“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.”
– John 15:1-2
The word the Lord placed upon my heart this week was “pruning”. Pruning is the practice of selectively removing certain parts of a plant to direct growth, improve health, and prepare for harvesting.
What’s notable about John 15 is Jesus saying that God will cut off the unfruitful branches and prune the fruitful ones. We often focus on cutting off unfruitful things, and forget that pruning involves removal as well. What this means is aside from the bad things that must go, good things need to be trimmed as well.
Think of a tree in a garden. It might be growing very well, but for it to take the shape of what the gardener has in mind, it needs to be pruned and trimmed. Some healthy branches and portions will have to be removed for the tree to take on its desired shape.
Interestingly, just this past week, the leadership team spent two days reviewing where we are at as a church. If anything, what we did was to start our pruning process. Unfruitful branches need to go and fruitful branches need to be pruned. I’m really excited about this because pruning is part of the preparation for harvest. It’s definitely no coincidence that God has been speaking to us through such imagery since last year. Think about it – we were given Zechariah 8:12 during our last anniversary, our theme this year is “Opportunity: Sow Far, Sow Good”, and now God is giving us a word about pruning.
I believe that something good is going to happen in FCBC. It’s time for growth. But, what about your own life? Are you preparing yourself for growth? Maybe it’s time for you to go through some pruning too. It’s not just about getting rid of the bad, but also improving the good.
Today, why don’t you turn to God, the gardener, and allow Him to prune and shape you. I guarantee that your life will change because the seed will grow well, the vine will yield its fruit, the ground will produce its crop, and heaven will send its rain.
- Deputy Senior Pastor Daniel Khong