Pruning.

If you know me, you know that I love gardening. Watching things grow after planting the seeds, watering and caring for the life of the plants makes me happy.

Pruning is the selective removal of certain parts of a plant, such as branches, buds, or roots.

As Christians, Jesus compares our spiritual growth to that of a vine plant. Just as a gardener tends to plants, God is overseeing our growth so that we will mature in Christ and live the life He created for us.

Pruning isn’t punishment, it’s preparation.

Just as we remove the dead parts of a plant to allow new growth, God may remove things from our life that is no longer needed to fulfill His purpose.

How about you? Are you still a little rough around the edges in your ministry for God? Do you need the dead stuff trimmed away so that you can show His power through you?

God wants our life to be abundant. Not by our own effort but by God's grace. And that's why He wants to prune us: to show us more of His love and grace, to show us how glorious life in Him truly is.

Couldn’t we all us a little pruning in our life today?

John 15:2 - “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.”