An Essential Practice for a Fruitful Christian Life
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Photo by Jeremy Bezanger via Unsplash
Last summer, I answered my phone to hear my mom exclaim, “Come pick some raspberries—there are tons of them and they’re huge!”
Though I was happy at the prospect of picking berries, I was surprised by my mom’s invitation because I knew that my dad had pruned the raspberry patch the previous fall. And by pruned, I don’t mean he trimmed a few branches. When I saw the patch not long after his ministrations, it looked more like it had been purged.
So, at the time, I assumed that the next year’s raspberry crop would be pretty small. But when I made it over to my parents’ house to pick, I saw that I was wrong. Not only were the raspberry canes taller than ever, but just as my mom had said, they were laden with big, beautiful ruby-red berries.
Recently, I’ve felt God asking me to cut back on certain activities, and to be honest, letting go has been hard. But those previously pruned and bounteous berries remind me of an important truth: Pruning is an essential part of bearing excellent fruit.
Jesus said, “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, NIV). God, our loving Gardener, prunes us so that we can produce the best fruit possible in our ministries, our families, and our work, and knowing that makes laying down what I must lay down much easier.
Is there something God is asking you to lay down? Though it may look and feel unpleasant at the moment, trust that any pruning is for your good and that God has a beautiful harvest in store.
As always, you are in my thoughts and prayers, and I’d love to hear from you! You can contact me here or through the comment section below!
In purpose and faith,
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