Pruning = discomfort
Pruning is never a fun thing to go through. It can be painful. I am reminded of a time when I was ten years old. As a child, I didn’t want to comb my long, red hair. When I was that young, I didn’t see the need and had no interest. I was ten and had more important things on my mind – like being outside, playing with friends and sleepovers. I was more interested in riding my bicycle, skateboarding and playing kill the man with the ball than combing my hair. My brothers and I were always outside. But here’s the problem – when you don’t comb your hair, you end up with a head full of knots, and those are no fun either.
Mom fix
One day, my mother decided to fix the tangled hair problem. She took me to the hairdresser and instructed the lady to cut my hair very short and give it a tight perm. This was when perms were in, like in the 50’s. Well not in the 50’s but inside my little mind, perms hadn’t been around long – especially for little girls. Disclaimer – this is how I remember the incident.
It’s GONE!
My long, beautiful red tangled hair – GONE! She pruned it all right, and I was devasted. Of course, as a child who experiences that kind of trauma, you cry and don’t understand where things went wrong.
Why did she cut my beautiful red hair? Why was she so cruel?
As a child, you fail to recognize your part in the matter, and you blame everyone else but yourself. Looking back, I know the answer now, and I still get a little upset. Thank goodness there are no photographs of that disaster!
Don’t ask me how that memory has anything to do with fruit. Considering the author, you might make a connection.
Let’s review
Let’s look at John 15 again. Yes, we are still in John 15.
John 15:5-6, “I am the vine, you are the branches. If man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit. Apart from me, you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.”
Yikes! Talk about painful. Could I become tinder?
What does this mean exactly?
How do I remain in Christ?
There are five primary ways to remain in Christ.
- Believe that Jesus Christ is God’s Son. Read 1 John 4:15
- Receive Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. Read John 1:12
- Do what God says. Read 1 John 3:24
- Continue to believe the gospel. Read 1 John 2:24
- Relate in love to the community of believers, Christ’s body. Read John 15:12
It’s that simple. God didn’t make it complicated. God wants a relationship with you and me, one that lasts.
Let’s pray
Lord, I’m so thankful that my branches connect to Jesus the Vine. They draw life from you daily. Lord, I pray we continue to stay connected to you. Help us to bear fruit. If anyone is reading this, today Lord feels like they may be a branch that has been cut off from the vine, tossed aside, I pray they would find their way back to you and start over with a new branch, one connected to you to bear fruit, fruit that will last. Thank you for your love Jesus and for dying on the cross for my friends and me. In His name, I pray, Amen.
In His Service,
Jeanette Duby, The Teaching Lady
#pruning #harvesting #relationships #jesus
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