The Purpose of Pruning
John 15:1-5 - “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. You have already been pruned and purified by the message I have given you. Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me. “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.
Leviticus 26:10 - You will have such a surplus of crops that you will need to clear out the old grain to make room for the new harvest!
Pruning is a process God uses to grow you. Just like the farmer or the gardner, He knows that it reaps exponential benefits. To cut existing things off and away is to make room for new growth and more fruit. You already know that there are parts of your “self” that are “less than” and so you understand that God wants to get rid of them. But, there are also parts of you that are seemingly good that God wants to take away; He can see more fruit, more wonder, more of who you could be in Him with a new growth in that area. So, He cuts off good growth in your life to make room for better growth. It may seem like punishment for something you have done wrong unaware, but in fact He is doing this because you have done so much right in His eyes. It is not an act of judgement, it is an act of true love. Though pruning can be painful and confusing, you must take the long perceptive and know that God can see beyond who you are today and envision a greater, more fruitful, meaningful life for you. That’s why he does it. From God’s point of view, pruning will set the course for your continued life in Him. Just as the orchardist cuts back the trees to shape them and give the branches direction for new growth, God is doing the same in you. As the branches are cut away, they will grow back stronger. Because they are stronger, they will bear more fruit. Same with you. As God cuts away the dead and overgrown parts of your self, clips lingering attitudes that don’t reflect Him, shears away your impurities, and pares your spiritual pride, He will make room for you to flourish like never before. Before, nourishment and nurture went to the former parts of us, but now the nourishment of God’s Spirit is moving in a new way, in a new direction, growing new fruit and more fruit and we are closer to being more like Jesus.
Remember this: after the pruning season, it takes time to see fruit. Don’t be anxious. Keep abiding in Him. Read the Word. Pray. Serve. In the right time, you will see God’s flourishing work in your life. You will be different. Your life will have an impact for the kingdom like you never dreamed.
When it comes to pruning, you have only one job: it is up to you to respond by letting God do his work in you. Surrender yourself. You can trust Him. He knew you when, He knows you in the now, and He is the only one who can see you in the future. You may feel that God is distant, but He is not. The orchardist hand is closest to the tree when he is cutting off a branch. So know that God’s hand is closest to you when he is pruning you. The Master Gardner, The Vinedresser - The Orchardist - has nothing but love and care and invested interest in your life becoming all it can be in Him.
More: Luke 6:43-45