ESOCS Devotional 7 January 2021
TEXT: ISAIAH 5:1-16
MEMORY VERSE: “What more could have been done to My vineyard that I have not done in it? Why then, when I expected it to bring forth good grapes, did it bring forth wild grapes? Isaiah 5:4 NKJV
In our passage today, God laments over the rebellious attitude of His people despite everything thing He had done to make them become good. He likened them to a vineyard, which He had made so much effort to plant and nurture, and from which He expected good fruits, and beautiful and bountiful harvest. When we consider all the efforts a farmer makes to ensure that he reaps good harvest but ends up with a bad one, we would understand how God feels when His efforts to produce His holiness and righteousness in us fails woefully, despite all the efforts He had made in the process.
In the case of His people Israel in the time of Prophet Isaiah, He was highly disappointed. The story is the same today in Christendom across the world. Many Christians have thwarted the redemption plan in their lives. They are worldlier than the people of the world. Conversely, they pursue ungodliness and unrighteousness rather than holiness and righteousness; yet, they are in the church. The virtues of true Christian practice means nothing to them. They pervert the gospel message with recklessness; and even many among the clergy bring the gospel message to ridicule in the private lifestyle. In all these, they give Satan reason to mock our God. Should this thing be so? What about the consequences?
When our Lord Jesus did not find any fruit on the fig tree, He cursed it and it dried up from the roots. The Bible says, “And seeing a fig tree by the road, He came to it and found nothing on it but leaves, and said to it, “Let no fruit grow on you ever again.” Immediately the fig tree withered away” (Matt. 21:19 NKJV). When we fail to bear good fruit, that is, fruits of the Spirit, we become unprofitable to God in His kingdom business. The end result is that we make ourselves candidates for rejection and to be cast into the lake of fire. God hates unprofitability with perfect hatred. Our Lord told us the verdict of heaven concerning people who are unprofitable to God. He said, “And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matt 25:30 NKJV).
Read yesterday’s ESOCS Devotional here
Ephesians 5:9 says, “For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth.” God expects them from us, for they are acceptable to Him (v 10). Galatians 5:22-23 gives a detail explanation: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, meekness, self-control …” (ASV). In Matthew 3:8, the Bible tells us the first fruit we should bear, which would enable us to bear the other fruits. It says, “… bear fruits worthy of repentance” (NKJV). That is the first step we must take. We must change our mind for the better and amend our ways. We must develop the attitude of hating sin and worldliness perfectly. We must be remorseful and truly repentant about our past sinful life, and make a good turn away from it.
Let us imitate the saints that ran the Christian race before us. For them, the world was worth nothing. They considered all its pleasures and attractions as vanity. They refused to be enticed by them. They developed strong hatred for sin. Such attitude enabled them to remain focused on the kingdom race. At the end, they won the race and obtained the everlasting crown of glory. The Bible describes them as “… those who did not defile themselves with women, for they kept themselves pure. They follow the Lamb wherever he goes. They were purchased from among men and offered as firstfruits to God and the Lamb. No lie was found in their mouths; they are blameless” (Rev. 14:4-5 NIV). Would it not be wonderful for us to be numbered among the 144, 000 saints of God? Let us think deeply about this thing and begin to do the right thing now.
CHALLENGES
Examine your life and see if you are a good vineyard. If not, repentance and turn to God.
PRAYER POINT
Pray God to give you a faithful heart that is filled with the Holy Spirit.
FURTHER READING: Isaiah 26:1-19; Matthew 14:15-28; Revelation 20:11-15
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ESOCS Devotional 7 January 2021
