Produce Good Fruit

"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 winepress as well.  Then he looked for a crop of good grapes, but it yielded only bad fruit." Isaiah 5:1-2

I had to read this a few times before I finally started to fully understand the meaning of this passage.  This passage is talking about God and what He has done for us.  He requires very little of us in comparison to what He does for us each and every day.  However, we have taken what we have been given and not used it to the best of our God given ability.  I have been wrestling with how to explain this and let you guys into my thought process.  The easiest way is for me to break this down phrase by phrase and let you guys in to Kelsey's thought process.  Here we go...

My loved one had a vineyard on a fertile hillside: God wants the best possible situation for all of us.  He wants us to succeed and thrive here on earth.  That is why God has done so much for us.  He wants us to be as effective as possible to further His kingdom in heaven and be fruitful here on earth.  God has done the dirty work and all He requires is that we produce good fruit.

He dug it up and cleared it of stones: God has done all of the dirty work for us.  He made sure that we would have the most fertile ground possible clear of anything that would hinder us from producing good fruit.  He took care of the little details that we didn't want to do ourselves.  All He requires is that we produce good fruit.

Planted it with the choicest vines: God has given each and every one of us a specific skill set to be used for His glory and to further His kingdom.  All that He requires is that we use them to produce good fruit.

built a watchtower: God is continually watching over us and not just watching over us to protect us but also watching over how we are using what He has given us.  He is always with us and will never leave us.  All He requires is that we produce good fruit.

cut out a winepress as well: You would think that at some point God would have stopped doing the dirty work for us.  No, no He has not only done the things that we wish not to do but He continues to bless us beyond measure.  All He requires is that we produce good fruit.

Here's the thing, God has literally done more than we could ever think or imagine.  God created the heavens and the earth and everything that is contained in them.  God sent His one and only Son to die on the cross for the payment of our sins.  God did all of the dirty work for us.  All He requires is that we produce good fruit.  However, we tend to produce bad fruit because we take what God has given us and defile it.  We either don't do enough or we try to do too much.  We either forget about all that God has blessed us with and we let the vineyard go to waste or we forget that God has already done all of the dirty work and try to do things ourselves.  The fact of the matter is that ALL He requires of us is to use what He has given us and produce good fruit.  That's it.  Producing good fruit just means that we are using what the Lord has blessed us with and using it for God and to further the kingdom of heaven. It is nothing fancy.  God has blessed each and every one of us beyond measure.  Don't try to do things on your own.  Don't completely forget what God has blessed you with and let it go to waste.  Use what you have been given.  Produce good fruit.  Keep Moving Forward.

Kelsey J.

Who Turned the Light Off?

"The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp." Revelation 21:23

When I read this verse the other day, I immediately fell in love with it.  In heaven the source of light is not the sun or moon like it is here on earth.  No, no the source of light is God Himself.  The glory of God gives light to the entirety of heaven!  That absolutely blows my mind and shows how big and awesome our God really is.  

My takeaway from this verse relates to the dark times that we have all had, are having, or will have this side of heaven.  Everyone will have some sort of darkness step into their life.  This could come in the from of the loss of a loved one, job loss, breakup, etc.  Regardless of what it is, we have all dealt with some form of darkness in our life.  Even in our darkest times though, God is there.  God is our source of light and when it seems like the light has been completely turned off, seek after God.  When you seek after God, the light will begin to shine amidst your darkness because God Himself is light.  

One really awesome example of this is in Exodus.  The Israelites had just left Egypt and they had begun their journey in the wilderness that would end up taking them 40 years.  This was by no means an easy time for the Israelites even though they had just escaped captivity.  God could have taken them on an easier road but He chose to lead them on a longer, much harder road.  He chose.  He did this so that the Israelites would rely on God each step of the way.  "By day the Lord went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night.  Neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night left its place in front of the people." (Exodus 13:21-22)  God was always there.  He was there during the day and He was there to give light to their darkness at night.  God was always in front of the Israelites leading them along the long, tough road of life.

God may choose to lead you down a tough, dark path in life.  Even if he doesn't, we as humans have a free will and we may stumble into our own dark alley.  Are you currently experiencing darkness in your life?  Seek the ultimate source of light.  Do you feel like you will never be able to find God amidst your darkness?  Remember that God is always with you.  God is always in front of us guiding us through life.  He will be our source of light during dark times to shed light on the situation that we are experiencing.  Remember, the Israelites were in the wilderness for 40 years because they chose to do things their own way.  Don't be like the Israelites.  Trust God with your life.  Don't try to do things on your own and escape your own darkness.  God will provide light and God will provide a way out of your darkness if you seek after Him.  Will you seek him for guidance and for light?  I hope and pray that you do because when you seek after the ultimate source of light, you will find that it becomes easier to keep Moving Forward...

Kelsey J.

Warrior Princesses

Monday nights are girl time during the summer at camp and it is by far my favorite day of the week.  Just ask anyone who has worked with me.  One of the reasons I love it so much is because of the girl time cheers.  Dancing on tables while eating brownie batter isn't too shabby either though.  Anyway, one of the cheers involves an awesome woman named Esther.  Someone screams Esther and then everyone else says her famous line, "If I perish, I perish!"  Then, because we are warrior princesses like Esther, we commence in an indian cry.  I have been studying the book of Esther lately and I want to share some things that God has been teaching me through it. 

Esther became queen to King Xerxes.  God is never mentioned in the book of Esther but you can see His hand throughout the entire book.  It may seem like a random set of circumstances that led Esther to greatness but in all reality it was the hand of God leading her every step of the way.  She was Jewish by birth but the king never knew of this.  Haman was a terrible man in the kingdom who wanted to annihilate the entire Jewish population.  A decree was sent out and Mordecai, Esther's cousin, immediately starting fasting and praying to God that this would not happen.  Mordecai told Esther that she would have to be the one to stop Haman from carrying out his plan.  He tells Esther that she became queen for such a time as this.  Esther had not been invited into the presence of the king in 30 days.  Back then, you couldn't just go into the king's presence without permission.  If you went unannounced then the chances of you being punished were very high.  The only way you would not be punished is if the king held out his golden scepter to you.  Esther was willing to take a chance and put her life on the line for a cause that she believed in.  She responded to Mordecai and said if I perish, I perish.  

I love this story not just because it is a part of girl time but because it shows the boldness that a woman of God should have. Esther was bold.  Esther was confident.  Esther trusted in God above all else.  I want to be more like Esther.  We will all have and  have all had "Esther-like" moments in our life.  God puts us places for such a time as this.  Will we step up or back down?  The boldness of Esther saved all of the Jews in the land because of one simple act of boldness,  courage, and confidence in the Lord.  The Lord gives us a spirit of power, love, and self-discipline NOT of fear or timidity (2 Timothy 1:7).  "Be strong and courageous.  Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord you God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you." (Deuteronomy 31:6) 

As women of God, we must be bold.  We must be courageous.  We must be confident.  God did not create us to be fearful, timid, or filled with anxiety.  He created us to be strong and courageous because God will ALWAYS be with us.  There is no power on earth or anywhere else that could overcome our God.  Our God has defeated death itself.  He promises that He will ALWAYS be with us and He will NEVER leave or forsake us.  With God on our side, all things are possible.  God has placed you at this current stage of life for a specific purpose.  Be like Esther.  Be bold.  Be courageous.  Be confident.  You will find that when you do, it becomes easier to keep Moving Forward...

Kelsey J.