Are you guarding the vineyard of your heart? Are you so busy racing through each day taking care of responsibilities that you neglect your relationship with God, which leaves you feeling empty? Are your shortcomings and bad habits eating away at the fruitfulness of your heart? Is someone trying to destroy the vineyard of your heart?
The Shulamite in the Song of Solomon, who is a type of each of us believers in Jesus Christ, had a similar problem. She says in Song of Solomon 1:5-6:
I am black, but comely, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, as the tents of Kedar, as the curtains of Solomon. Look not upon me, because I am black, because the sun hath looked upon me: my mother’s children were angry with me; they made me the keeper of the vineyards; but mine own vineyard have I not kept.
She says she is black as the tents of Kedar and as the curtains of Solomon. “Black” means she is sunburned by the sun; yet she knows she is still comely, or beautiful. At the same time, she does not feel as beautiful as she could be. She is so busy tending to other vineyards that she has no time to keep [lit. “guard”] her own vineyard. Can you relate to her? Sometimes I can. I get so busy working for God that I burn out. As Jesus’ spiritually beautiful people, we need to spend time with Jesus Christ, who is God and the Son of God, and get refreshed! We can do this by praying, reading the Bible, and attending a good church that helps us grow spiritually closer to God.
Proverbs 4:23 advises us, “Keep thy heart with all diligence, for out of it are the issues of life.” This is another way of saying to guard the vineyard of our hearts.
Amazing Reasons for Spending Time with Jesus
Are you guarding the vineyard of your heart? Why would we want to spend time with Jesus? Jesus Himself gives us amazing answers in John 15:9-17:
As the Father hath loved Me, so have I loved you: continue ye in My love. If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in His love. These things have I spoken unto you, that might joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full. This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you. Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in My name, He may give it you. These things I command you, that ye love one another.
Jesus says He loves us as much as the Heavenly Father loves Jesus!!! That is such an incredible truth, it will take forever to grasp the depth of His love for us; and we will never reach the end of His unconditional, infinite love for us! This is a truth worth meditating on! Jesus wants us to continue in His love. If we obey His commandments, we will abide, or remain, in His love. Then we will have His joy, full joy! His love will enable us to love others, so our love will brighten the world! Jesus said, “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” My friends and His friends, this is what Jesus did for you! He allowed sinful men to crucify Him about 2,000 years ago so that He could pay the penalty of all the wrongs we and every human have done! He satisfied the wrath of God for our disboedience because He loves us with the greatest love possible! Of course, He came back alive three days later and is now seated in heaven next to the Heavenly Father and praying for us! Knowing that and His wonderful love, He can help us to love others sacrificially, too! Obeying Jesus will qualify us to not only be servants to God, but Jesus will call us His friends! I don’t know about you, but that motivates me to obey Him! If we obey Jesus, He will tell us secrets the Father told Him about Themselves! There is no higher honor than this to be approved of and taken into confidence by God! Jesus chose and ordained us to produce fruit that remains that whatever we ask of our Father God in Jesus’ mighty name, He will give it to us! Abiding in Jesus’ love will enable us to keep His command to love one another.
This wonderful God, this wonderful Jesus, are worth obeying because They created us! Jesus bought us with His blood, His life! He wants us to bask in His love and be filled to overflowing with joy!
Are you guarding the vineyard of your heart? To abide in Jesus’ love requires guarding the vineyard of our hearts. Sometimes we must put aside all the busyness, even ministry, and just spend time praying, reading the Bible, and allowing God to refill our empty hearts with His love, joy, and peace!
Ask Jesus to Capture Your “Foxes”
Are you guarding the vineyard of your heart? The Shulamite had a problem in her vineyard described in Song of Solomon 2:15: “Take us the foxes, the little foxes, that spoil the vines: for our vines have tender grapes [literally blossoms].” She had foxes knocking the grape blossoms off her vines! She asks Solomon, a type of our Lord Jesus, to capture the foxes so this won’t spoil the harvest of grapes any longer! Are there any foxes in your vineyard? What sins (wrong thoughts and behaviors) are spoiling the fruit, or grapes, in the vineyard of our hearts? Do we have pride, bitterness, other sins, or bad habits? Let us take these to Jesus to remove! This is one way we can guard the vineyard of our hearts!
Deuteronomy 22:9 (New International Version) gives Israel instruction from which we can learn: “Do not plant two kinds of seed in your vineyard; if you do, not only the crops you plant but also the fruit of the vineyard will be defiled.” So, God did not approve of cross-pollination of crops for the Jews. We can glean a spiritual insight from this that God does not want us to sow both to the Spirit and sow to the flesh in the vineyards of our hearts. Galatians 6:7-8 instructs us, “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.” God does not want us to feed our spirits and also feed our carnal natures with worldy “fare”. Guarding the vineyards of our hearts includes praying and feeding our spirits the Word of God, the Bible, worship and other Christian music, going to a good church that helps us grow spiritually, and involving ourselves in godly activities. It also means that we starve our carnal nature from feeding on sinful thoughts, words, habits, hobbies, and actions.
“Arise, My Love, My Fair One, and Come Away”
Solomon spoke the following words to the Shulamite, which give us another very good reason for guarding the vineyards of our hearts. This passage is Jesus speaking the same words to our hearts in Song of Solomon 2:10-14:
My beloved spake, and said unto me, Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away. For, lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone; The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land; The fig tree putteth forth her green figs, and the vines with the tender grape [lit. blossom] give a good smell. Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away. O my dove, that art in the clefts of the rock, in the secret places of the stairs, let me see thy countenance, let me hear thy voice; for sweet is thy voice, and thy countenance is comely.
Oh, for the glorious day when Jesus will tell His Church, made up of all true believers in Him, “Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away…”!!! This will happen at the rapture of the Church described in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18! I have discussed this in other blogs. What I want to point out to you now is that Jesus can give this invitation to our hearts even NOW! He invites us to more glorious adventures in revelation of Him through the Bible, His Word! Jesus declared in John 8:12, “Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world. He that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” Communing with Jesus, who is Light, fills our hearts with light and dispels the darkness! He will give us the light of life! Psalm 119:130 tells us, “The entrance of Thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple.” Here we learn that reading the Bible, God’s words, gives us light. It gives us understanding and helps us not to be simple, or naive. John 1:1 tells us, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” If we keep reading that chapter, we will clearly see that the Word described in this verse is Jesus! Putting it all together, reading the Bible sheds light on Jesus, who is the Word of God! Reading the Bible is one way we can guard the vineyard of our hearts! Are you guarding the vineyard of your heart?
Looking at Song of Solomons 2:11 again, “For, lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone.” Do you feel like you are in winter inside? Is everything drab and bare in your heart and life? Listen for the voice of your Beloved Lord Jesus, and He will bring you out of these winters and into the springtime of His life and love! The ultimate winter being over is when Jesus takes us, His Church, up to the clouds when we leave earth behind and go to heaven to be with Him! Until that happens, Jesus will change the seasons of winter with its coldness and hardships, trial and suffering, and will cause beauty and life to spring up within the vineyards of our hearts and our lives! New revelations of Him will come! We will experience new levels of joy! Psalm 30:11-12 says, “Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing: Thou hast put off my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness; To the end that my glory may sing praise to Thee, and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give thanks unto Thee forever.” God will turn our mourning into dancing! We will praise God and not be silent! We will give thanks to God! New opportunities will be presented to us! This is all symbolized by the fig tree putting forth her green figs, and the vines blossoming with a lovely fragrance! For a second time, Jesus tells us, “Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away.” If God/Jesus repeats something, it is because it is especially important to Him! I think it also demonstrates His excitement to delight us with new glorious revelations of Himself!
Jesus Longs to See Your Face and to Hear Your Voice!
Are you guarding the vineyard of your heart? Let us look at Song of Solomon 2:14 again for another reason to do this: “O my dove, that art in the clefts of the rock, in the secret places of the stairs, let me see thy countenance, let me hear thy voice; for sweet is thy voice, and thy countenance is comely.” I love this verse! It is such lovely inspiration to our hearts! Jesus calls His faithful followers His “dove.” He calls each of us individually His doves, as well! A dove is a meek bird which chooses one mate for life and is utterly devoted to that one mate. When Jesus is the only One we adore as God, as our Bridegroom, as our Brother, and as our Friend, then He sees us as His dove! He sees us in the clefts of the Rock, hiding in Him from the pressures, strains, and hurts of life! He sees us ascending the secret places of the stairs, step by step ascending closer to Him in heaven! What is His opinion of us who are doing that? He asks to see our countenances, to hear our voices! Why? Because He says our voices are sweet and our faces are comely, or lovely!” My friend, if you are sold out to Jesus, this is how He sees you!!! If you are not sold out to Jesus, you can repent right now and ask Him to make you right with Him! When you sincerely follow Him, then He will long to see your face and hear your voice! Even before you repent, He is longing to see your face and hear your voice and for you to become His beautiful dove!
Jesus misses us when we are so busy, even so busy for Him! He wants to see our faces and hear our voices talk to Him and praise Him!!! He hungers for our company!!! We need to set aside daily responsibilities and make time to be with our Beloved Jesus!
Let Us Humble Our Hearts Before Jesus and God the Father
Are you guarding the vineyard of your heart? Psalm 138:6 tells us, “For though the LORD is exalted, yet He regards the lowly; But the haughty He knows from afar.” To have these wonderful experiences of getting caught up in Jesus’ glorious Presence and Word, we must first humble our hearts before Him. Pride is a fox we can give Him so that we can draw near to Him, and He will draw near to us! God will not get close to us if we are proud towards Him!
I like to start each day by asking the Lord, “What are we going to do today?” That is part of abiding in Jesus’ love, to do the whole day with Him, responsibilities, leisure, and most importantly, time alone with Him.
Jesus’ Advice to Get Closer to Him
Are you guarding the vineyard of your heart? Many of us want to do this. We really yearn to know Jesus better! The Shulamite longed to know Solomon better. She is a type of us longing after Jesus. She said in Song of Solomon 1:7, “Tell me, O thou whom my soul loveth, where thou feedest, where thou makest thy flock to rest at noon: for why should I be as one that turneth aside by the flocks of thy companions?” Can you relate to this verse? The Shulamite wanted to know where Solomon fed his sheep and made them to rest in the heat of the day. She did not want to chase after other shepherds, Solomon’s friends. Do you want to know where Jesus feeds His sheep and makes them rest in the burning heat of our trials? Do you feel like you would rather get to know Jesus personally instead of only knowing pastors and mentors?
Solomon gave the Shulamite an answer to her question. He said in Song of Solomon 1:8, “If thou know not, O thou fairest among women, go thy way forth by the footsteps of the flock, and feed thy kids beside the shepherd’s tents.” Hmmm. He told her to hang around His companions, the other shepherds. That is where she didn’t want to go! Jesus tells us the same. To get to know Him better, He advises us to hang around other shepherds, His friends, made up of apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers as listed in Ephesians 4:11. Anyone close to the Shepherd is His friend and can help mentor along a younger believer to know Jesus better. Her longing to be intimate with Him spiritually is commendable! However, Jesus deems it beneficial for her to remain in fellowship with other believers who are His friends and keep His commandments.
It is popular today for many who have been hurt by churches to stay at home alone with Jesus/God and not to fellowship with other believers. My friends, Jesus knows that fellowshipping with other true believers in addition to our wonderful times alone with Him is the best way for us to grow closer to Him. Psalm 133 tells us the wonderful news:
Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron’s beard: that went down to the skirts of his garments; As the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion: for there the LORD commanded the blessing, even life for evermore.
We May Spend Seasons Alone with God for Just a Time
Are you guarding the vineyard of your heart? It is true that sometimes God calls us to spend some protracted time alone with Him as Paul did in Galatians 1:15-17: “But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb, and called me by His grace, To reveal His Son in me, that I might preach Him among the heathen, immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood: Neither went I up to Jerusalem to them which were apostles before me; but I went into Arabia, and returned again unto Damascus.” God may have us in seasons of seeking Him alone for a time. In the next verse in Galatians, verse 18, Paul says, “Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter, and abode with him fifteen days.” Paul did not stay in isolation.
Sometimes we may find we need a season to isolate ourselves to be healed from wounds we received in church. However, God does want us not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together permanently. Hebrews 10:25 exhorts us, “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.” God wants us to meet together with His friends to exhort one another and help us to guard the vineyard of our hearts.
Warnings to Church Leaders
Are you guarding the vineyard of your heart? Are you guarding God’s vineyard, the Church of Jesus Christ? Isaiah 5:1-7 tells us that God’s people Israel are His delightful vineyard and what He will do to those who oppress them. Jeremiah 12:10-11 tells us the sobering commentary from God, “Many pastors have destroyed, they have trodden My portion under foot, they have made my pleasant portion a desolate wilderness. They have made it desolate, and being desolate it mourneth unto me; the whole land is made desolate, because no man layeth it to heart.” Herein is a caution not only to Israel’s leaders, but also to the Church’s leaders, not to abuse God’s people, His vineyard! Are you someone whom a church leader has trodden underfoot and made you a desolate wilderness? Are you mourning to God because of those who just don’t care, who don’t lay it to heart? God sees your broken, desolate heart! He will cause beauty to spring again from the vineyard of your heart if you bring to Him your brokenness and barrenness! In Isaiah 35:2, He is the One who said, “[The desert] shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice even with joy and singing….” Just as Israel’s barren land was prophesied to blossom abundantly, your barren heart will blossom abundantly, and you will rejoice even with joy and singing!
Here are some passages cautioning spiritual leaders to treat His people, His vineyard, well: Matthew 20:1-16, Matthew 21:28-46, Mark 12:1-12, and Luke 20:9-18. I encourage church leaders to read those passages.
Without Abiding in Jesus’ Love, We Wither Up
Are you guarding the vineyard of your heart? We looked at some of John chapter 15 and the benefits of abiding in Jesus, the vine. We learn other reasons to abide in the vine, a form of guarding the vineyard of our hearts. Jesus advises us in verses 1-8 of that chapter,
I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. Every branch in Me that beareth not fruit He taketh away; and every branch that beareth fruit, He purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in Me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in Me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. If a man abide not in Me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. If ye abide in Me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be My disciples.
Jesus is the vine, and we Christians are His branches. If we don’t bear fruit, He will take away our branch as far as His purpose in fruit-bearing goes. If we bear fruit, He will purge us, or prune us, to make us more fruitful. That is the same as His capturing the foxes in our vineyard. Jesus’ words make us clean. Again, He enjoins us to abide in Him because we cannot produce any fruit unless we do! We can do nothing without Him! If we abide in Him and His love, we will bring forth much fruit that came from Him as the vine! If a man doesn’t abide in Him, he is cast forth as a branch and is withered. Have you felt like that sometimes? Just burnt out, lacking God’s love, withered? I sure have! That is why we must guard the vineyard of our hearts and spend time alone with Him again which will help us to abide in Him and His love! If we do this, God will grant our prayer requests that are according to His will as revealed in the Bible! If we bear much fruit, we glorify our wonderful Heavenly Father! This is how we are Jesus’ disciples!
A Sober Warning to Us Christians
Are you guarding the vineyard of your heart? Luke 13:6-9 tells us a parable of Jesus:
He spake also this parable; A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came and sought fruit thereon, and found none. Then said he unto the dresser of his vineyard, Behold, these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and find none: cut it down; why cumbereth it the ground? And he answering said unto him, Lord, let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about it, and dung it: And if it bear fruit, well: and if not, then after that thou shalt cut it down.
This passage refers to Jesus’ ministry while He was on earth physically to Israel. Israel’s leaders rejected their Messiah, Jesus; and consequently, the nation of Israel was “cut down” in A.D. 70 when Rome destroyed it, and Israel ceased to be a nation until 1948. However, I want to look at how this is a warning to us Christians. God planted a “fig tree” in the vineyard of our hearts. Are we bearing fruit? He is fertilizing our hearts to bring forth fruit. Are we producing figs? If we are still barren after much of God’s ministry to us, God may leave us alone to our own devices until we sincerely surrender our hearts to Him! We may be cut off from helping to bring His kingdom to earth now. May we cry out to Him today to make us fruitful!
A Good Prayer to Pray
Are you guarding the vineyard of your heart? David in the Bible offers us a good prayer to pray in Psalm 139:23-24: “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”
Jesus Invites Us to Sup with Him!
Are you guarding the vineyard of your heart? Jesus invites anyone, including His people in Revelation 3:20, “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear My voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with Me.” Jesus stands at the door of the vineyard of your heart. He is knocking for entrance. Pray to hear His voice and open the door to Him! He will come into you and sup with you, and you with Him! He will call you to come away with Him to new heights of glorious revelation of Himself! He will call you to a deeper oneness with Him as you abide in Him and He abides in you! Your heart will be a fruitful vineyard for Him, your Beloved Solomon!
Are you guarding the vineyard of your heart? We learn another thing about the vineyard of our hearts from the Shulamite in Song of Solomon 8:11-12:
Solomon had a vineyard at Baalhamon; he let out the vineyard unto keepers; every one for the fruit thereof was to bring a thousand pieces of silver. My vineyard, which is mine, is before me: thou, O Solomon, must have a thousand, and those that keep the fruit thereof two hundred.
Those who tended Solomon’s vineyards were to bring him a thousand pieces of silver. The Shulamite gave Solomon her thousand; and those who helped her tend her garden, also Solomon’s garden, she paid two hundred pieces of silver. We see here that God deserves the very best of our love and devotion! We are inspired here to love and serve Him far more than anyone else in our lives! He is worthy of our deepest praise and worship!!!
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Contact – Bride Of Jesus Ministry
Here is a poem I wrote about spending precious time alone with Jesus. It is #3 in my poetry booklet The Bridegroom and His Bride: a collection of poems based on the Song of Songs [Song of Solomon]:
Make Time With Me
Make time with Me and I’ll come in
Make room for Me within your inn
Put chores aside though they may pile
Sit at My feet and learn awhile
Push entertainment far from thee
I am refreshment that you need
Redeem the time in evil days
I’m calling you, “Please come away”
I’m drawing you, run after Me!
Delightful beauty you will see!
I leap on mountains, skip on hills
I’ll make your feet, too, like gazelles’
Throw off the ankle weights of sin
And run the race so you will win
To be rewarded with the prize
You have to daily exercise
So, turn your eyes upon My face
And daily look to Me for grace
Whate’er you need, I’ll give to you
I’ll help you in all you go through
Your strength is small, you’re weak indeed
But I am all you’ll ever need
Just lay your head upon My breast
I’ll take your cares and give you rest
Deny yourself and sin you see
Take up your cross and follow Me
For if you choose to heed My call
You must surrender to Me all
Consider rubbish everything
That you may share My suffering
To know My resurrection power
And feel My presence every hour
If you would find, forget the clock
You’ll also find Me with My flock
I’ll show you what to do each day
My holy footprints lead the way
Pursue with all your heart and might
And call My Sabbath a delight
The hungry feed, to poor reach out
I’ll satisfy your soul in drought
Then you shall cry and I will hear
I’ll wipe your tears and say, “I’m here”
You’ll be a garden without ail
Your spring of water will not fail
Fight not as one who beats the air
Do not be caught with worldly cares
But in My righteousness be found
You’ll win an everlasting crown
Here is a link to this poetry booklet:
The Bridegroom and His Bride – Bride Of Jesus Ministry
A song I wrote about this matter is “You’re The Reason.” Click on the link below and then Song #8 on My Music page to hear it:
My Music – Bride Of Jesus Ministry
Here is a precious song “Garden” by Kelly Willard. The concept of our being a garden is similar to our hearts being a vineyard:
Love this one by Sara Groves, “How Is It Between Us”.
Here is a wonderful song by Danny Gokey called “More Than You Think I Am”:
Here is another wonderful song, “Tell Your Heart to Beat Again”. This is Danny Gokey’s version of Randy Phillips song:
Here is a beloved song I grew up with called “Fill My Cup, Lord”: