If God Loves You, He Will Prune You
Gardeners trim and prune vines, sometimes cutting away productive branches. That’s because they know that a vine’s life actually increases with pruning. A wise vinedresser doesn’t let his fruit grow wildly on its own. In order to produce the best fruit, he must follow the established rules of pruning by cutting away dead or overgrown branches to encourage growth. Before Jesus went to the cross, He gave a final sermon to His disciples. Right in the middle, He uses a gardening metaphor to describe the importance of growing spiritually and drawing strength from Him — the true vine. He also says, “Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.” (John 15:2) Jesus was telling not only the disciples but all Christians that He was setting them apart for a lifestyle of bearing fruit. Their fruit would come as a result of God’s intentional pruning. Like the branches in Jesus’s story, we’re all unique, and our pruning won’t look the same. He will prune us differently, but this is a process we entrust to Him, knowing that He is good and at work in our lives.
