Grapes and Giants

Just got this email from my father-in-law. Good stuff at just the right time.


The following is by Missionary Buddy Smith of Malanda, Queensland,
Australia :

We have been reminded again just recently that
grapes and giants are most often found in close proximity.
They just seem to go together. When the spies brought back
from Canaan a great cluster of grapes, they also brought back
reports of giants living in walled cities. In fact, the Bible
dictionary I use indicates that the grapes came from the very
location, Hebron, where the giants lived. I must confess that I
would rather it were not so. My flesh is a lover of grapes, but
has no affinity for giants. I would like for them to be found
far apart so that I could rest in peace under the shadow of the
grapevine and eat to excess the grapes of Eshcol, all the while
avoiding all contact with the giants. The apostle wrote to the
Corinthian church this very truth when he penned the words,
‘There is a great door and effectual opened to me, AND there
are many adversaries. (16:9). Great door, many adversaries!
Opportunities and Opposition, Doors and Difficulties,
Blessings and Burdens, Grapes and Giants! This is God's plan
for His servants. The very fact that they are found together
teaches us to be optimistically realistic and realistically
optimistic. If there are giants who are harassing you at this
moment, then there must be large clusters of grapes nearby! It
is God's way to plant them in close proximity. If there are
grapes growing in abundance in your life, then you must be
ever so watchful for giants! And just here you will see one of
those Bible portraits of the servants of Christ. In one of his
hands is a cluster of the very largest, lushest grapes, sweet
and rich, blest of God. And in the other hand he holds a sharp
sword, with which he fights off the giants. While he tastes the
sweetness of God’s richest blessings, his eye is sharp and his
arm is strong and he holds the Sword of the Spirit, because
the giants, the enemies or God, are ever near. We have been
enjoying many wonderful grapes of blessing in the church
planting work here, and there are also giants. Over the past
few months our church has been under severe attack from
many quarters. False accusations, slander, threats of lawsuits,
unrest in the homes of our members, dissatisfaction on the
part of some, and a thousand other difficulties have come our
way. These are our giants.”