Let’s Submit to God’s Pruning Process  

I’ve been taking advantage of nice weather to tackle some much-needed yardwork, including pruning some bushes. I worked on one plant that hadn’t been touched for a couple of years. It seemed to be thriving and recently was full of beautiful blooms. However, it had grown out of control – its once-attractive shape lost, a weighty abundance of branches hanging to the ground, and the top beginning to touch the eave of our roof. So I spent a considerable amount of time removing hidden, unhealthy branches that weren’t receiving any sunlight, thinning out some of the healthy branches, and generally helping the bush regain its shape.

When Jesus compared His followers to branches of a vine, He also referred to the necessity of pruning. He wasn’t talking about unfruitful branches at that point. He pinpoints those as the ones which wither and are taken away to be burned. No, these are branches that are still connected to the vine, have a measure of health, and are blossoming. Yet He still suggests that they need some attention, including occasional pruning. “Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit” (John 15:2). Jesus compared Himself to the vine and His Father as the Master-gardener who wisely knows how to best care for His plants. And He knows that sometimes we need pruning.

Jesus didn’t go into any detail about what is meant by “pruning”. However, based on our experiences with plants, we can discern what such action might involve. Sometimes God may need to work in our lives in such a way as to thin out certain things. There may be some dead, unhealthy aspects of our lives that need to be removed. There may also be some other areas of our lives that aren’t bad or wrong, but they’re crowding out the better things. Some of our activities may need to be cut back so as to make room for the more essentials of life. Otherwise, if they’re allowed to continue and grow unchecked, they may put stress on our spiritual health.

And while appearance isn’t everything, there is a certain “shape” that God expects us to maintain. His Word makes it clear that we are to be transforming more and more into the image of Christ. It may be necessary for those parts of our lives that don’t look like Him to be dealt with and to be cut away. Our Master-gardener isn’t just haphazardly clipping away at us. He is sculpting us into the image of His Son.

Another aspect of pruning is that it can be painful. It is cutting away some things. The shears God uses in this process may involve hardships and adversity. Pruning may not be pleasant at times. It means change. It means giving up certain things. It means new direction. It can be difficult. However, we need to yield ourselves to the will and hand of our Gardener, trusting His wisdom, skill, and vision for our lives.

Keep in mind that pruning isn’t punishment. On the contrary, it’s a sign that God sees potential in us and wants us to thrive even more. He sees the good fruit we’re bearing, but knows that we can be even more fruitful. He sees spiritual health and wants us to keep getting healthier. He sees growth, but wants to control that growth and keep it from becoming wild or spreading in harmful directions.

What does God need to cut away from your life? How do you need to become more like Jesus? Let Him do His vital work of pruning so that you can be healthier and bear even more fruit for Him.