Blessings of Pruning
Jesus is the true vine. (See Praise the Vine)
Those who believe in Jesus Christ and have received Him as Lord and Savior are the branches attached to the vine. (John 15:3, 5)
The Father is the cultivator, the vinedresser. (John 15:1)
For us, believers, the Father works in us (Philippians 2:13) and prunes us (John 15:2) so that we bear more fruit.
Pruning is the process of cutting away parts of branches that reduce fruitfulness. Branches may have multiple growths that take energy and might produce fruit, but diminish the overall productivity of the branch. Areas of the branch are cut off with knives, pruning shears (of various sizes), or saws (hand saws or powered saws). Ouch!
And that is what the Father does to us. For a loving purpose, He continually (“prune” is a present active indicative tense) cuts off areas that diminish our fruitfulness, which may hurt, but results in blessing.
Pruning includes the Father cutting off areas of current service which are producing grapes in order to produce more fruit elsewhere.
What precisely is pruned is specific to the believer. What we can know is that:
God the Father continually cuts off areas in our lives that reduce the fruit we produce.
God prunes for a loving purpose so that we will bear more fruit. And so that those bearing more fruit will bear much fruit.
We will be rewarded for the fruit in our lives.
This is a blessing, and we are called to rejoice that the Father is tending us to produce fruit.
~~~
Thank You, Lord Jesus, that You are the vine, providing life, strength, and ability for us to produce fruit. Thank You, Father, that You tend to us, continually cutting away areas in our lives that reduce our ability to produce fruit to You. Help us trust Your loving purpose and rejoice in Your care.
~~~~
I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit. You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. (John 15:1–5)
