Pruning! I think this would be the hardest part of gardening. I have plants, I have learned that the dead leaves are to be removed, and the plant will be healthy again. Sometimes I wonder if I am pruning my plants right. I wonder if God feels the same way when He has to start pruning in our lives? What is His motivation for pruning in our lives? Why is it so an important process?
I really believe that God has our best interest at heart. He does everything with a “so that” attitude. He wants us to be healthy and produce good fruit. When we do this, it glorifies God Himself for one. Another reason is that it keeps us closer to our vine. We abide with him more and more in our lives. We have learned to trust Him and His ways.
Pruning in our lives isn’t always fun or easy. It can be hard, very hard. Some lessons are easier to learn than others. Some lessons can take way longer than we want. When we are abiding in God, we can trust that He has the best interest at heart for us.
How do you look at pruning in your life? Do you view it as a way that God is punishing you or disciplining you? Is it gentle and loving? Or is it harsh?
Let’s read Hebrews 12:5-13. According to these verses, what are the two things that we are told not to do when God disciplines us? What is revealed about God’s motivation in working with us? What are the relational factors mentioned? How should we respond to God’s pruning? What do we learn from verse 10? What are we to do according to verses 12 and 13?
In John 15:2, it says that there are two branches. “every branch of Mine that doesn’t produce fruit and the branches that do produce fruit. The first branch belongs to Jesus but isn’t producing fruit. When we are not producing fruit for God, this is when he will begin to prune things in our lives. Let’s look at the word ‘cut off’ in the Greek word ‘airo.’ Airo means to “raise up, elevate, lift from the ground. ” Now look at some other verses that use this word. Matthew 27:32, Mark 15:21, Matthew 4:6, Luke 4:11. God wants to lift us from where we are.
I know that this verse has often been taught that if you are not producing fruit, then you are not abiding in Christ, must be cut off. However, looking at the Greek word “cut-off,” What if this means that God only wants to uplift us from where we are at so we can produce healthy fruit?
There are things in our life that can stop us from producing good healthy fruit. God will start to take those things in our lives and cut them off. When we allow this and let it go, we then can produce good fruit. This can be a hard process; however, when we not what God’s purpose is, we can trust him in this and that He knows what is best.
Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank you for your love and patience with each of us. I know that it is hard when you prune us; however, thank you for wanting what is best for each of us. I pray that we will obey your commands of what you tell us to do when you are disciplining us.
In Jesus Name
Amen
