12/23/07 - Life Journal - Pruning the Vine

I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.
John 15:1,2

This goes along well with what John the Baptist said earlier. If you have branches on your tree that are dead and not bearing you anymore fruit you cut them off and toss 'em in the fire, or mulch 'em, whatever. Sounds painful! Along with these branches Jesus goes on further to say that those that are producing will still be pruned by God. In other words, you may have come to a point in your walk that you are finally doing some good for the Kingdom, the trouble is most, if not all of us still have skeletons we're trying to keep in darkness. Our Father, the gardener, has filled our lives with His light, He knows all the skeletons we're hiding, and though our branch might have a few oranges on it He's still going to prune the dead limbs and leaves off of us and that can be just as painful. Sin becomes part of us and the extraction isn't an easy process.

I need to offer myself up to Him in prayer, exposing my dead limbs in His light so He can clear me for new growth. With the old still attached to the branch it limits my potential for bearing more fruit.

Father, you know what needs to be removed. Prune me so my branch in you can become stronger, healthier and able to support the growth of new fruit for your Kingdom.