Poured Out to Produce Good Vintage
“Let me sing now for my well-beloved
(Isaiah 5: 1-2 NASB)
A song of my beloved concerning His vineyard.
My well-beloved had a vineyard on a fertile hill.
He dug it all around, removed its stones,
And planted it with the choicest vine.
And He built a tower in the middle of it
And also hewed out a wine vat in it;
Then He expected it to produce good grapes,
But it produced only worthless ones.”
“That stinks,” he said as he placed his nose inside the wineglass. “It smells like sour grapes,” he continued while wrinkling his nose and handing back the wineglass. “It just doesn’t smell good.”
Yesterday, the pastor preached about the vineyard growing, one that belonged to the landowner. Like any landowner, he wanted to grow a product that was pleasing to the palate, one that others wished to savor, and one that was profitable to his pocket. When the vineyard owner looked to purchase the land, he only chose the best hill, the one that looked just right. Then he moved to the very center and planted a single vine, one from which all others would come—“the choicest vine.”
The narrative goes that the vineyard owner knew others would strive to destroy the choice vine, so the owner commanded that a tower be constructed, one where the workers could stand watch, looking for danger and destruction lurking nearby. However, that’s not all the owner of the vineyard was invested in when it came to “His choicest vine;” He also desired and “He expected it to produce good grapes,” but we read the truth—
“But it produced only worthless ones.”
- Stinky grapes.
- Unproductive grapes.
- Stinky wine.
- Sour wine unfit for the bottles.
Grapes that need only thrown out rather than stored & savored inside the vessels.
Today, as I ponder the pastor’s message, I find myself contemplating the questions:
- Are we producing a good vintage?
- Am I producing a good vintage?
Just as the prophet Isaiah spoke about the vineyard and the wine, one book forward in God’s Word, we find the prophet Jeremiah also addressing the process of producing an acceptable wine.
“Moab has been at ease since his youth;
(Jeremiah 48: 11 NASB)
He has also been undisturbed, like wine on its dregs,
And he has not been emptied from vessel to vessel,
Nor has he gone into exile.
Therefore he retains his flavor,
And his aroma has not changed.”
What does the LORD expect of His children?
What does the LORD expect of the person who has received the Lord Jesus Christ, “His choicest vine” deep within his soul?
- HE knows us from the moment He creates us & HE loves us.
- HE chooses us & pursues us.
- HE desires us so much that He purchases us with His All.
- HE gifts us with “His choicest vine.”
- HE expects us to produce a “good wine,” one fit for the vessel.
- HE does not want us to retain our flavor from what we are—before we were chosen.
HE expects our flavor, our aroma, our taste to REFLECT HIM!
Today, as I contemplate Sunday’s message, I find myself contemplating the questions:
- Are we (God’s children) producing a good vintage?
- Am I (the child of Most Holy God) producing a good vintage?
The prophet Jeremiah continues within God’s Word to speak of the process of producing an acceptable wine.
“Therefore behold, the days are coming,”
(Jeremiah 48: 12 NASB)
declares the LORD, “when I will send to him
those who tip vessels, and they will tip him
over, and they will empty his vessels and
shatter his jars.”
What does the LORD expect of His children?
- Does the Creator, the Provider, the God of the Universe expect those who have received His Only Begotten Son to remain the same—as we once were—before we met the Lord Jesus Christ and were changed from who we once were?
- Does the Messiah, the Son of God, the Savior & Redeemer want us to retain the flavor of our past life—when we were the walking dead?
OR
- Does Almighty God expect His children to become—poured out from vessel to vessel, changing into the sweet-smelling, aroma-filled, lovely-tasting wine—HE HAS SAVED US TO BE? !!!
As I sit and consider EXACTLY what the LORD GOD expects of us (of me), it is clear that He will permit us to be “poured into situations, into struggles, into trials” that will refine us, prepare us, and make us into the worthy wine HE HAS CALLED US TO BE!
Today, as we walk through this day the LORD has gifted to us, let us be mindful with ever step we take—
How the Master of the Vineyard has placed “His choicest vine” deep within us.
How the Master of the Vineyard will send others who will lean against us, causing our vessel to tip over, even to the point of breaking.
- Let us remember WHOSE WE ARE!
- Let us remember that testing comes from the LORD GOD ALMIGHTY!
- Let us remember what the LORD GAVE TO RANSOM US!
- Let us recall where we were headed BEFORE THE LORD SAVED OUR SOUL!
May We Be Willing to Be Poured Out to Produce Good Vintage—for HIM!
“For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.”
(Philippians 1: 6 NASB)
Thank you for today’s lesson!, I just got the one about when your grandma died. She was the one I wanted to be like and live like . She was my model Cristian, Mom was y guide but Mae was in my model . This brings me to tears but they are tears of joy or I know where she is! I. Thank you God for my big sister. And the life she lived and I thank you for the beautiful memories. Love you so much Aunt Verne
Aunt Verne,
Thank you—two small words to send your way, thanking you for so much.
For reading–Thank You
For commenting back–Thank You
For reminding me of the heritage of love–Thank You
For being you–Thank You
I love you & hope to see you soon,
Nancy