The selah moment is concluded, unless this post throws you back into another one…which is often my hopeful intention!
I sit in amazement at how the Lord continues to bring to my notice intriguing tidbits relevant to Vineyard Days. I go off on a search about one thing and hit pay dirt. Which now leads us back to the vineyard…
This post is about dirt. Soil. Or as the French call it – terroir (tehr-WAHR).
Here at Shammahs Field we have grown to value dirt, for it is the soil of people’s lives. One could say we are spiritual farmers as we labor in the life-ground of many a parched field.
But for what purpose do we labor? And why should it matter to us the condition of people’s ‘ground’?
The simple answer is that what we have experienced of God’s tireless work in our own terroir is worth sharing with others. Co-laboring with Christ brings rich reward and continued growth. And with prayerful eyes of faith fastened on the Lord, ultimately a fruit-laden vineyard.
We are no vintners. We don’t subscribe to The World of Fine Wine. And we certainly are not wine connoisseurs! But just like Jesus’ parables (with a lot to say about wine, vines, and soil), his Holy Spirit uses our love for all things ‘vineyard’ to paint a teaching picture of spiritual truths and Christlikeness.
What else is wonderful is His love for all things ‘earthy’ for that is what we all are. Clay vessels being shaped to hold fine wine. When the Lord has finished what He has begun in us, no crystal decanter will hold a sparkle to His beautiful Bride – the holy city, the new Jerusalem, the Lamb’s wife. (Rev 21:2,9-10 KJV)
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In the wine world, terroir means a whole lot more than just ‘soil.’ For both wine and spiritual grape-growing, its reference is far-reaching as the situation in which wine is made, or as the French’s rough translation says – a ‘sense of place.’
The description from Barron’s Wine Lover’s Companion says that “when French wine producers use the term terroir, it not only includes reference to the type of soil (chalky, claylike, gravelly, sandy), but also to other environmental factors that might influence the quality of the finished wine, such as altitude, position relative to the sun, angle of incline, and water drainage.”
I think that description sounds a lot like the teachings of Jesus as He described the soils in the Gospels. As for environmental factors influencing the quality of the finished wine, the Lord is more interested in our being prophetically correct than politically correct.
Like Barron’s, He too has spoken about altitude and position relative to the sun – and the Son …”But those who wait for the Lord [who expect, look for, and hope in Him] shall change and renew their strength and power; they shall lift their wings and mount up [close to God] as eagles [mount up to the sun]…” (Isaiah 40:31 AMP)
And as for angle of incline and water drainage…oh my, that calls to mind the description of an artesian well and a wellspring of life! (Wellspring of Life welcome)
There is an already written gloriously victorious end to His Story. The Lord’s desire is toward a people who will overcome the very factors both in the soil of their life and the environment around them that would threaten their firm attachment to Him, the Vine. Everything that can and will rise up in His face has the ability to influence and impact His body in the earth. Yet all the while the Lord is seeking to destroy every interpretation of ours that makes Him out to be less than He is.
So many voices vie for the opportunity to share their opinion of no God, other gods, angry God, uncaring God, or any other description their wounded, unseeing heart has labeled Him. In truth, I have to agree that sharing my opinion is a partial purpose of this blog, for when I look into His face I cannot help but tell a different story.
Even as the public, politically-charged tide rises more forcefully in our nation and around the world, when we give voice to the unchangeable truth and faithfulness of a holy God whose name is Love1, we have all the power of His Spirit actively backing us up.
To the degree we are hesitant or disbelieving about the veracity2 of the Vine into which we have been grafted (Romans 11:17-21), our ‘sense of place’ suffers. Our terroir remains in need of further cultivation.
Oh, I know we don’t like the implements the Lord uses to plow up our rocky soil! But the very things we don’t like are the very graces by which our transformation takes place. Let’s be honest…wouldn’t we rather invite His divine influence upon our heart (grace) than continue to be influenced by that which diminishes the truth of Who He is? How we answer that question will definitely affect what we produce.
Either way, we have a pile of rocks to deal with. What becomes of the rocks has everything to do with the image we bear within…
Gracefully Free
1https://shammahsfield.com/2010/09/26/when-loves-heart-suffers/
2reality, actuality, genuineness, authenticity, sincerity, trueness, truth
Image: http://pullthecork.files.wordpress.com/2010/05/cotes-du-rhone-terroir.jpg
Shammahs Field LLC/Shammah Ministries is the biblical counseling, life coaching, and spiritual growth ministry entrusted to Wayne & Nancy Bentz. You can learn more about the resources they have to offer at www.shammahsfield.com.
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