I have been spending some time in John 15, and my recent blog posts reflect that.
John 15:1-2 reads, “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.” Regarding this section: "He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit," I shared an unfamiliar take on this familiar verse. Check out my blog post "Mind-Opening Insight on a Familiar Passage."
As this verse continues, "while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful," the words are hard but helpful. The gardener prunes off the dead and diseased leaves; otherwise, they will poison the plant. The pruning might not feel great at the time, but the end result will be glorious. If we ask Him, the Lord will reveal our dead and diseased leaves of negativity, bad attitude, fear and mistrust, drain-circling stinkin' thinkin', critical spirit, and more.
And he will use the challenging situations in our lives to grow us up too. In Hebrews 12:7, Paul writes, "Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father?" In The Message Bible, this verse reads, “God is educating you; that’s why you must never drop out. He’s treating you as dear children. This trouble you’re in isn’t punishment; it’s training.”
Then back to the NIV, “No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it".
We may not understand all God is doing at the time, but if we exercise our trust muscle, like I posted about in my last blog, we rest in the truth that God is making us better. The training we receive during these tough times of pruning is that God will be there for us no matter what. That’s the harvest of righteousness and peace.
It's hard to surrender to the Lord's pruning. I prefer God's blessings to trials, thank you very much. But I have witnessed how much better I am when I let the Lord have free reign in my life. I am choosing to be brave like the psalmist David and ask: “Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. 24 See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting” (Psalm 139:23-24).
Remember, the Lord loves those He prunes. He wants to make us look more and love more like Him. Now more than ever, folks need hope. We want them to look to Jesus. That may mean they will look at us. What do we look like to them? Are we attracting people to the kingdom by our love? If not, let the Lord prune off the negative attitude, the criticism, the cynicism, the impatience, the irritability. Let's let Him bear fruit in us. Fruit that will last.