PRUNING - A NECESSARY but PAINFUL PROCESS

PRUNING - A NECESSARY but PAINFUL PROCESS
-by Geri McGhee.

"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." --John 15:2

There was a man who would stop by the garden market each
spring and buy a plant or bush. He loved working in his garden
caring for the plants.

One year, he bought a flowering patio tree with small purple flowers...
It was dormant and showed no signs of life in the winter.

Each day, he watched it...hoping it would show some life again
soon. He took the pruning shears and shaped it, cared for it, and
hoped for the best. After a few weeks, he noticed a few green leaves
sprouting out of the dead branches. And a month later, almost all
of the branches were covered with leaves.

If the man hadn't taken care of the tree and cut the dead branches,
it wouldn't have looked so beautiful for the spring, summer, and fall.
In the same way, Jesus sees the dead, unfruitful branches in us
and cuts them away.

The dead branches can be relationships that control our lives,
material things, attitudes, or pride in work or ministry. Only the
Lord knows each person well enough to know the exact branches
that need to be cut away. And the dormant times may feel like
God is distant. But, He is caring for us and watching over us all
the time.

PRAYER CHALLENGE: Thank God for knowing you so well, that
He knows exactly which branches to trim, so you can be more fruitful.