“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.” (John 15:1-8 NKJV)
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.” (Galatians 5:22-25 NKJV)
“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:34-35 NKJV)
Have you ever done any yard work? Perhaps you have trimmed a hedge, or cut back a bush. If so, then you are familiar with the process of “shearing.” Shearing is the process of indiscriminately trimming or removing branches for the sake of appearance.
Have you ever done any landscaping? If not, have you ever gone to Disney World? I remember the first time that I ever went to Disney. I was amazed at the large scrubs (or whatever kind of bushes they actually were) that were shaped into the various Disney characters. The precision with which they were shaped (sheared) was breathtaking.
Along with shearing to bring about the desired appearance, when it comes to plant life there is another process called “pruning.” Pruning is the selective removal of individual branches to enhance the growth (health) of the plant. While pruning will positively impact the appearance of the plant, its actual purpose is to maximize the plant’s growth and fruitfulness.
In the same way that my heavenly Father lovingly disciplines me, he painstakingly prunes me. He takes the time and care to remove anything that hinders my growth and fruitfulness. It is his desire that I bear fruit for the Kingdom. In the same way that his discipline results in the fruit of righteousness in my life, his pruning produces the fruit of love.
The fruit of love is best described by the Apostle Paul in Galatians 5. From the foundation of love flows all of the other fruit that he describes. I challenge each of us to set aside the time to read and meditate on the fruit of love (also called the fruit of the Spirit). It is by this fruit of love freely shared with others that I am recognized as a disciple of Jesus.
Pruning, like discipline, is a painful experience. It is part of what produces the godly sorrow that leads to repentance (changing the way that I think, speak, and act to be in alignment with my true identity as a son of God and the way that my Father thinks, speaks, and acts – the Mind of Christ). My Father will prune anything that hinders fruit from being produced in and through me. This pruning brings life to the areas of my life that are dying. He also prunes the fruitful areas of my life in order to maximize my ability to produce fruit.
Pruning and discipline go hand in hand. Discipline is primarily focused on internally dealing with sin in order to produce the fruit of righteousness. Pruning focuses on the internal process of removing hindrances to bearing the fruit of love. Together they maximize my ability to demonstrate Kingdom righteousness and bear Kingdom fruit which in turn manifests the Kingdom benefits to me and all who my life touches…
…”Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits: Who forgives all your iniquities, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from destruction, who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies, who satisfies your mouth with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.” Psalm 103:1-5 NKJV)
Before concluding, I feel compelled to emphasize once again that God works primarily with my spirit. He works from the inside – out. Keeping this awareness at the forefront of my thinking will help me to rightly divide the suffering that I experience. It will help me to more quickly discern between the pain that I am to embrace (From my Father – no pain, no gain) and the pain that I am to stand against and/or avoid (from the enemy or my own foolish actions – steal, kill, and destroy).
Praise God, that even when I do not rightly divide suffering (miss it in my discernment), even when needless suffering does occur, my Father works all of it together for my good and turns what was meant for harm into good for me. He turns pain into gain. He transforms suffering into joy. He brings life out of death. THANK YOU DADDY!
That is enough said for now. Let’s keep bearing fruit as we walk out…
…Eric’s Life Lesson # 409: Discerned Suffering: Sufferings FROM Christ: The Pain of Pruning