Category: Devotional Thoughts

Isaiah 5: What More Could God Do For You?

Now I will sing for the one I love
a song about his vineyard:
My beloved had a vineyard
on a rich and fertile hill.
He plowed the land, cleared its stones,
and planted it with the best vines.
In the middle he built a watchtower
and carved a winepress in the nearby rocks.
Then he waited for a harvest of sweet grapes,
but the grapes that grew were bitter.
Now, you people of Jerusalem and Judah,
you judge between me and my vineyard.
What more could I have done for my vineyard
that I have not already done?
When I expected sweet grapes,
why did my vineyard give me bitter grapes?
–Isaiah 5:1-4 (italics added)

There’s been a major construction project going on outside my apartment since I moved here. Weeks were spent digging and pouring concrete for a foundation. Slowly but surely, a large building has emerged. I could not imagine all of the costs that go into such a project. One thing I do know—a great investment was made because they are expecting great returns. Imagine the investors’ disappointment if no one wanted to rent or buy these condominiums!

Isaiah describes something similar. The vineyard was used as an analogy to describe the costly investment God had made: premium land, removal of the stones, the best vines, a watchtower, and a wine press. These were perfect conditions for delicious fruit, yet the vineyard produced “bitter grapes.”

The vineyard, of course, represents God’s people. He had done so much for them—delivered them from Egyptian slavery, defeated their enemies, and gave them a land “flowing with milk and honey.” Despite all that God had done, His people forgot Him and no longer served him (“bitter grapes”).

God’s question was simple: what more could I have done for you? I believe this question is relevant for us here and now. Have you considered what God has done for you? Think of all the resources that God has made available to you (a printed Bible in a language you can understand, churches, pastors, Christian books, Bible study materials, online devotionals, etc). We have resources that previous generations could only dream of! We have no excuse to be spiritually stagnant or unfruitful.

It is true that God loves His children, however imperfect we are. The Bible clearly teaches, however, that God is disappointed with us if we are not fruitful. God is disappointed with you if you are not growing spiritually and are not using your talents/gifts to serve Him. What else can He do for you? It is time for you to take responsibility and make good use of what He has already given you.

Meditations on Mopping

Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump?

-1st Corinthians 5:6

Manila, the city that I call home, is usually covered in a cloud of pollution. The unpleasant smell of exhaust fumes is a common experience if you walk along a busy street. Jeepneys and buses emit noxious plumes of smoke as they change gears going down the road.

The pollution manifests itself in a more subtle but personal way in all of our homes here. Housecleaning is a constant battle against the ever-present dirty air. Right after mopping, one can walk barefoot on the floor. Give it a day or so, however, and this is no longer advisable—a fine layer of black dust has already begun to replace the one that was just removed. Walk across the floor a few times and your feet will probably be filthy. This onslaught of pollution constantly accumulates, leaving this layer of soot-like dust on everything.

My first apartment here had a white bathroom floor. The tile was lovely and sturdy, but I could not imagine why anyone would choose white flooring in Manila. One day I decided to take a little short-cut with my housecleaning. I wanted to clean the bathroom floor, but didn’t feel like cleaning the whole apartment. I mopped the bathroom and had it sparkling clean within a few minutes.

It doesn’t take much imagination to figure out what happened next. Within minutes I had black footprints in my bathroom; tracked from the living room and other parts of the house. I learned that if I wanted a clean bathroom floor I had two options: leave Manila or mop the entire apartment.

I think there’s a spiritual analogy in my mopping experience. We all live in a “polluted” world—polluted by sin, that is. It constantly works its way into our lives through the media, etc. It is impossible to completely escape this sinful environment—Jesus himself prayed that we would be protected from evil while living in the world (John 17:15).

Sometimes we want to “clean up” certain parts of our lives, but only those sins which we consider “serious,” visible to others or uncomfortable for us. I have found that this approach doesn’t work too well. Those sins that I choose to let remain tend to permeate and affect other parts of my life and ministry, sometimes even pulling me back into those sins that I desperately want to avoid.

Just as a pinch of yeast affects the whole batch of dough, one sin can affect an entire life. It doesn’t stop there. Paul’s analogy of yeast was actually used to warn that one believer’s sin can affect the entire congregation!

Let’s be honest—sometimes we only want sin management, but God wants sin eradication! We serve a Holy God! We must invite the Holy Spirit to “Search me, O God, and know my heart . . .” (Psalms 139:23-24).

If we will fully cooperate with God, He will reveal to us and cleanse us of everything that He finds offensive (1st John 1:9). We will certainly get even more revelation and cleansing than we think we need. The end product will be Holiness and purity of the heart, and a closer relationship with our Father (Matt 5:8).