Narda Reid
- Jul 16
- 6 min read

God's Balancing Act

Three Essentials to Help Us to Rise Above All Failures and Start Over Fresh!

"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:..." Luke 13:8,9

Have you ever noticed that at times when we give our children or loved ones a little grace... they think they can "get away with murder?" Well, we tend to do the same as God's children and His loved ones.

Sometimes because God doesn't act immediately to discipline "Israel", we may believe He is "soft". When He offers yet another year of probation we may mistake His mercy for compliance with our folly or nonchalance, But nothing could be farther from the truth.

In 3 John 2, God assures, "Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth." Because God loves His children with an unearthly love, He "is not slack concerning His promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." 2 Peter 3:9. Yet in another verse, most dear to the Christian, He solidifies His mercy and willingness to forgive:

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." John 3:16

How does God Prove He loves Me...?

How does He prove He loves me?....us? Let us make full sense of Isaiah 5, Luke 13, and Mark 12 to understand God and His character more deeply.

And he (Jesus) began to speak unto them by parables . A certain man planted a vineyard, and set an hedge about it , and digged a place for the winefat, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country.

Does this sound familiar? Well, it should. Jesus wanted to draw the attention of the Jews back to Isaiah chapter 5. Before He was incarnated, He along with the Father and the Holy Spirit had extended probation to His very undeserving children. They rejected GOD's purpose for them to be sincere beacons of light, leading unbelievers or heathens to know that God is Love. These unbelievers would be exposed to many blessings... having the option of choosing a loving relationship with Him too.

But they failed over and over again, despite many opportunities to get it right. They went so far as to threaten, injure, and murder many of the servants and prophets sent to them to live up to their purpose, but they rebelled even more.

Let's pick up the narrative where we left off in the book of Mark to see if the puzzle pieces begin to make even more sense when we study line upon line, here a little and there a little:

And at the season he sent to the husbandmen a servant, that he might receive from the husbandmen of the fruit of the vineyard. And they caught him, and beat him, and sent him away empty. And again he sent unto them another servant; and at him they cast stones, and wounded him in the head, and sent him away shamefully handled.

And again he sent another; and him they killed, and many others; beating some, and killing some. Mark 12: 2-5

So far Scripture supports Scripture. Moses and Aaron were threatened; Jeremiah was imprisoned, and Isaiah was cut in two. In Isaiah 5: The Father asked "What more could I have done?"

Having yet therefore one son, his wellbeloved, he sent him also last unto them, saying, They will reverence my son. Mark 12:6

Over 700 years later, God sent His son Jesus, Emmanuel for His people to reverence and repent of their sins: Matthew 1:21-23:

And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins. Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.

Please note that many leaders knew through previous prophets' testimonies that Jesus was not just another prophet, priest, and king, but also "God with us,":

Isaiah 7:14 - Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

Isaiah 9:6-7 - For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.

Wow! What Love!

Wow! What Love! What Mercy! How could they...How can we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? The privilege to be sons and daughters of God. Hebrews 2:3; Isaiah 12:2; 1 John. But they were not content with being children, they wanted to overthrow Christ. Don't believe me...scrutinize the next verses closely:

But those husbandmen said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and the inheritance shall be ours . Mark 12:7

What a plot from Satan Himself, who tried the very same thing in Heaven (Isaiah 14:12-14). David puts it in even more poetic dress: "Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing?" "For they intended evil against thee: they imagined a mischievous device, which they are not able to perform." Psalms 2:1; Psalms 21:11.

And they took him, and killed him, and cast him out of the vineyard. Mark 12:8

They attempted murder...but failed even though they thought they succeeded.

In the book, Christ Object Lesson, on page 293, the author puts it this way:

"As a last resource, God sent His Son, saying, “They will reverence My Son.” But their resistance had made them vindictive, and they said among themselves, “This is the heir; come, let us kill Him, and let us seize on His inheritance.” We shall then be left to enjoy the vineyard, and to do as we please with the fruit."

What shall therefore the lord of the vineyard do? Mark 12: 9a.

Three Essentials to Help Us to Rise Above All Failures and Start Over Fresh!

Quite a few Christians, born in the faith, and people, in general, are going through a rough time because they have de-prioritized the importance of having Christ as number one in their lives. God's balancing act has three essentials to help us rise above all failures and start over fresh: Faith in Jesus, Time, and Pruning!

God sent Jesus to Earth as a gift of grace and mercy to help the Jews to come to their senses. Today He is doing the same with us. We can be ignorant, stubborn, and rebellious children... dragging our feet in disobedience. Yet God is patient and offers us probation for a time. He knows that pruning is necessary for fruitless branches to blossom, bud, and bear amazing fruit. Without this process, we will NOT be able to fulfill His purpose for us. Embracing God's pruning and grace enables us to have Faith in Jesus, ... and Jesus to continue to have Faith in us.

Prayer:

Lord, Help me to embrace your Balancing Act. Without your intervention and intercession, I will continue to tear your kingdom in this world by rejecting your final effort to help me. May I accept Jesus as my personal Savior DAILY. Prevent me from wasting the probationary time... the grace period YOU have given me to become a trustworthy, fruitful Christian. May I not take advantage of Heaven's mercy and love. Keep deception far from my life. Use whatever means necessary so that I may fulfill your desire to draw me closer to you while fulfilling your plan (which should also be my purpose), for my life:

"He shall cause them that come of Jacob to take root: Israel shall blossom and bud, and fill the face of the world with fruit.” Isaiah 27: 6