Pruning

Everyone has events in their lives that shape us into who we are.  Some are minor, other are major and life altering, but they all make us learn.  Whether it's is washing a red t-shirt in a load of whites, or the loss of job, birth of your first child, or a life threatening disease they all will teach you something.  How we react to that teaching often determines the outcome of the lesson as bad or good. 

God's allowance of both good and bad events is often how He chooses to teach you and me.  Is it pleasant?  Some times...but sometimes (and often) it is not.  Even in the bad, or even evil events we face God is present and using these events to make you grow. We see this in John 15;1-6

 “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit. 3 You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. 4 Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. 5 I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned. 

Pruning is how a plant is made healthy, allowing it to grow to be bigger and more fruitful.  Now I know plants can't talk but what if they could.  Would they tell us it felt good being pruned? I thinking no, it hurt, but what about one, two or three months later at Harvest time? Hey vine now that you have an abundance of big, juicy and sweet grapes as a result of that pruning back then, was it worth it? YES.

God it that way with us!  Trimming not only the dead but also the good "branches" to make us better fruit bearers.  We as Christian know that the dead (evil, non-producing, sin...) branches need to be cut but what about some of the good branches.  Sometimes the "good branches" things like a job, health, money, and family cause us to not grow the "fruit" we are intended to produce.

As I have been reading a book "Jesus in the Present Tense: The I AM Statements of Christ" by Warren W. Wiersbe.  This morning I was reading his words on this chapter in John.  Here is what he said about pruning;

"Fruitless branches prove they have no living connection with the vine and they must be cut off, and fruitful branches must be pruned so they produce more and better fruit (15:1-2.  Please note that when the vinedressers prune the fruitful branches, they cut away living wood, not dead wood, so the branches will produce better grapes.  The vinedresser must know what wood to cut, how much to cut, and at what angle." 

Another passage from Mr. Wiersbe..."As your read Scripture, note how the Father had to prune away good things from some of His servants so their ministries would be more fruitful and glorify the Lord in a greater way."   And God does this to us, sometimes cutting things that are, or seem to be good in order to bring us back to full fruitfulness in Him.  I know I'm being pruned during this time of my life!!

So hang in there during these times, It hurts, but I know the outcome will be great!!!