Are You Sure About That?

One of the things this year that our church is praying for is "fruitfulness"....are you sure that you want to be fruitful?

Sure, it sounds great, but it's not really that simple.

John 15:1-2 says, "I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. . .every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit."

That pruning thing isn't fun. One definition of "prune" is to reduce or cut away, removing dead parts, to stimulate growth.

Over time an apple tree will put on more bark than fruit. The only way to restore the production of fruit is to convince the tree that it is dying. It is only after the tree is severely pruned that it will start producing fruit again.

When Jesus healed the blind man (Mark 8:24), he saw men as trees. That's because God sees our lives as trees. It takes more than just watering and fertilizing to be fruitful, He has to prune us, too.

We love the watering part of this fruitfulness thing, the bucketfuls of blessing in living for the Lord, but no one wants to face the pruning part. The pruning part is painful. No one wants to be cut down so severely that they feel like they are dying.

Pruning is painful and usually involves losses. But when you find yourself enduring losses, remember that the Gardener is working on you. There will be a gain from it.

Because of your pain, your losses, your pruning, you will find fruitfulness!

You will get what you are praying for, but it won't come easy...the Gardener has to prune first!





Reference: "The Point of Low Points" by Rev. Ken Gurley