Be a Fruitful Vineyard - Tuesday Praise & Pray (for others) March 23, 2021

The Bible is very clear that the Lord wants each of His children to bear fruit. That is supposed to be the hallmark of being a daughter or son of God. John 15:7-8 - If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.

And as long as we remain a fruitful vineyard, the Lord will take care of our needs. Indeed, according to Isaiah 27:2 - In that day-- "Sing about a fruitful vineyard: I, the LORD, watch over it; I water it continually. I guard it day and night so that no one may harm it.

So the question is, what are you doing to remain a fruitful vineyard?

Are you studying His word? Are you praying for yourself and others? Are you expressing gratitude? Are you living a life that reflects these indicators and much more?

Nevermind that the world has conditioned you to believe that fruitfulness must be something tangible and readily identifiable such as financial wealth or career success. Sure, those are part of the promise but they aren't the key indicators of fruitfulness.

Matthew 6:33 - But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Make Him a priority and the other things you seek will come your way.

God is more concerned about the spiritual fruits that we bear. He wants to use these fruits to touch the lives of others and bring them closer to Him. He wants to magnify His blessings in your life so that others will knock on your door and ask, "Hey, how did you get to where you are?" and when they do so, He expects us to give Him the credit. Isaiah 26:12 - LORD, you establish peace for us; all that we have accomplished you have done for us.

Now, many of us are asking But how long? You're wondering how long the wait will be until you see those spiritual and physical fruits established in your life.

I wish I had a specific time period to give you, but I'd be doing you a disservice if I even tried. Just know this, God is the God of time and seasons, and He will redeem the time you think you've lost while waiting for the fullness of His promise. You'll be like David who came to a point of rest (2 Samuel 7:1) after spending years waiting to be king while Saul chased him, his own men turned on him, and his family was kidnapped. You'll be like Hannah, who was accused of being a drunkard in the temple (gasp!) while she waited for years to have a child. She became the mother of a great prophet and servant of God - Samuel. You'll be like King Hezekiah, who was trapped in a city being bombarded by an enemy who also insulted God, only to have that enemy soundly defeated without Hezekiah or his army having to do anything but sit still and watch God work.

Focus on being a fruitful vineyard for the Lord's glory and watch Him bless you. Watch Him do what is promised in Psalms 139:5 - You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me.

God is faithful and He will do it for you.

See you at Noon EST!