Getting Pruned For Growth

John 15:2 NIV - 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.

This week my trees got pruned.

A storm came and the gardeners had to stop, they left my yard a mess. God gave me this message to share with you ...

I have a hedge a trees that surround my back yard. It gets really lush, and my back yard feels like a desert paradise.

Every March, hundreds of birds fly in and roost in my trees. You can't see them, but they are there. They are hidden in plain sight.

They make so much noise and then poop all over everything, so loud we don't even go outside.

Then the master gardeners come in and prune everything way back. Once the birds lose their cover, they are exposed and no longer hidden. They are forced to leave.

Though I got my paradise back, my trees are still a bit bare, but after a short time they'll grow back more lush than before.

- This is exactly what God does to us when He prunes us.

We allow some strongholds to enter our lives (the nasty birds), they are often hidden in plain sight, and they make a mess of things.

God comes in and does some pruning, and it's messy. But the strongholds are exposed and eradicated.

When God's finished with the pruning process, we often feel a bit bare. Stripped down. Embarrassed.

>> John 15:2 NIV - 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.

But this is how our lives become more fruitful.

Pruning is a normal part of growth. Jesus is the vine, God is the master gardener. He only prunes those He loves. He is ever so careful.

It's how God teaches us to grow in every part of our lives.

All of us who are Christ-followers will get pruned, no one is exempt. It is the opposite of punishment, an act of love. After all, Jesus was already punished for us.

If you are getting pruned, it's not punishment, you are getting prepared for greatness!

-Gerald