We have some good friends who own a vineyard in Aventon, N.C. In fact ,they were recently featured in the Rocky Mount Telegram. 

They grow a wide variety of grapes: Muscadine, Scuppernong, Pams* (these are extra special!), Nobles, and the list goes on. On a typical Saturday, they will have a number of people visit their vineyard to pick grapes. Like most vineyards, you can pick your own or you can buy a bucket that has already been picked.

My friend tells a story about some of the folks who came to “pick” grapes … I use the “pick” term loosely because sometimes picking looks a lot like eating. It becomes a mini-buffet for people if you know what I mean. And while I’m sure he doesn’t mind if people eat a grape here or there all along as they are picking, there is a balance. Anyway, one particular group seemed to be tipping the scale a bit and eating a whole lot more grapes than were making it into the buckets. He joked with us that when they were ready to checkout and settle up that he did not know if should weigh their bucket full of grapes or just weigh the picker themselves since they had consumed so many!  LOL!  That story made me smile. 

The bible says that we should bear much fruit. We should be yielding all sorts of fruits. Our buckets should be full! The fruits of our vine, or our spirit should be fuites like: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. (Galatians 5:22-23)

I wonder if our God ever takes inventory of us. I wonder if He were to settle up with us, what would He find? Would He find that we had kept all our fruits to ourselves? Would there be any tangible evidence or visible proof to show Him? Or would our buckets be full? Would they be overflowing with love and kindness? Would our friends testify of our gentleness and patience? Would our family share stories of how we are faithful and good? Would our co-workers recount times when we were self-controlled and peaceful? Or would there be nothing to see? Nothing tangible? No evidence? Would our bucket be empty? Would he have to weigh us instead of our bucket to get an honest accounting of our fruits?

One of my greatest fears is to stand before the Father having lived a life that is not pleasing to Him. My prayer is that our buckets are overflowing with fruits. I’m going to end on a country music note and quote the legendary Tim McGraw, “May we love deeper, speak sweeter and give forgiveness we’ve been denying …”