The pruning

What is the pruning and why does God prune the believers.

Pruning is the  cutting away dead or overgrown parts of a plant to encourage stronger, more fruitful growth. The pain is intentional; the purpose is to increase.

Why is there a need to prune the believers? The Bible speaks of this in John chapter 15 for it reads as follows.

John 15:1-7 KJV
[1]  I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. [2] Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. [3] Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. [4] Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. [5] I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. [6] If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. [7] If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.

The Divine Gardener: I want you to know today your life is not a random accident. It is a work-in-progress under the care of the ultimate Gardener—God the Father. He has a structured, three-step plan to transform your life and give you a future:

The Pruning Mandate (John 15:1-2):
   * The Father is the Gardener. He doesn’t prune the dead branch (that’s the Purge). He prunes the fruitful branch so it will be “even more fruitful.” Pruning is proof you are bearing fruit!

   * What does the Gardener prune? He prunes the self-reliance, the distractions, the pride, and the fear that stop your true spiritual fruit from shining.

When God moves in my life there are things or setbacks I have that stop my forward motion. At times I do think God is slowing me down for the next work he has in-store for me. I have found it to be a blessing when God moves on my life this way. God  is pruning the dead stuff and getting ready for me to bear more fruit. A plant is choked by weeds and other things but when the gardener comes in and gets rid of the weeds or other things that stop the plant from growing, now the plant has the extra breathing room to grow and develop more and more.

I am using this illustration to let you know that God will prune us to bear more fruit and to grow deeper into the relationship with him. The way we look and see things in the world will be different, because it’s not the world system we are following but the nature of God.  In this world we will have trouble but God provides us with hope to move on each day loving on him and giving us a peace of mind.

I want you to know as a believer in God (The Need for the Prune)  Don’t resist the Gardener’s hand! What is God pruning in your life right now? Give Him permission to strip away your pride, your distractions, and your self-reliance, so you can be even more fruitful as a witness!

Thank you for this day,  continue to meditate on the pruning and let God go the work in your life.

GivinHope ministry of Evangelism, by John Corum