A few years ago, as my parents were relocating from Delhi to Dehradun, my father gifted me a selection of his potted plants. Initially, all I did was water them. Then I started digging out the weed until one day I tried pruning the plants with a clip here and a few snips there. Before long, our mini jungle in the balcony looked like it had been hit by a cyclone. I was convinced that I had ruined the plants beyond recovery. Yet, in spite of the mess, the lean plants came back greener and kept thriving.
In stark contrast to my haphazard experiment, pruning is a very purposeful occasion in a vineyard. When Jesus claimed that He was the “true vine”, the disciples knew what a good glass of wine tasted like, and that correct pruning determined the quality of the grapes that the vine produced. Jesus is the trunk who supplies the nourishment to the branches. The sinless Messiah also goes on to add, “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)
So, if God is at work in us, three things should be happening. Firstly, some branches are being “taken away” because they have either not produced any fruit or have gone past their expiry date. They are not just taking up space or eating up our limited energy, but also obstructing fruitful growth. What are those branches in our lives that God is taking away for our future good? He does not take away some or most of the unfruitful branches but every last one of them. Praise God for such meticulous pruning!
Secondly, which areas are you fruitful in? If there is favour, it will be followed with pruning. God is not some amateur hobbyist playing around with plants on his balcony; he is the Original Gardener who gifted the first man and woman an entire garden. Pruning in fruitful areas of our lives is God’s way of making us cutting-edge. It is an affirmation and celebration of our faithfulness. He is preparing us for greater fruitfulness. Praise God for such pruning!
Finally, if Jesus is the “true vine” who nourishes our soul, and God the Father is the “gardener” who cuts off unfruitful branches and prunes the ones that will bear fruit, then what is our role? Jesus states a condition, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” All the cutting and pruning will be wasted if we do not press into Jesus. Just as grace is free but can only be received by the humble, so also God prunes and cuts off, but fruitfulness follows only when we remain in Jesus. Praise God that the Holy Spirit enables and empowers us to abide in Jesus!
Contributed by Joshua John
Joshua is an artist, motorcyclist and sojourner who currently lives in Delhi with his wife and two beautiful children.