Abide (Week 4 Devotional)

Author: Audrey Berry

Thoughts on Pruning...

Monday, October 26, 2009

John 15:2-3  "He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while very branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.  You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you."

“He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit…”

I must confess that in the past I have read this phrase in a rather self-condemning frame of mind. I was convinced that if I wasn’t “working” hard enough for God to produce something useful, he was going to come along and just “whack” me off—no mercy. This had the effect of making me feel guilty, wretched and “not quite good enough” for God. Of course, this is a lie from you-know-who and it never produced an ounce of life in me.

Upon more recent (and hopefully more mature) reflection and study, I can see that this is not referring to those who have truly put their faith in Jesus at all. Rather it is the beginning of a brief sketch of two types of branches: those which “appear” to be branches because they have done outward things that would seem to indicate that they belong to Jesus, and those which are “real” branches because they have become truly and vitally connected to Jesus. Those who are only outwardly attached but have not had a vital re-birth will not bear real and lasting fruit; rather they will prove to be dead and lifeless. Those who are truly “in Christ” will bear fruit that lasts because the life of Jesus is within them.

So the real issue here is have we truly been “grafted” into Christ(Romans 11:17-22)? The Bible exhorts us to “Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith” (1 Corinthians 13:5-6). Let’s not be of those who receive the word with joy, but later fall away when tough times come, proving that they were never really converted in the first place (Matthew 13:5-6).

The Word of God is able to discern between these two types of branches as it discerns the thoughts and intentions of the heart (Hebrews 4:12), so I ask that you spend a few minutes reading and reflecting on the verses mentioned above.  I trust that you will indeed discover that you have truly put your faith in Jesus.  But if you find that you are uncertain, please contact a faithgroup leader or pastor to discuss how you can know for certain that you are a “branch” belonging to Jesus.

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

"...while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful." (part 1)

Recently I took the pruning shears to my raspberry patch. I had a fine crop of raspberries this summer, but as all experienced raspberry growers know, if you want to have a future harvest, you have to get rid of the old canes. Raspberry canes last for two years: the first year the canes grow, and the second year they produce the fruit. After they bear fruit, the canes are done and they die; they cannot produce fruit again. If you leave the dead canes in the raspberry patch, they will crowd the new canes and can even harbor disease and pests. In my raspberry patch, the pruning I did was for the purpose of getting rid the “deadwood” to make room for new productivity.

In my spiritual life I have sometimes found myself trying to hold on to my past accomplishments or ways of doing things, hoping that I can somehow bring it “back to life.” I’m always hoping that what has happened in the past will allow me to coast along in the present. And of course, it is always handy to have those “old canes” around to prove to others that I’ve been mighty productive in MY berry patch (oops! I mean, GOD’s berry patch).

But the lesson of the garden seems to be that God is always doing something new (Isaiah 43:19).  Last year’s crop was wonderful and we should give thanks for the harvest, but now it’s time to get ready for a new crop.  Isaiah 43:18 exhorts us to “forget the former things; do not dwell on the past.”  We cannot rest on the accomplishments of yesterday.  Take some time to ask God what he wants to prune out of your life today to make way for the next harvest.  Even if it is something that has been wonderfully productive, God may be moving you on to something new.  I want to be ready for whatever God is doing next, don’t you?

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

"while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful." (part 2)

Some kinds of trees and plants are prone to developing “suckers.” These are small side branches that grow on the trunk or a main branch which seldom produce any fruit. A gardener will usually snap suckers off before they grow very large because all they do is sap the strength of the plant without producing anything.

I’m sure it will surprise you to find out that my spiritual life is full of “suckers.” I have all sorts of little activities and projects that take my time and resources but never really produce anything. The advantage of producing a lot of “leaves” is that I look really spiritual. It’s a great crop of spiritual pride, but not much in the way of lasting fruit.

Of course, God is not interested in the production of “leafy stuff” without fruit. In fact, he has some harsh things to say about trees that are “all leaf and no fruit.” (Luke 13:6-9) God has a way of snapping off those things in our lives so we can devote ourselves to lasting fruit. So a second kind of pruning is getting rid of those areas of spiritual pride that aren’t really producing anything. Take a few moments to consider what “suckers” might be in your life. God desires that these should be cleanly cut away. Will you ask him to do it?

Thursday, October 29, 2009

"...while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful." (part 3)

The first year you plant strawberries, common gardening wisdom says to remove all the flowers, meaning that there will be no crop at all the first year! Of course, a first year crop might be expected to be small, but doesn’t it seem like at least some crop would be better than none? How can you be fruitful if you don’t allow the crop to develop at all? The thing gardeners are interested in when they remove those first-year blossoms is long term fruitfulness. When the blossoms are removed from the plant, it allows the plant to put its energy into developing a strong root system. A young plant that is allowed to develop a vigorous root system makes for a stronger plant that will be able to produce good crops for years to come. Small, spindly plants with shallow roots produce poor crops or die much earlier than they normally would.

This third type of “pruning” is most applicable to newly developing areas of our spiritual lives. Obviously wisdom says to not burden young, immature Christians with too many spiritual responsibilities too quickly (Proverbs 20:21). Give them a chance to grow strong and put down their roots. But the same continues to apply when we face new seasons of life or enter into a new ministry area: we shouldn’t jump into trying to be super productive. Allow your spiritual life to deepen and strengthen in this area before looking for major fruitfulness. (Colossians 2:6-7) If you do this, you will ensure many years of productivity instead of a few meager “crops” followed by an early “failure.”

Are there any areas of your spiritual life that need time to develop and deepen? Is this a season to allow a bit of “fallowness” so that you can be more fruitful in the days to come? Take some time before the Lord to search out any areas where you may have been too eager to quickly develop “fruit” and have not allowed your roots to go deep enough into the Lord.

Friday, October 30, 2009

"...while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful (part 4)

For the fourth type of pruning, we come to the well-established plant which has been allowed a few years to mature and grow strong. This is a little longer, so bear with me. Consider the apple tree: in the spring it bursts into a profusion of blossoms which the bees happily pollinate. In a good year, many of these blossoms will become small fruits and begin to grow. Everything looks great! But, what’s this? Here comes the gardener actually removing many of these growing fruits. What!? Why would he take off perfectly good fruit that is just starting to grow?

There are two good reasons for the gardener to “prune” away some of the fruit. First, if all the fruit is allowed to grow, the tree is in danger of being damaged. You may have seen a tree so loaded with fruit that the branches bend down to the ground. Branches may even become so heavy that they can literally break off and then all of the fruit on the branch is lost. So when the gardener “prunes” the extra fruit from the branch, he is actually protecting the tree.

Besides being in danger of breaking, when a tree is too heavily loaded with fruit, the tree’s resources are stressed. If all of the fruit is left on a tree, before long those little fruits become bigger fruits and start crowding each other and competing for the nourishment they need. In the end, the fruit that started out so promising ends up being small and of poor quality. It becomes more susceptible to disease and deformity and may never even reach maturity, leaving the gardener with a lot of small, unripe fruit rotting on the tree.

In our lives, we can get excited about many good ministries and spiritual activities and want to be involved in it all. At first, all seems well as we look around and see the fantastic crop that is developing. But over time, more and more of our resources are demanded. One activity starts to interfere with another and pretty soon we are juggling more than we can handle. When our lives become overly “productive,” we can be in danger of burning out or breaking down. We may find ourselves trying to juggle so many things that we become severely stressed.

If our spiritual resources get directed into too many different areas, we find in the end that we have many poor, underdeveloped “crops” that end up “rotting” (not unlike the figs which Jeremiah described in Jeremiah 24:2-3!) It is far wiser to allow the Lord to direct our resources into that “one thing” that will result in a high-quality “crop” that reaches maturity. It is the mercy of the Lord to remove some “perfectly good fruit” from our lives so that we can see what remains through to the end (John 15:16).

Is God trying to get you to let go of the “many” things so you can be fruitful in “one” thing? If you have felt stressed out or burned out by “ministry” ask him to “prune you back” to the essential things he has called you to do in this season. And while you’re at it, why not ask him to raise up more workers to help bear the load of the harvest? (Matthew 9:35-38)

Saturday, October 31, 2009

"You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you." (part 1)

Although it is possible to prune plants at any time of the year, a wise gardener knows that there is a right season for pruning. That time is when the least damage to the plant will occur. For many plants, this is during the late winter when the plant is dormant. For others it is right after the flowering or fruiting. Usually pruning in the early fall is not the best time because it tends to encourage new growth. That tender growth does not do well in the frosts and cold weather of late fall and winter.

In my spiritual life, it never seems like the right time to prune. I think, “Hey, I just had a fine crop, why are you cutting me back now?” or “I’m in the depths of a non-productive season in my life and now you are causing me even more pain by chopping me! Thanks a lot!” But the loving gardener of my life truly knows what is best. He knows the right season to prune so that I can produce even more in the future. He knows how to handle me so as to cause the least amount of pain and allow for the best chance of healing. He knows when a productive season is over. He knows when I have disease that needs to be cut out. He knows how best to channel his life in me so that I will not break down or produce poor harvests.

Have you resisted being “pruned” because you thought you “knew better” than the Lord (Proverbs 14:9)? If you are in a difficult season of “pruning,” ask the Lord to help you trust him (Jeremiah 29:11).

Sunday, November 1, 2009

"You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you." (part 2)

The best way to prune a plant is with a clean, sharp cut that leaves no stubs behind. Tearing branches off or leaving stubs behind results in more damage to the tree and may even lead to disease or rot.

When a branch is cut off a plant, the wounds do not “heal” in the same way a cut on your hand heals, that is, the tissue is not repaired and returned to normal use. Instead the plant seals off the wounded area from the rest of itself so that the area “dies” and is no longer connected to the rest of its system. This is of vital importance so that the plant’s sap will not continue to run out of the wound and be wasted. It also keeps that area from becoming an entry point for disease and pests that could kill the entire plant.

God also prunes with clean cuts. His sharp Word is able to cut through us cleanly and purify us from unrighteousness (Hebrews 4:12). In 2 Timothy 3:16-17 we are told that all scripture is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness. Through it we are thoroughly equipped for every good work. Since we live by every word that comes from God (Deuteronomy 8:3), let us allow ourselves to be immersed in His Word and be washed clean by it.

God’s desire is that we should completely “let go” of whatever is being pruned in our lives. If we try to keep that thing “alive,” it can lead to bitterness or an inability to move on in life. It can be difficult to let go of a relationship that doesn’t work out, or a failed ministry, or even a “good” thing that is no longer God’s call. Let us be like the tree that completely releases, heals over and goes on to pour energy into the new fruit yet to be produced. Are you letting go of the old? Ask him to help you embrace a new season of fruitfulness. Now go read Psalm 119 for some fresh vision of the power of God’s Word!