Hennie Symington

“He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes that it will be even more fruitful.” John 15:2

We live lives of excess. We eat too much, we sometimes talk too much (mostly about ourselves!); some of us drink too much but mostly we have our own secret vices carefully hidden behind the foliage of our spiritual garden.

Once again we need to take a gardening lesson from the Bible. Pruning is one of those painful exercises that we would rather avoid. We all struggle with the pain of having to cut away certain things in our life. Imagine the piercing pain of the pruning shears, not cutting away bodily parts, but some of those deeply cherished sins such as insane jealousy, dishonesty, hatred, greed, lust − you name it – hidden away in the recesses of your soul, with you casually commenting: “Oh, I’m being pruned, that’s all.”

Remind yourself, as John 15:2 does, that pruning increases fruitfulness. Often God’s words cut to the quick. This may seem harsh but relates to God’s faithfulness. As the master pruner God cuts with wisdom and foresight, knowing what our capabilities are and pruning us for better things.

Prayer: God, make me a prune-able tree. Let me not shy away from the pain of being shaped to your glory as you unveil in me the beauty that you had instilled in me from my very beginning. Amen