“I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more.
-John 15:1-2 (NLT)
Here we find Jesus comparing himself interestingly enough to a grapevine. He adds that God, his father, is the gardener, and his believers are the branches. Jesus then points out that the gardener (God) makes two distinct types of pruning cuts.
First, any branches that are grape-less are immediately cut off at the trunk. That makes sense. Branches that are aren’t producing are simply stunting the growth and goodwill of the entire plant. They are nothing more than worthless twigs, and should be removed.
That made me think though… I wonder what points of my life I wasn’t bearing any Godly fruit, satisfied with being a Christian in title only. If God ultimately wants to use me to produce, if that’s my purpose, if that’s how I was designed… Then that’s impossible for me to do if I am disconnected from God, the grapevine. Spiritually speaking, I was as good as dead. Ouch.
And next, Jesus says, any branch that is doing well and full of grapes is pruned as well, but pruned back.
I certainly don’t have much of a green thumb, so this statement caught be a bit off guard initially. Something is growing well and producing fruit and you are going to prune it? But, from a gardeners perspective, it’s a common practice. When a healthy branch is cut back, it actually promotes growth and maximizes its fruit-producing potential. So what does that mean to me, a branch, a Christian?
Even when things seem to going well, sometimes I will have to be pruned. And that will be painful, discouraging, and frustrating. But those difficult times will strengthen my faith and character, allowing me to bear Godly fruit to the best of my ability.
God, if it produces the results you want with my life, here are the shears. Prune away.
