15 “I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more. 3 You have already been pruned and purified by the message I have given you. 4 Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me.
I was out looking at my rosebushes a few days ago and decided that they desperately needed some pruning. Branches were going everywhere, flowerless branches stuck out among the bloomers. They were overgrown and the flowers were getting unimpressive. Air and light were having trouble getting to the inner parts of the plant.
So I Googled “pruning rose bushes”. Apparently pruning is a delicate business. Fruitless branches are removed; blooming branches are cut back but not too far. You have to look and see just the right spot to make the cut- not too high and not too low. Branches growing across the bush in the wrong direction are removed too. At first the bush looks pretty bad. No blooms and it looks kind of scrawny. But later wonderful large roses will bloom in abundance.
We are like those rose bushes. We may have some fruitless activities in our lives, maybe some things going in the wrong direction. Maybe our growth has gotten stale and slow or out of control. We need a good pruning by the Word of God.
Another thing I learned is that the pruner has the best interest of the plant at heart. Pruning is done lovingly to bless and help the plant. But maybe the plant sees it another way. Ouch!, branches are being removed. Maybe the plant liked that branch that was not productive. Maybe we like some things in our lives that do us no good.
Jesus prunes us with the word of God. Our job is to listen, heed and obey the word of the Lord. Sometimes it can feel a little uncomfortable, but hang in there. The Lord is doing this to make you even more fruitful.
“But the fruit of the [Holy] Spirit [the work which His presence within accomplishes] is love, joy (gladness), peace, patience (an even temper, forbearance), kindness, goodness (benevolence), faithfulness,” Galatians 5:21-23
Good pruning brings good fruit. Prune us, Lord.
Jesus is Lord!
