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John 15

I’m sure I would have had the same reaction. You leave for the office and come home to find your tree branches much higher off the ground then when you last mowed. Your shrubs are about ½ the size they were when you backed your Porsche out of the garage. Frustration handled with grace ☺.

pruning (ˈpruːnɪŋ) n

  1. (Horticulture) horticulture the process of cutting off unwanted branches
  2. the cutting of inessentials

The purpose for a fruit bearing plant is singular and simple. It’s not simply ornamental. It’s not primarily for shade. It’s not just for “curb appeal.” The purpose of fruit trees is to produce fruit. It’s their nature. It’s their reason for existence. Its their one and only job!

But consistent and prolific fruit bearing requires continual, skillful, and intentional attention. Sucker branches appear. They often produce great leaf cover and show further promise. But bottom line, they are a drain on the life flow of the tree. They will never bear fruit. So the wise gardener carefully cuts them away. They are useless. Old branches are often laden with dead leaves, nests for predator bugs, and residents for diseases. He carefully studies his plant, and then skillfully severs the limb. And when they are severed from the tree, they quickly shrivel, dry and die. Perhaps they will find their final usefulness in being the twigs that begin the greater fire.

But sometimes even fruit-bearing branches need to be cleaned back. They get too long and block the pathway. They grow so far from the main trunk that the life-support of the plant cannot effectively support them. The wise husbandman skillfully cuts those off, not because they are unfruitful, but because by doing so the overall plant increases in its fruit bearing proficiency.

Walking under the moonlight with His disciples through the vineyards on the outer limits of the sleeping city, Jesus seizes a teaching moment and says, “I AM the true vine and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away (cuts off) and every branch that DOES bear fruit He prunes, (trims back) that it may bear MORE fruit!” John 15:1-2

  • Pruning is essential.
  • Pruning is intentional.
  • Pruning is skillful.
  • Pruning is painful.
  • Pruning is profitable!

So this happened. I’m a pruning addict. My father-in-law would often arrive home to find his branches higher, his shrubs shorter, and his burn-bin fuller ☹. He usually met his frustration with grace ☺. BUT…he had to admit—his landscape was ALWAYS the healthier for it!

Been feeling the “pain of pruning” in your own world lately? The Father is a master husbandman. He knows exactly when and where and why to cut. He does it for His purposes. And His purposes are that we “bear fruit” and “bear more fruit” and “bear much fruit” and ultimately “bear fruit that lasts.”

Lord, give us the strength to endure the frustration with grace!

See you Sunday, Church!
Pastor Tom