“ 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.”- John 15:1-4. ( NKJV)
Jesus is the True Vine. God the Father is the Vinedresser. Every branch in Jesus that bears fruit, is pruned.
To prune is defined as 1. To cut branches away from a plant to encourage fuller growth.
2. To reduce something by removing whatever is unnecessary or unwanted.
God cuts off parts of our lives that are unwanted or unnecessary. He takes His perfect pruning tools and redirects the flow of the Holy Spirit in us to be more concentrated and focused; so our growth may be fuller, so we may bear Him more fruit. We can have branches in our lives that don’t add to God’s purpose for us. We may have things we do that the Lord will cut in the right time. They might not be necessarily wrong but they may take nutrients ( energy) from us that must be applied elsewhere in our lives. I’m going to share some of Wikipedia’s article on pruning
“ Reasons to prune plants include deadwood removal, shaping ( by controlling or directing growth), improving or maintaining health, reducing risk from fallen branches, preparing nursery specimens for transplanting, and both harvesting and increasing the yield or quality of flowers and fruits. The practice entails targeted removal of diseased, damaged, dead, non-productive, structurally unsound, or otherwise unwanted tissue from crop and landscape plants. Special pruning practices may be applied to certain plants…. It is important while pruning that the tree’s limbs are kept intact, as this is what help the tree stay upright…It is preferable to make any necessary formative structural pruning cuts to young plants, rather than removing large, poorly placed branches from mature plants.”
We have deadwood in our lives, don’t we? Things that are gone, that are not moving anywhere-activities, refuges, thoughts, ideas, even relationships that are just plain dead. Some of those things God may want to revive and others He may need to cut away. God wants to remove those things from us because they are not furthering His purpose for us. He is the potter, we are the clay. He is the vine, we are the branches. The Lord wants to shape us into a utensil that can be used for His glory.
He wants to mold us, to shape us by directing our growth in Him. Isn’t that a good picture? Of a vinedresser cutting off an unwanted branch so that another branch may get the nutrients it needs to produce patience or joy? For the fruits of the Spirit are ( yes, you’re hearing it again!) love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control. Aghainst these things, there is no law. So we are permitted to exercise these things in abundance. God is helping us have more love when He prunes and it may hurt but it is for our good that we may bear fruit.
Bear -To carry something to hold or support and transport…
Also- To produce something- to yield something by a natural process, or produce something desirable or valuable.
We carry the things God has given us with us wherever we go. We hold the gifts, support them, and transport them to other people.
When God is working in us the fruit just comes. When we yield to His control things just grow; it’s not because of striving or effort, it happens. The biggest effort is yielding. Yielding as a branch to the pruning of the Vinedresser, remembering that all we are comes from our source, the Vine and that to abide in Him is our goal. When we abide in Him we produce fruits that are desirable and valuable….those fruits of the Spirit. We cannot grow those fruits by our own effort or strength of will and determination. We cannot have fruits of the Spirit without the Spirit.
He wants to maintain and improve our health. He wants to prepare us for transplantation. When it is time to move us to a new place, a new ministry, a new something….He has got to cut off things that aren’t going to be of use to Him or us in this new time or place. To reduce risk from fallen branches…holding on to something unhealthy or useless for too long…eventually it’s going to fall and it might hurt us or someone else or cause damage when it does. It’s better to cut it off before that----to reduce risk from fallen branches.
“ Targeted removal of diseased, damaged, dead, non productive, structurally unsound, or otherwise unwanted tissue…”
I image God with His pruning hooks targeting those areas He’s ready to take down in me. Cutting pride, vanity, and fear mercilessly in different ways. How much must He care for me and for you that He would have the patience and the commitment to prune, to shape and mold, to cultivate us. The love He must have to remove ugly branches in my heart and soul- the wonderful knowledge that He knows just exactly what those are and He targets them when I am willing and works on it. He is the most caring, loving and involved Vinedresser.
"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.” - John 15:5 ( NKJV)
A broken branch cut off from its source cannot bear fruit, no matter how much It might want or try. The Father's work can not be accomplished in us and through us unless we are in Jesus, the Son. So bearing fruit isn't about being perfect. It's about being attached to the Vine.
“ 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 gloried that you bear much fruit so you will be My disciples.
As the Father has love me I have loved you; abide in My love. If you keep My commandments you will abide in My love, just as I keep My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.
These things I have spoken to you that My joy may remain in you and that your joy may be full. This is My commandments, that you love one another as I have loved. Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. You are my friends if you do all that I command you. No longer do I call you servants for a servant does not know what his master is doing. But I have called you friends for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you. You did not choose Me but I chose you and appointed you and you should go and bear fruit and that you fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you. These thing I command you, that you love one another.” - John 15:7-18 ( NKJV)
Jesus is the True Vine. God the Father is the Vinedresser. Every branch in Jesus that bears fruit, is pruned.
To prune is defined as 1. To cut branches away from a plant to encourage fuller growth.
2. To reduce something by removing whatever is unnecessary or unwanted.
God cuts off parts of our lives that are unwanted or unnecessary. He takes His perfect pruning tools and redirects the flow of the Holy Spirit in us to be more concentrated and focused; so our growth may be fuller, so we may bear Him more fruit. We can have branches in our lives that don’t add to God’s purpose for us. We may have things we do that the Lord will cut in the right time. They might not be necessarily wrong but they may take nutrients ( energy) from us that must be applied elsewhere in our lives. I’m going to share some of Wikipedia’s article on pruning
“ Reasons to prune plants include deadwood removal, shaping ( by controlling or directing growth), improving or maintaining health, reducing risk from fallen branches, preparing nursery specimens for transplanting, and both harvesting and increasing the yield or quality of flowers and fruits. The practice entails targeted removal of diseased, damaged, dead, non-productive, structurally unsound, or otherwise unwanted tissue from crop and landscape plants. Special pruning practices may be applied to certain plants…. It is important while pruning that the tree’s limbs are kept intact, as this is what help the tree stay upright…It is preferable to make any necessary formative structural pruning cuts to young plants, rather than removing large, poorly placed branches from mature plants.”
We have deadwood in our lives, don’t we? Things that are gone, that are not moving anywhere-activities, refuges, thoughts, ideas, even relationships that are just plain dead. Some of those things God may want to revive and others He may need to cut away. God wants to remove those things from us because they are not furthering His purpose for us. He is the potter, we are the clay. He is the vine, we are the branches. The Lord wants to shape us into a utensil that can be used for His glory.
He wants to mold us, to shape us by directing our growth in Him. Isn’t that a good picture? Of a vinedresser cutting off an unwanted branch so that another branch may get the nutrients it needs to produce patience or joy? For the fruits of the Spirit are ( yes, you’re hearing it again!) love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control. Aghainst these things, there is no law. So we are permitted to exercise these things in abundance. God is helping us have more love when He prunes and it may hurt but it is for our good that we may bear fruit.
Bear -To carry something to hold or support and transport…
Also- To produce something- to yield something by a natural process, or produce something desirable or valuable.
We carry the things God has given us with us wherever we go. We hold the gifts, support them, and transport them to other people.
When God is working in us the fruit just comes. When we yield to His control things just grow; it’s not because of striving or effort, it happens. The biggest effort is yielding. Yielding as a branch to the pruning of the Vinedresser, remembering that all we are comes from our source, the Vine and that to abide in Him is our goal. When we abide in Him we produce fruits that are desirable and valuable….those fruits of the Spirit. We cannot grow those fruits by our own effort or strength of will and determination. We cannot have fruits of the Spirit without the Spirit.
He wants to maintain and improve our health. He wants to prepare us for transplantation. When it is time to move us to a new place, a new ministry, a new something….He has got to cut off things that aren’t going to be of use to Him or us in this new time or place. To reduce risk from fallen branches…holding on to something unhealthy or useless for too long…eventually it’s going to fall and it might hurt us or someone else or cause damage when it does. It’s better to cut it off before that----to reduce risk from fallen branches.
“ Targeted removal of diseased, damaged, dead, non productive, structurally unsound, or otherwise unwanted tissue…”
I image God with His pruning hooks targeting those areas He’s ready to take down in me. Cutting pride, vanity, and fear mercilessly in different ways. How much must He care for me and for you that He would have the patience and the commitment to prune, to shape and mold, to cultivate us. The love He must have to remove ugly branches in my heart and soul- the wonderful knowledge that He knows just exactly what those are and He targets them when I am willing and works on it. He is the most caring, loving and involved Vinedresser.
"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.” - John 15:5 ( NKJV)
A broken branch cut off from its source cannot bear fruit, no matter how much It might want or try. The Father's work can not be accomplished in us and through us unless we are in Jesus, the Son. So bearing fruit isn't about being perfect. It's about being attached to the Vine.
“ 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 gloried that you bear much fruit so you will be My disciples.
As the Father has love me I have loved you; abide in My love. If you keep My commandments you will abide in My love, just as I keep My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.
These things I have spoken to you that My joy may remain in you and that your joy may be full. This is My commandments, that you love one another as I have loved. Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. You are my friends if you do all that I command you. No longer do I call you servants for a servant does not know what his master is doing. But I have called you friends for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you. You did not choose Me but I chose you and appointed you and you should go and bear fruit and that you fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you. These thing I command you, that you love one another.” - John 15:7-18 ( NKJV)