He broke up the soil, cleared it of stones, and planted it with the finest vines. He built a tower in the middle of it and even dug out a winepress there. He expected it to yield good grapes, but it yielded worthless grapes.  Isaiah 5:2 HCSB
The Israelites were God’s chosen people. God wanted so much to protect them and provide for them, but they continually messed up and went astray. They worshiped idols and allowed this to distract them from focusing on the God that loved them and wanted to protect them.

As I was reading this scripture passage, I thought about my favorite Psalm. Psalm 91 is the Psalm of protection. In verse 13 of Psalm 91 it says that we will tread on the lion and the cobra and trample the young lion and the serpent. Now that Psalm begins with telling us that if we choose to live under God’s protection that we will live in God’s shadow. We will live in God’s shelter. In verse 14 it changes to third person and tells us that because he is lovingly devoted to God, God will protect him and deliver him because he knows God’s name. We have the choice to love God and be devoted to Him and when we choose to do so, He will protect us and deliver us.

You see we were made to love God. We were made to live in close fellowship with Him. Think about it, God created us. Do you honestly think He would create a whole bunch of people to be His enemies? I think not. Why would anyone create a world full of people to fight against them? But, he chose to give us free will. I mean He could made us a bunch of God fearing, Jesus loving robots, but he didn’t. In all honesty there are times when I mess up that I wish that God would have just made me that way. Because on my own I tend to get into trouble.

If you read Genesis 1-2 you see where God created the heavens and the earth and all that is in them. He created the animals. He created this beautiful garden and created man and woman to live there. He created them to live a beautiful, sin free life. He created them to enjoy the beautiful creation around them, but in Genesis 3 they fall to temptation and they sin. This changes things for all of us who followed behind Adam and Eve. The consequences of sin is discussed in Genesis 3:14-19.

We too are made to live a beautiful life filled with peace and joy. We are made to live in close fellowship with God. We are made to live life in abundance (John 10:10). But the choice is ours.
You see we can choose to live life in close fellowship with God as intended and be like the good, healthy grape vines in the vineyard owner had hoped for. We can have the good life filled with God’s loving care and protection. Or, we can choose to live as those vines that are trampled and choked out by thorns and be worthless grape vines that produce no fruit.

In Jeremiah 1:5 God tells Jeremiah, “before I formed you in the womb, I knew you”. Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the plans I have for you-this is the Lord’s declaration-plans for your welfare, not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”
God wants good things for us. He designs us to live a good life. He wants to protect us from evil and give us good things. Won’t you let Him do that for you today?

I was kind of like those Israelites. I just wandered around in circles for years. I knew how awesome God was, but I thought I could play around and do things my way. I was wrong.

I encourage you to turn to God. All you have to do is believe in Him and love Him with all your heart, soul, and mind. If you do this, then you will want to obey His commands. He will help you every step of the way. His arms are outstretched waiting for you to come to your senses and turn to Him. If you have strayed from God and are not so happy about how your life is going now, know that He made you for better things. He has good plans for you, but you must trust in Him and obey Him. He made you for much better things. Isn’t it time that you live a life in abundance that is filled with joy and peace that passes all understanding?

Have a great day!