My mum had a rose garden , and at certain times, she would have the hired gardener cut off some of the branches. I disliked how the rose plants looked after this, and would often complain about it, but my mum always assured me that this act was necessary if we wanted to see more beautiful rose blossoms in due season. True to her word, we always had a nice rose garden endowed with beautiful roses.
I also remember a family friend that had a grape vine, and often gave me lectures on the need for her to prune her vineyard - cutting off the tip of the main branch to strengthen the new shoots of branches. She said this was essential for her to have a fruitful vineyard. Pruning she said gets rid of unfruitful branches and strengthens fruitful ones.
Jesus attested to this concept in the Book of John chapter 15 verse 2 - 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. Jesus figuratively describes us as branches of a vineyard that are expected to bear good fruits. He depicts God the Father as the hubandman - a free tenant farmer or a landowner. Jesus portrays Himself as the true vine. In otherwords, we are in Christ and are expected to bear fruits for God the Father.
Below are excerpts from John 15:
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.
“Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. …
“Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.
“I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
“If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.
“If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.
“Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples” (John 15:1–2, 4–8).
As Christians, we are expected to bear good fruits - fruit of the spirit: But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law ( Galatians 5:22-23). We are also supposed to preach the gospel and save souls, as well as use the gift(s) of the Holy Spirit in us to bless others. If we are not doing any of this, we are being unfruitful, and may incur the displeasure of the hubandman and be cut off . Also if we are not in Jesus (the Vine), John 15:6 describes you as - If
you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned
Without Jesus, we have no life. No Jesus, no life! And are destined to be thrown in fire and burned, unless we connect to the true vine.
If we are in Jesus and bearing fruits, we are at the right place. God always wants the best for us, and like my mum's rose garden or my family friend's grapevine, though we bear fruits, we ought to be frequently pruned to remain fruitful. The Holy Spirit prunes us by bringing things into our lives to kill our carnal side( our pride, greed, envy, quarrelsome behaviour, etc.) God sometimes takes away people from our lives, so that our eyes and dependence will be on Him. God breaks us and moulds us; He bends us and corrects us. God loves us and loves to see us looking beautifully clad with good fruits. The act of pruning is a painful act and usually done with a sharp instrument that can hurt. However, this painful act is for our better good.
Allow the Lord's pruning, though painful, it is for your good.
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