They made me the keeper of the vineyards, .......but my own vineyard I have not kept.
Song of Solomon 1 : 6
It may be that our Christian service is our hindrance. It is so possible to be over-busy.
We must be about our Masters business, but it is tragically possible to be so busy that we have no time for our own vineyard; to be so occupied with our work that we fail to realise the spiritual deterioration in our lives.
What does the Master of the vineyard see as He passes the vineyard of your soul? Does He see bunches of luscious grapes hanging thickly in all their attractiveness and beauty - love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, self-control?
Or because of your neglect does He see it all grown over with weeds and thorns; and the wall - which surely means divinely ordered moral standards, the cherished safeguards of the soul - broken down?
Does He see the stinging nettles of jealously, pride, envy, covetousness, impurity, self-indulgence, lying, dishonesty, bitterness, unforgiveness, in the vineyard that ought to be producing that Christlike character represented by luscious grapes?
If so, what can be done. Just three things: get rid of the weeds, rebuild the wall, and cultivate the fruit.. We have to do this, that means "us" The Lord does not do for us what He tells us, and expects us to do to follow Him.
We must first get rid of the weeds, and then bring our sin-stained life and soul, afresh to the cross for cleansing. If lazyness, and idleness was the cause of the neglected vineyard, and the weeds that grew, then deal with those things.
If we are going to cultivate fruit, well, of course we have to abide in Christ; we also cultivate fruit by reading the Word of God; and as we spend more time in prayer, we shall be cultivating the fruits.
"Prone to wander, Lord I feel it. Prone to leave the God I love.
Take my heart, O take and seal it, seal it with thy cords of love"
Song of Solomon 1 : 6
It may be that our Christian service is our hindrance. It is so possible to be over-busy.
We must be about our Masters business, but it is tragically possible to be so busy that we have no time for our own vineyard; to be so occupied with our work that we fail to realise the spiritual deterioration in our lives.
What does the Master of the vineyard see as He passes the vineyard of your soul? Does He see bunches of luscious grapes hanging thickly in all their attractiveness and beauty - love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, self-control?
Or because of your neglect does He see it all grown over with weeds and thorns; and the wall - which surely means divinely ordered moral standards, the cherished safeguards of the soul - broken down?
Does He see the stinging nettles of jealously, pride, envy, covetousness, impurity, self-indulgence, lying, dishonesty, bitterness, unforgiveness, in the vineyard that ought to be producing that Christlike character represented by luscious grapes?
If so, what can be done. Just three things: get rid of the weeds, rebuild the wall, and cultivate the fruit.. We have to do this, that means "us" The Lord does not do for us what He tells us, and expects us to do to follow Him.
We must first get rid of the weeds, and then bring our sin-stained life and soul, afresh to the cross for cleansing. If lazyness, and idleness was the cause of the neglected vineyard, and the weeds that grew, then deal with those things.
If we are going to cultivate fruit, well, of course we have to abide in Christ; we also cultivate fruit by reading the Word of God; and as we spend more time in prayer, we shall be cultivating the fruits.
"Prone to wander, Lord I feel it. Prone to leave the God I love.
Take my heart, O take and seal it, seal it with thy cords of love"
