Grapes of God!

Psalm 80 (New International Version, ©2011)

 ⁸ You transplanted a vine from Egypt;
   you drove out the nations and planted it.
⁹ You cleared the ground for it,
   and it took root and filled the land.
¹⁰ The mountains were covered with its shade,
   the mighty cedars with its branches.
¹¹ Its branches reached as far as the Sea,^[c]
   its shoots as far as the River.^[d]

^{God is often thought of as a Shepherd. Rarely is he described as a Vineyard Farmer. Growing Grapes is not easy. It takes the perfect location for the vineyard. It takes a lot of patience to "Train" your grape vines to produce grapes. You have to plant, prune, and give constant attention to your vines. A corn farmer does not inspect every stalk of corn. a Wheat farmer does not tend to every grain. But the caretaker of a vineyard must inspect and tend to every single vine. Once he cares for them they still need to have an abundance of sunshine in order to grow.}

^{How appropriate for us to be thought of as grapes and God as the Farmer. We certainly need a lot of training. Care has to be given to where and when we are planted. God puts a lot of thought into the plan of our life. He tends to that life and prunes our branches when he needs to. He gently coaxes our growth and he supplies all the sunshine we could possibly need.}

^{God is involved in every aspect of our lives. No matter how hard we try to mess it up, no matter how hard we fight the pruning and the correction, God patiently tends to us. He molds us and fertilizes us to get the best fruit he can.} 

^{Thank You Lord for your love and care in my life. You are the great farmer. You know your vineyard. Your constant care and love helps us produce fruit for you. THe abundance of sunlight you bring to our lives helps us grow in ways we could never imagine. Thank You, Thank You Lord, Thank You!}