I the Lord do keep it.

Luke 13:⁶He spake also this parable; A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came and sought fruit thereon, and found none.  ⁷Then said he unto the dresser of his vineyard, Behold, these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and find none: cut it down; why cumbereth it the ground?  ⁸And he answering said unto him, Lord, let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about it, and dung it:  ⁹And if it bear fruit, well: and if not, then after that thou shalt cut it down.

John 15:  ¹I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.  ²Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.  ³Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.  ⁴Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.

Isaiah 27  ²In that day sing ye unto her, A vineyard of red wine.  ³I the LORD do keep it; I will water it every moment: lest any hurt it, I will keep it night and day.

Here we see our Father is the Husbandman, the Keeper of the vine, the Overseer of our salvation, inspecting His vineyard.  See His desire for you to bear fruit, see His expectancy of this end result.

At this you may despair, saying “I have no fruit, and His eye is on me!”

But look! There is hope.  You are in Christ and He stands before the father saying, “Let me dig around them and fertilize them.  I will water them every moment. Unless anyone hurts them, I will watch over them day and night.  I will give them everything they need to bear fruit. I am the vine and as they abide in me, they will bear fruit for Your Glory, Father.”

Can you see the tenderness of the Husbandman? How His every effort and plan in your life is for your growth and your benefit?  Can you see how He guards you jealously, how He treasures you? See how He nurtures you and gives you time to mature and to grow!

You are not alone in your effort to abide in Christ.  The Lord and our Father are both endeavoring to keep you in Christ, to aid you in your walk.  Trust Him and let Him keep you in the Vine, knowing how great a price He paid to enable your grafting into the Vine.

Do you see Christ endeavoring on your behalf in your life? Have you experienced the joy of abiding? Do you have questions about the process? Feel free to ask a question or leave a comment.

Through the waters

There you are, knee deep in the waters of life.  Maybe you made a mess of things.  Maybe someone else made a mess of things for you.  Maybe the devil has it out for you and he made a mess of things.   Maybe you let the faucet of the world flow into your life, and now you are flooded by fear and doubt.

Maybe you’ve responded to the Lord’s call on your life and you are sinking.

Matthew 14:²⁹And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus.  ³⁰But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink…”

Let’s pause there .

For a moment we won’t think about how you got knee deep in water.  You are wet and worried.  What now?

Isaiah 43:¹But now thus saith the LORD that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine.  ²When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.

First, realize that He, the Lord Jesus Christ, is with you.  Whatever you are going through, you must grasp that the Lord is present as well, and He isn’t just a bystander, shaking His head at our pitiful performance.  What can He do?

He  “stilleth the noise of the seas, the noise of their waves, and the tumult of the people.” (Psalm 65:7)

He  “rulest the raging of the sea: when the waves thereof arise, thou stillest them.” (Psalm 89:9)

You might say “ The floods have lifted up, O LORD, the floods have lifted up their voice; the floods lift up their waves.” (Psalm 93:3)

But look! “The LORD on high is mightier than the noise of many waters, yea, than the mighty waves of the sea.” (Psalm 93:4)

Then, realizing He is there and can do something, Look at Him! Getting back to the sinking Peter…

“‘….and  beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me.  ³¹And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?  ³²And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased.

File your claim with the Lord, knowing He cares for you and is present (even mighty) to save you.  Quit looking at the problems, and get your eyes on Christ.  Isn’t He who promised faithful? Isn’t He able to perform His word in your life?  Absolutely.

Jesus desires you and His grace makes His greatness available to you and whatever mess you are in.