“Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.” – John 15:2
If you’re a follower of Jesus, born again by God’s grace through faith in Jesus, then you are a branch connected to Jesus. He is the one true vine who nourishes and sustains every branch. God the Father takes care of the branches to keep the whole plant healthy. As a branch, your purpose isn’t just to hang around and be “branch-y”. Like any good branch on a grape vine, your purpose is to produce fruit. The good news is that as long as you’re well connected to the vine (Jesus) you don’t need to stress about making the fruit. A healthy branch will always produce fruit through that life-giving connection.
What kind of fruit should you be producing? The fruit of a changed life. The fruit of increasingly Christlike character. The fruit of new believers who heard the Gospel through you. The fruit of maturing disciples learning to follow Jesus from you. The fruit of good works of love and mercy done in the name of Jesus. The fruit of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control).
God the Vinedresser has a special technique He uses to help healthy branches produce even more, better, sweeter fruit. It’s called pruning! It involves cutting stuff out of your life. Stuff you feel pretty attached to. Stuff. that isn’t fruit. God wants to make you more fruitful by cutting things out of your life that waste your time, talent, and connection to Jesus. Some of those things are bad (habitual sin). Some of those things aren’t bad, just wasteful and distracting when done to excess (TV, smart phones, social media, etc.). Some of those things are good but not the best (ministries that you need to set down).
All of God’s pruning is for the good of His Kingdom. If you’re faithful in following and loving Jesus, expect to be pruned. Sometimes against your will. Let God prune things out of your life that keep you from being fruitful. Pray for God to prune things out of your life. Accept the discomfort (and even pain) of pruning and rejoice in the better fruit of a deeper connection to Jesus. #FollowJesus