Hello friends!
Have you ever planted a seed and waited for something to grow? Maybe you planted a flower, a vegetable, or even watched a tiny seed grow into a big tree. When we plant something, we hope it will grow into something beautiful and useful.
In today’s Bible readings, Jesus talks about a vineyard. A vineyard is a place where people grow grapes. But Jesus wasn’t really just talking about grapes. He was using the vineyard to help us understand something very important about God, us, and the way we live our lives.
🍇 God Gives Us So Much
In the book of Isaiah, the Bible tells us about a vineyard owner who worked very hard to take care of his vineyard. He prepared the soil. He removed the stones. He planted the very best vines. He built a tower to protect the vineyard. He even prepared a place to make wine from the grapes. The owner did everything necessary to help the vineyard grow. But when it was time to look for grapes, something was wrong. Instead of good grapes, the vineyard had produced bad fruit. Isaiah uses this story to remind us that God has given us so many wonderful gifts, hoping that good things will grow in our lives because of all that He has given us. Things like ❤️ Love 🤝 Kindness 💛 Compassion 🙏 Forgiveness ⚖️ Justice 🕊️ Peace 🌱 Faithfulness… God wants our lives to grow good fruit!
🏡 Who Owns the Vineyard?
Then Jesus tells another story about a vineyard. A landowner planted a vineyard and then gave some people the job of taking care of it. When harvest time came, the owner sent people to collect some of the fruit. But the tenants treated them terribly. The owner sent more people. The tenants treated them badly, too. Finally, the owner sent his own son. And the tenants rejected him as well. That sounds like a pretty terrible story, doesn't it? But Jesus wasn't simply telling a story about some mean people who lived a long time ago. This story is for us too… And He wants us to think about how we are living our lives as His followers.
Sometimes we forget that everything we have is a gift from God. We might think… “This is MY time.” “These are MY talents.” “This is MY money.” “This is MY life.” But God reminds us that we are actually caretakers of all these things… things that He has given us. God has trusted us with a little piece of His vineyard. And in this story we discover that God is asking us…“What will you do with what I have given you?”
🪨 The Cornerstone
Then Jesus tells us something very important. He talks about a cornerstone. A cornerstone is a special stone used when building a house or building. It helps provide the foundation and gives the builders a point from which to build the rest of the structure. Jesus said… “The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.” Jesus was talking about Himself. People rejected Jesus. They didn't understand who He was. But God made Jesus the most important part of His plan. Jesus is our cornerstone. That means Jesus should be at the center of our lives. When Jesus is our cornerstone, He helps us treat people the right way. He helps us use our time responsibly. He shows us what is really important. He teaches us to forgive. He teaches us to love people who are different from us. He teaches us to care about people who are hurting. He teaches us to choose kindness instead of anger and peace instead of fighting.
🌱 What Is Growing in Your Life?
Here's something to think about this week… What is growing in your life? Is kindness, patience, love and forgiveness growing? Or are anger, selfishness, jealousy, or unkindness starting to take up too much space? The good news is that God doesn't give up on us when we make mistakes. God keeps reaching for us. God keeps loving us. God keeps teaching us. God keeps giving us opportunities to grow. That's called grace. We don't have to be perfect. We simply need to stay connected to Jesus and allow Him to help us grow.
🍇 Let's Grow Good Fruit!
This week, let's remember that we are workers in God's vineyard. God has given each of us something special to care for. Whatever God has placed in our hands, let's use it to grow something good. So, ask God… “God, what do You want to grow in my life?” Then watch what happens when we let Jesus be the cornerstone. Because when Jesus is at the center, our lives can grow beautiful fruit.
🙏 A Prayer for the Week
Dear God,
Thank You for all the wonderful things You have given us. Help us remember that our lives are gifts from You. Help us let Jesus be the cornerstone of our lives. Teach us to grow good fruit by loving others, forgiving others, showing kindness, and helping people who are hurting. Help us take good care of the little part of Your vineyard You have trusted to us.
Amen.
Hope to see you at Bella Quinn this Sunday!… Melissa
