Today let’s honor God, the perfect Vinedresser:
“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.
Isaiah 5:1b-2a
We’ve learned that unredeemed humans can’t produce good fruit for God’s glory. We’ve rejoiced that Jesus is the True Vine through whom we may now be branches that bear much fruit for God’s glory!
God, the Vinedresser, does the work. He cultivates the soil of our hearts to remove the hard places and plant good seed. He protects. He is patient. He uses the things that come into our lives to conform us into the image of Christ for more fruit bearing. He isn’t a wild man with a set of pruning sheers running through the vineyard. He is a gracious and loving Father who prunes us perfectly for great reason. It means He is near. It means you are His.
“Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away;
and every branch that bears fruit,
He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit.”
John 15:2
I love the photo above. Look at the fruit! It’s coming from the branches, but you can’t tell which branch is bearing what. All praise goes to the Vine and the Vinedresser. And that is why we were created!
So rest today, knowing that your Vinedresser loves you and is working. Stop striving and enjoy resting in Jesus, obeying His instruction. Much fruit means much glory for God. May all the ends of the earth stand in awe of Him!