Monday, September 26, 2011

A GOOD LIFE

Now I will sing for the one I love a song about his vineyard: My beloved had a vineyard on a rich and fertile hill. He plowed the land, cleared its stones, and planted it with the best vines. In the middle he built a watchtower and carved a winepress in the nearby rocks. Then he waited for a harvest of sweet grapes,… Isaiah 5:1-7 (NLT)

The Lord provides the opportunity for us to live in righteousness, to serve Him, and to be productive according to His purposes. You are a part of the vineyard He has planted. He provides for you to grow and produce good fruit. He provides the fertile ground on a hill which is good for soil drainage and sunshine. He uses what happens in your life to enrich you and mature you. He is at work clearing the stones from your life that keep you from growing and depending on Him. Hebrews 12:1 reminds us to, strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us (NLT).

With all that God has done for us and is doing for us and in us, and the way He watches over us, we begin to get the picture that God expects us to grow and produce good fruit according to His will. A good foundation for a productive life that honors God and adds blessing to our lives is the personal time we spend with Him each day. Jesus said in John 15:5 “I am the vine. You are the branches. Those who live in me while I live in them will produce a lot of fruit. But you can’t produce anything without me” (GWT). You have this opportunity every day.

If you want to produce a lot of good – live, listen, and learn everyday from the One Who is good.

1 comment:

  1. How often I've only felt, tasted, smelled and seen the good life only in the things that met my immediate desires. Yes, I said desires...and not needs. How selfish and arrogant I've become to overlook the the real meaning of having a good life. I wonder how many others like me forget that the most important thing in living a good life is in the goodness of God's love and promises. As I reflect on this message I'm beginning to see that the best fruit in my life has come from some of the most tragic and uncomfortable circumstances. That is the time when I buried myself in my faith, believing that God's will was in the process of restoring my relationship with Him. It was a time to take responsibility for why my fruit had dried up...I had planted myself in infertile soil, away from the light and away from the well that watered my spirit. In the midst of a loss God began preparing to transplant me in the vineyard of his will with plenty of light from his word and cool refreshing water from his spring of life. For today Lord I give you all the praise and glory for everything you do to give me the good life. Let me never forget that my purpose is not to serve my desires but to administer to the needs of others. Thank you for growing and maturing me each step of the way. Forgive me for the times I have tried to change the definition of what a "Good Life" means. Bless Pastor David whose messages spread the truth and your Good News to all he encounters. Thank you for today...for the good life I've rediscovered in this message...Amen

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