well, City Alight’s song “Yet Not I But Through Christ in Me” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zundjUFazfg) is a good responsive way to meditate on our assurance in Christ. Have a blessed week! – from Singapore, Pastor Sam