Little Foxes
By Jill Briscoe
“Catch for us the foxes, the little foxes that ruin the vineyards, our vineyards that are in bloom.”
Song of Solomon 2:15, NIV
Our lives are like vineyards. God is the husbandman, and it is He who plants us with “the choicest vine.” Jesus said that He is God’s true and chosen vine, planted deep within the heart of penitent men and women.
The Devil is God’s enemy. He sends his little foxes into the vineyard to spoil the fruit of the vine. In my experience, it has usually been the little foxes that have caused the most damage to my Christian testimony. Big adversaries like the big old bear are easy to see, but “little foxes” are harder to find! There are the little foxes of lying, slander, laziness, and selfishness, and the little fox of fear or anger can spoil our entire testimony.
But take courage: In the midst of the vineyard there is a tower wherein the Owner lives. He keeps a holy watch for “the little foxes” so that the fruit of His choicest vine may be preserved.
Once God desired to grow the fruit of maturity in my vineyard. My husband was away a lot, and I had to attend to such housekeeping matters as catching the field mice that had found their way into our kitchen. The vermin were everywhere! As a child I had been afraid of such creatures, but now I was an adult and needed to behave like one! God reminded me that I had not been “blessed to be beaten” and helped me to deal with the problem. When the fruit of the vine is preserved, the Owner of the vineyard is glorified!
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