07/24/11

John 15:1-2

I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.  

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.

I have these verses underlined in my Bible.

Until recently, I read over these verses seeing that, yes, Jesus is the True Vine and we are the branches.  Kind of like the song I sing with my kids at school "Jesus is the vine and we are the branches... His banner over me is love...."

Well, in my study of God's Word this summer He has brought this further for me.  He helped me to see the word "more."  Go back up and re-read the verses concentrating on that word "more."

When a plant is not producing as it should, we have to trim off the dead ends and allow the plant to "start over" in a way and begin blooming and producing better foliage or fruit.

The same is true for our spiritual lives.  We need pruning.

That is what God's Word talks about above when it says "purgeth."

Pruning can be very difficult.  I know that a plant isn't going to start crying or complaining when we start to prune away. 

However, when God chooses to prune in our lives, what is the first thing we do?  We begin to complain.  We begin to say we can't do it.  We begin to collapse under the pain.

Let's be honest.... we've all been at that point.  I don't think there is anyone out there that can say that they have taken the pruning from the Lord with excitement!

Many times people see the pruning as God's way of punishing them for past wrongs, or that God just isn't on their side.

God isn't like that.  He is that Master Gardener that sees a problem in the plant and knows the only way to treat it is by the pruning to allow the plant to come back more full and alive.  He sees that in our own lives.  We have to be pruned to that we can bear MORE fruit.

MORE.

I have learned this lesson and can look back in the past couple of years and seen a lot of dead limbs and such that the Lord has taken off of my life and allowed me to be more fruitful for Him.

The pruning process was hard, long and tiresome.  There were days I didn't think I could keep going.  There were even days I wanted to quit altogether.

I can look back now and see how much more fruit I bear than I did years ago.  I see a growth that can only come from the Lord.  The Lord is able to use me now in ways I never thought before simply because He pruned me.  I am thankful for the pruning, no matter how hard it was. 

If you are going through a hard time, remember that while God may be pruning you, He hasn't left your side.  He is lovingly holding you, talking you through it and encouraging you with his own "Miracle Grow...."