EmmDev 2018-01-26 [Insights from Isaiah] Our purpose - Bearing Fruit

Our purpose - Bearing Fruit

I will sing for the one I love a song about his vineyard: My loved one had a vineyard on a fertile hillside. 2 He dug it up and cleared it of stones and planted it with the choicest vines. He built a watchtower in it and cut out a winepress as well. Then he looked for a crop of good grapes, but it yielded only bad fruit.      (Isaiah5:1-2)

Isaiah is writing a lament song about Israel - about God's People - about the Church. In the song, God is portrayed as the Gardener. This is an image Jesus picks up in John 15 and rest of the New Testament will pick it up too.

In Isaiah God's people are portrayed as a Vineyard for which the Gardener goes to a lot of trouble: He cultivates, equips and protects. He is expecting a harvest of good grapes which is not an unreasonable expectation considering the effort He has put in, but there is only bad fruit.

One senses the deep sadness of the Gardener and in the rest of the chapter Isaiah will explain how the Gardener has to allow the garden to be overrun and trampled by enemies in the hope, that when it is restored it will finally bear good fruit.

Bearing good fruit is our purpose:

1. We've been created to bear good fruit. This is the logical expression of our being made in the image of God. If God's goodness is the "DNA" with which we were created, then good fruit can and should grow out of our lives.
2. Good Fruit glorifies God. God doesn't need to be glorified - otherwise He would be narcissistic - but He is worthy of our praises. Good fruit reflects the goodness of God.
3. Bearing good fruit is good for us. It's not that God needs our fruit - He is God - He is completely self-sustaining. Our bearing fruit brings Him glory and when He is glorified, we also find peace and fulfilment

Bearing Fruit is one of our key-purposes.
There is a scene in the movie - "A Walk in the Clouds" where a community gathers the beautiful grape harvest that is the culmination of a year of faithful vine-tending. It is a beautiful scene of happiness and joy. The vineyard owner, the strict Papa of the family, is smiling and surrounded by loving family and labourers and they are singing and rejoicing. The lead character, a travelling salesman who was only going to stay for a night is enthralled by what he sees and it changes his life.

May our fruit-bearing bring great joy to our Heavenly Father and those around us.