My Father Is The Vinedresser (John 15:1)

"Every branch in Me that bears no fruit He cuts away, and every branch that does bear fruit He prunes to make it bear even more." (John 15:2)

Have you ever felt like God was removing things from your life maybe people, relationships, possessions? Starkly put, have you ever been attached to something / someone so much that, it got in the way of your relationship with God? The Bible says in John 15:2, "every branch that bears no fruit he cuts away." The spiritual pruning process of our lives includes cutting away all that reflects our earthly passions that are in opposition to God’s holiness. What we see as tragedies may be blessings in disguise, and the very opportunities through which God chooses to exhibit His love and grace.

In the poem Streams in the Desert, L.B Cowman asks this question, "Why must this lot of life be mine?" The answer is "Because God knows what plans for us, shall blossom in eternity." He knows what opportunities await us. He is preparing us so that we can be instruments of His greater glory. First, however He must remove the weeds from our lives. He promised, "Every branch that bears fruit he prunes to make it bear even more" (John 15:2). When we face trials, it doesn’t mean that God has abandoned us, on the contrary it is the pruning process that God uses to mold us for great things ahead.

We must allow God to prune the wilted friends, relationships, habits, thoughts, and possessions out of our lives. By allowing this to happen, we will grow stronger and bear more fruit for the Kingdom of God. We will not only add to the Kingdom in quantity, but also in quality. The fruit we bear will be much more pleasing to God.

God has a place of service that is suited perfectly for each one of us. What we need to do is trust him. The Father desires that we bear much fruit. Nevertheless, He sometimes needs to prune those areas in our lives that keep us from bearing a fruitful harvest. Pruning is a painful process, but it is necessary for us to produce a fruitful harvest. When we bear much fruit, the Father is glorified.

We have nothing to be fearful about, Jesus says, "You are already pruned because of the word that I spoke to you" (John 15:3). By the waters of baptism our fallen nature has been made clean, we are forgiven and justified. We are citizens of heaven! The only thing we need to do is to acknowledge our citizenship by living in such a way that others may see our good deeds and glorify our Heavenly Father.

"Lord, I yield myself to you. Remove every obstruction that hinders my communion with you."