When God Says "I gave you my all"

I will sing for the one I love a song about his vineyard: My loved one had a vineyard on a fertile hillside.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 wine press, as well. Then he looked for a crop of good grapes, but it yielded only bad fruit” (Isaiah 5:1-7).

The old man woke up cold and shaking; the night had been so cold he barely slept. He felt disappointed that it was not yet morning. Looking at his watch, he realized it was even earlier than he thought; it was 4.40am in the morning. He had arrived the previous day from work in a nearby town to spend the night at his son’s house. Being a mechanic himself, his work involved a lot of travel, and a bit of dirt here and there. Having advanced in age, he was not able to clean up as much as he used to. But this job had helped him educate his four children through college. They were all now employed and doing very well. Mickey, his eldest son, was the most successful, but since he got the job, they hadn’t met with his father. So it was a good thing that the old man got this job in a town where his son lived, and he decided to spend the night at the son’s place.

But things didn’t turn out as expected. The son treated him like a total stranger and complained about how dirty he was. He even kept his one year old son from going near the old man let alone greet his grandpa. Although the wife didn’t approve of it, the son made him sleep in the couch, cushions removed, and some old blankets for a mattress. The old man was so angry, and the only thing that kept him there that night was the fact that he was new to that town. He decided that he would not even take tea in that house the following morning and would leave at first light. What was most painful to him was the memories of the many years he killed himself with work trying to give his family a good life. But now it seemed not the smallest inkling of appreciation was forthcoming. The son would most certainly miss out on something more important than money; the father’s blessings. What a sad story it is.

This is how God sees us so many times. After many years of committed appraisal to our lives, he sees a people who are proud and unappreciative. He sees people given to pleasure in total oblivion of God who keeps them alive in the first place. Why does God have to see us when we are sick, in need ad broken only to disappear and forget him immediately after we are okay? Why do we treat God like a slot machine, where you throw in coins and to have the answer to your prayers roll out? Now according to Isaiah 5, the lord says he will keep up pampering a vineyard that gives only sour grapes instead of good one. In fact, he will remove the hedge, break down its wall, and leave it to be trampled upon. This is not the first time God says that in the scripture. In genesis 6:3, he says, “When human beings began to increase in number on the earth and daughters were born to them, ² the sons of God saw that the daughters of humans were beautiful, and they married any of them they chose. ³ Then the Lord said, “My Spirit will not contend with humans forever, for they are mortal; their days will be a hundred and twenty years.” You see, our God is slow to anger and abounding in love. He does not hurry to punish the veil doer, but he too has his limit.

It’s one thing to mess up once and be forgiven, but yet another to keep up sinning, and presume that God will just let it slide. Wake up and smell the coffee; repent before Gods patience wears out on you. And there is nothing worse than to be at loggerheads with God. Hebrews 10:31 says, “It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” Therefore, let’s take advantage of the grace granted to us now that there is daylight, for night comes soon and then, there won’t be much we can do.

Sources

Biblica, I. (1973 - 2011). Search. Retrieved August 28, 2011, from Biblegateway: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Hebrews%2010:31&version=NIV