“I AM the True Vine, and My Father is the Vinedresser. Any branch in Me that does not bear fruit [that stops bearing] He cuts away (trims off, takes away); and He cleanses and repeatedly prunes every branch that continues to bear fruit, to make it bear more and richer and more excellent fruit.” (John 15:1-2 AMP).
“Better to be pruned to grow than cut up to burn.” (John Trapp).
We all need to understand this pruning process, especially since it’s one of God’s Most Important Methods In Growing Us! Some of the difficulties and losses that you’re experiencing right now May Be Your Heavenly Father Cutting You Down to Help You Grow Up! And the results are going to be far greater than they ever could have been if He left what He has been taking away! “If God didn’t think twice about taking Pruning Shears to the natural branches, why would he hesitate over you? He wouldn’t give it a second thought…” (Romans 11:21 MSG). In other words, God is not struggling with cutting you down so He can help you grow up! He hasn’t given it a second thought, because He knows it’s ultimately for your good, growth, and development!
As Jesus was in His final hours before the cross, He prepared His disciples for the battles and the assignments ahead with some powerful teaching. And since they saw grapevines often, He chose that as an analogy of their, AND OUR, relationship with Him. In John 15, beginning with verse 1, Jesus says: “I am the true vine, and My Father is the gardener. 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.” (NIV). Another version says it like this: “I AM the True Vine, and My Father is the Vinedresser. Any branch in Me that does not bear fruit [that stops bearing] He cuts away (trims off, takes away); and He cleanses and repeatedly prunes every branch that continues to bear fruit, to make it bear more and richer and more excellent fruit.” (AMP).
In short, HE LEAVES YOU WITH LESS, SO YOU CAN BE AVAILABLE FOR MORE!
Sidebar: Pastors, when the ministry begins to go through shifting changes and suddenly you notice that the numbers are lowering, don’t panic! This is not always a bad sign! God simply has the Pruning Shears on the ministry for its future growth and development! It’s a necessity to have the ministry pruned for its later potential and prosperity. Before God takes you into Greater, He will Cut Off those who have Stunted Growth and even those who are Consistently Growing, just so they will Grow All the More! Remember: “…He cleanses and repeatedly prunes every branch that continues to bear fruit, to make it bear more and richer and more excellent fruit.” Sometimes when it looks like a Loss, it’s God’s Greater Gain! Of course, He loves the fact that the ministry has experienced Growth, but that’s why He Prunes, so it not only experiences Growth, but so it can, “…Bear more and richer and more excellent fruit.” Take note, the, “…richer and more excellent fruit”, only comes after the pruning process! So, don’t be discouraged, just continue to trust your Gardener during the Pruning Process!
Jesus went on to explain that all the things we do for Him have to flow from our deep relationship with Him – “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man REMAINS in Me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; APART from Me, you can do nothing…If you REMAIN in Me and My words REMAIN in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you.” If you keep pursuing Jesus and getting ever closer to Him, your life is going to be Abundantly Fruitful! You’re going to make a Greater Difference in your life than you’ve ever made before! You’re going to be More Spiritually Magnetic, and having you around is going to be more and more like having Jesus Himself around! You are going to attract more people into the Fruitful Kingdom of God! The key is to Remain in a Healthy Relationship with Jesus! Why? Because Apart from Him You Can Do NOTHING! But If You Remain In Him and His Word Remains in You… “…Ask Whatever You Wish And It Will Be Given You!”
BUT…Before You Receive the Richer and More Excellent Fruit, FIRST COMES THE PRUNING!
I imagine if a vine could talk, he’d say to the pruner, “You’re killing me, man!” And the gardener would reply, “I know this hurts, but I’m removing things you don’t need so you can explode with greater fruit.” That May Be Exactly What’s Happening In Your Life Right Now! It Doesn’t Feel Good, oh, But It Is Good! Romans 8:26-28, “Meanwhile, the moment we get tired in the waiting, God’s Spirit is right alongside helping us along. If we don’t know how or what to pray, it doesn’t matter. He does our praying in and for us, making prayer out of our wordless sighs, and our aching groans. He knows us far better than we know ourselves, knows our pregnant condition, and keeps us present before God. That’s Why We Can Be So Sure That Every Detail In Our Lives Of Love For God Is Worked Into Something Good.” (MSG)
AS BAD AS IT FEELS NOW, STAY IN THE PRUNING PROCESS BECAUSE IT’S ABOUT TO GET GOOD!
God Is Lovingly Removing Things (And People) You Think You Need, But More Often Than Not, These Things (And People) May Be Holding You Down, Holding You Back, And Holding You Captive! So, Be Encouraged, The Cutbacks Are Costly But Worth It! Pruning Is Painful, But Essential To Your Potential, Productivity, And Prosperity!
I learned that there are a few types of pruning methods: God uses these methods today to help us grow.
FIRST, THERE’S “THINNING”: This is a drastic form of pruning, a thinning-out cut is the removal of an entire shoot, limb, or branch. When performed correctly, At Its Point of Origin! Thinning Encourages The Formation Of New Growth That Will More Readily Bear Fruit And Flowers!
NOW FOR THE SPIRITUAL APPLICATION OF “THINNING”: For many of us to grow properly, we have to be pruned to the extent that we remove, entirely, people, places and things that helped us get to this damaged place we’re in now! Remember thinning removes the entire shoot, limb, or branch at its origin! In other words, where it all started! for instance, if that’s liars who got you lying; the bars that got you drinking, or the credit cards that got you in debt, remove them entirely! Don’t be afraid or ashamed to remove some folks and some stuff out! Remove him, her, or them if they dare to compromise your potential to prosper! If you do, you’ll then be in the position to formulate (healthy people, places, and things) so that new growth can transpire, more readily for bearing fruit! respect God’s thinning process! Let Him remove people, places, and things that you started with…but don’t need to finish with it!
SECOND, THERE’S “TOPPING”: Topping is a very severe form of pruning that involves removing all branches and growths down to a few large branches or the trunk of the tree. When performed correctly, It Is Used On Very Young Trees To Train Them To Grow Into Specific Shapes!
NOW FOR THE SPIRITUAL APPLICATION OF “TOPPING”: When used correctly, TOPPING IS USED ON YOUNG TREES TO TRAIN THEM TO GROW IN SPECIFIC SHAPES OR SPECIFIC DIRECTIONS! When you see those beautiful trees, with all their unique twists and turns in various shapes and designs, They Are The Result Of Topping! But for that to take place, It Has To Start Young! Now, it would be very easy for me to pick on our Young People (Which the Church Does Far Too Often), but instead, we’re going to go in a different direction and speak of “young” in terms of “immaturity!” If you’re ever going to finally grow up, and come to full maturity, you’ve got to surrender yourself to topping! It means bringing all your immature issues before the gardener for Him to prune, so you can finally grow up into the specific shape and design that He had in mind long before your birth! The good news is that you can’t do this for old trees, they’re already set in their ways and hardened, so if you’re still an “immature saint”, there’s help and hope for you yet! You’re in the best possible position to be re-directed for the destiny you’ve been designed for! People may talk about your “immaturity” but God is waiting, willing, and ready to use His “topping” pruning method to specifically shape, design and direct you to look more beautiful than you ever thought possible! Think about it: those beautifully crafted trees always make people stop and stare or take a double look! and when God gets finished “topping” you…they will do the very same in looking at your life!
THIRD, THERE’S “RAISING”: This removes the lower branches from a tree to Provide Clearance For Buildings, Vehicles, Pedestrians, And Vistas!
NOW FOR THE SPIRITUAL APPLICATION OF “RAISING”: This type of pruning is a necessity, not for you, but for those around you! “Raising” is a form of pruning that moves you out of the way, so others can get by and get through! I hate to say it like this, but this level of pruning is often for those who have been doing something so long that they’re perfected it and can’t nobody else on planet earth do it like them or better than them, as long as they’re still alive! You must be pruned to make room for others! After 40 years, you shouldn’t see all the same preachers in the same pulpit; the same choir members, the same musicians, the same deacons, the same members! Where’s the growth in that? Look at it from this simple analogy: you can’t put any more water in a full glass without it spilling over and making a mess! No, you drink it all! And then if someone comes along that needs your glass, you don’t hand it to them used and dirty! nor do you tell them I only drank water out of this glass, so you must do the same! No, what you do is clean it (remove all evidence of what you had in it), then you give it to them gladly that they might fill it halfway or all the way, with whatever beverage of their choosing! You don’t, however, attempt to control the use of the glass just because you had it first or had it longest! Listen, there is a whole new generation that is trying to press forward but can’t because those who have been in the same place for 40 years won’t move over and make room for fresh growth! They will replace you (that’s the law of age), but that’s not their goal! They’re simply trying to help, in their youth, in their strength, with building the kingdom of God! So, stop being selfish, and move out of the way so others can get by and get through! Moses is dead and so is Joshua…but there is a new generation! Don’t block them with your old set ways!
FOURTH AND FINAL, THERE’S “REDUCTION”: This reduces the size of a tree, often for clearance for utility lines! Reducing the height or spread of a tree is best accomplished by pruning back the leaders and branch terminals to lateral branches that are large enough to assume the terminal roles! Compared to ‘Topping’, ‘REDUCTION’ HELPS MAINTAIN THE FORM AND STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY OF THE TREE!
NOW FOR THE SPIRITUAL APPLICATION OF “REDUCTION”: This type of pruning hurts leadership! because reduction removes branches that are high up by the power lines, cuts them back so that room for those underneath them can assume their role! Ouch! Lord help! This shouldn’t be all that hard at all, since the leader branch that is being cut back is only making room for the lateral branch to come up and take its place! Not because the leader branch did anything wrong, it’s simply the time for what’s growing out of its side (lateral) to come up a little higher! “Lateral” means: “from the side of; especially a shoot or branch growing out from the side of a stem”. It's Latin origin “lateralis” literally means “side”. Leaders, it’s not some strange, foreign entity, but something/someone that came from out of you! That should put your ego, pride, and competitive nature to rest! It’s a part of you, therefore, regardless of how high it or they go, they still came from you! Leaders endure the pruning of reduction, it does not reduce your ministry, purpose, gifts, anointing, or effectiveness, it simply makes room for others to reach the heights of power that you have already attained! truth is you may not enjoy the process…but you and everybody else will love the results! You may have to step aside, but you’ll always be close enough to watch your “lateral” step up and step through! Be proud…their productivity and prosperity came out of your pruning process!
Listen, I know a lot of this was hard to take in, but I promise you, it was indeed to encourage your heart! Pruning is Painful, but nothing is more painful than Missing Out on Your Purpose, Potential, and Prosperity! Let God do the Gardening that’s a Necessity to Your Future Growth! He Knows What He’s Doing After All His Pruning is A Part of His Great Plans Just For You!
Jeremiah 29:10-11, “This is God’s Word on the subject…I’ll show up and take care of you as I promised and bring you back home. I Know What I’m Doing. I Have It All Planned Out—Plans To Take Care Of You, Not Abandon You, Plans To Give You The Future You Hope For.” (MSG)
Pruning is Part of the Plan; All You Have to Remember is What God Has Said… “…I KNOW WHAT I’M DOING…” Every Living Thing Needs to be Pruned, So It Can Reach Its Fullest Potential – Including You and Me.
When God Has You in a Place of Waiting, He’s Preparing You for Greater. He’s Sifting, Pruning, Refining, and Shaping You for the Best That is to Come.
Remember that growth always involves some pruning. Prune the branches that no longer belong to the future.
Blessings J.P. Olson Join Journey Into The Word each Sunday evening at 6:00 PM CST & 7:00 PM EST on the NOW Network http://www.theNOWnetwork.org ROKU, Cable & Online: https://www.thenownetwork.org/sunday |
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