Dear LifeSpring Family,
A few days ago, I got this devotion by my colleague, Holly Sheldon, based on John 15:5-8, our current memory verse.
Have a read and be encouraged, especially if you are in the season of pruning. You are deeply loved, highly favoured and richly blessed.
| “Dear Jerry, |
|---|
| Pruning: Pathway to Fruitfulness I am the true Vine, and My Father is the Vineyard Master … every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit … My Father is glorified that you bear much fruit and prove to be My disciples. (John 15, my paraphrase) |
|---|
 | The purpose of leaves in a vineyard is to produce fruit. Sometimes the leaves look beautiful and healthy. But at closer inspection, they have no fruit under them. The leaves have almost become a lovely end in themselves. Sometimes in my life, it’s the same. As a leader, I can be very “productive.” A lot may be happening! |
|---|
I’m euphoric: events, appointments with people, busyness, opportunities, etc. However, mere productivity in my strength does not equate to fruitfulness. Sometimes my ministry is beautifully “long and leafy.” Yet, God, in His kindness, says, “I want more for you than a leafy life. I want you to bear much fruit for My glory.” So, how do you get from leaves to fruit? Pruning. Even after a highly fruitful harvest in the vineyard, the way to more fruit requires more pruning! No matter the context, how does the Vineyard Master choose what to prune? It’s according to His purpose! Jesus said, “You did not choose me, but I chose you.” What is His purpose in choosing you/me? |
|---|
 |  |
|---|
| From this picture (left) to this picture (right), you can see that the Master must prune almost everything. His decision is based on three things: 1) the direction of the branch, 2) its health and vigor, and 3) the strength of attachment. Why? The purpose of the branch is to bear the weight of much fruit. Fruit is not a reward. It is a result of the life in the roots being channeled through the branches. It is a result of the high-level intentionality and purpose of the Vineyard Master. How do you get from many branches to much fruit? Pruning. The most painful/difficult/disorienting times in my life are often when I am being pruned. These are times when I feel like a mess — when I ask, “What did I do wrong?” Pruning is not punishment. Pruning is not a sign of God’s displeasure. Quite the opposite. In fact, the enemy’s lie is: “This is God’s end game. This is what God will do to you if you really surrender. Is it really worth the whole offering of your life if this is the inevitable result?” The lies from the evil one capitalize on the pain of this season. He amplifies the pain as if there is no purpose, no glory, no life on the other side. Lies. Sometimes, when we feel the most pathetic, miserable, barren, and dead, we are on the verge of much joy and much fruit. Even more amazingly, when we are pruned, we are in a rare, privileged place of knowing Jesus and the fellowship of His suffering. Jesus, the Son of God, allowed Himself to be pruned (Philippians 2). When Jesus states in John 15 that He has chosen us and “appointed” us to bear remaining fruit, He is actually using the very same word He used when speaking of a friend who “lays down” his life for a friend, or when a shepherd “lays down” his life for his sheep. This is what Jesus allowed in His own life. This is what Jesus did! Jesus said there is no greater love than this. He allowed Himself to be emptied and “pruned” in order for us to know His love — and for lasting proof of that love to be revealed in us … His remaining fruit! |
|---|
 | Now, we can boast with joyful recognition, “Look at me! I’m pruned! I’m loved!” The result of obedience, a life well-lived and fruit in one season, is pruning in the next season. The law of the harvest means the pathway to the next season of fruitfulness always passes through pruning. Amen!” |
|---|
Grace upon grace,
Jerry