“I am the Real Vine and my Father is the Farmer. He cuts off every branch of me that doesn’t bear grapes. And every branch that is grape-bearing he prunes back so it will bear even more” John 15:1-2, MSG.
Pruning means to cut off or cut back parts of for better shape or more fruitful growth. When a vine is pruned, it is being pruned for a stronger, better and longer life, and for the purpose of bearing more richer fruit. This is what God does with us.
There are things in our lives that are unfruitful, therefore, the Lord deals with us in those very areas, not to harm us, but for the purpose to bear more fruit in the likeness of Him. The fruit of the Spirit are love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance (Galatians 5:22-23). If you are not bearing them, or you need more of them operating in your life, God is going to prune you.
He will cut away pride, anger, impatience, unsubmissive, discontentment, selfishness, offense, unforgiveness, envy, laziness, rebellion, unfaithfulness, fame-seeking, and other things that stagnant us from being Christ-like. He’ll use people to prune you. He doesn’t create them, but He will even use circumstances to prune you and work them for your good. Pruning precedes growth. Pruning precedes power. Pruning precedes purpose.
Don’t be afraid of His pruning process. Your best is coming out of you. Be a man that yields to what He tells you to do and allow God to make you richer, better and take you higher into the image of Christ.
Prayer: Father, it doesn’t feel good, but prune me. Make this man more like You. Work on me to bear more fruit for You. Cut away any sin and anything that is not like You. I yield and rely on You Jesus to give me the strength to stay within the process and grow more into the image of Christ. Thank You Lord. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
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