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Vineyard Tending

Confession is good for the soul, right...?

I am not a person who enjoys reading the Songs of Solomon. I get that every scripture is divinely inspired for our learning, etc (see 2 Timothy 3:16-17)...but somehow I thought that the Songs of Solomon was exempt from that provision.

Until I heard Nancy Leigh DeMoss of Revive Our Hearts talking about Songs of Solomon 1:6. The last clause reads thus: "[T]hey made me the keeper of the vineyards; but mine own vineyard have I not kept."

I was floored by that clause because it is the perfect picture of my own spiritual walk and I suspect the spiritual walks of countless others. How easy it is for us to see to it that the church work gets done, that the Sunday School class has a good lesson, or that Praise and Worship is vibrant and uplifting or even that the sermon is well-researched, while we neglect to spend personal time with the Almighty.

Too often we (read: I) substitute preparation for some church activity for personal devotion time. Then we look around at the vineyards that we have tended and smile with satisfaction. Meanwhile, our own vineyard is overgrown with weeds and the trees need pruning and....basically it looks like a jungle.

The truth of the matter is, it is inconvenient to take extra time from preparation for church activities to do personal devotions. It's easier to save time and consolidate. Why wake up earlier to do personal Bible study when the study time will be done in preparation for services? Why stay up later and just commune with God when we can multi-task and meditate while working on Sunday's church bulletin?

Why? Because pouring into other people without a time of replenishment will lead to exhausted resources.

Fill my cup, Lord
I lift it up, Lord
Come and quench
This thirsting of my soul
Bread of Heaven
Feed me 'til I want no more
Fill my cup
Fill it up
And make me whole

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