Evening – Day 7
And he began to speak to them in parables. “A man planted a vineyard and put a fence around it and dug a pit for the winepress and built a tower, and leased it to tenants and went into another country. Mark 12:1
A man plants a vineyard, leases it to tenants to take care of. He leaves the country and sometime later sends servants to check on things. One after another the tenants abuse and kill them. The owner finally sends his son, thinking they surly will respect the owners only son. They abused and killed the son thinking that killing the heir would allow them to take ownership of the vineyard. They were sorely mistaken. The owner returned. he would destroy the tenants and give the vineyard to others. (Mark 12:1-12)
If you are like me, I read today’s passage and thought to myself, “Really?” How can someone mismanage something so badly and abuse what had been entrusted to him? How arrogant, to assume ownership of something that doesn’t belong to you. These guys need to be taken out and horse whipped.
But as my anger was fueled by the actions of these ungrateful tenants, I became acutely aware of my own condition. Aren’t we all like these men? Do we really own anything in this life? Don’t our lives belong to God? And how am I managing the life God has given to me?
When the owner of our life returns, how will He respond to the way you have managed your life? Have I managed well? Have I worked with integrity? Have I produced fruit? Have I managed for His glory?
He is coming and we do not know the hour.
