Key Scripture:
John 15:2b. … and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit.
Key Idea:
All that is inconsistent with the most entire devotion to Christ’s service must be removed.
— Murray
Pray for revelation:
O our holy Husbandman, cleanse and cut away all that there is in us that would make a fair show, or could become a source of self-confidence and glorying. Lord, keep us very low, that no flesh may glory in Thy presence. We do trust Thee to do Thy work.
— Murray
Key words:
Cleansing,
Pruning.
To produce the most abundant amounts of fruit, the branches must be closely managed. This means cutting out dead, unproductive wood. Getting rid of the unfaithful ones. With a vine, this is the farmers main job, keeping the vine clean and purged of unproductiveness.
It also means doing some removal on living, productive branches. Sometimes a branch that has gotten a little too big for its own good gets pruned back to a nub. In doing so, more sap from the vine can be devoted to fruit and less to the wood of the branch. Life lessons in humility, giving up unfruitful bad, or even good habits.
The Greek word for pruning is related to the same word used in the first part of this verse. the difference is the earlier word meant to snip, lift up and away, and toss aside. This word is a compound word that adds a word that means justly, or rightly so. That means that God, the farmer, in his infinite wisdom, knows exactly justly so, which areas to trim out to be tossed aside.
Are you feeling loss? Did God take some area of your life away, or is he dropping hints that life changes need to be made? Be a good, united branch and let the farmer decide what needs pruning. In the end you will be more productive for it.
Trials and hardships come and go, but these are just natural events of life. They are temporary things, and not the real purpose of God’s work and desire. With what is left after the storms, traumas, and prunings occur, the real mission is to stay connected. Abie. Bear fruit.