The Purpose of Pruning

"I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit."

— John 15:1-2

Have you ever seen a gardener prune a plant. The garderner meticulously removes portions of the plant. The purpose of pruning the plant is the selective removal of branches, buds, or roots. This is done to maintain the plant's health and to increase the yield of flowers or fruit. It also is used to prepare a nursery specimen for transplanting.

Here is this passage, Jesus is telling His disciples that He is the true vine. He is their source and God is the one is responsible for maintain their spiritual health by remove unproduction portions. In the our spiritual growth, this pruning allows our yield or harvest to increase. Energy is not spent in non-productive areas. Our energy is then focused on producing the fruit that God want out of us.

While it maye seem to the untrained eye that the gardener is removing to much of a plant, the gardener is pruning the plant because he knows what he wants the plant to look like. Not is the short term but ultimately at its maturity. It is the same way with God. God knows just what He wants us to look like. He removes the unimportant parts. Those parts that are a hinderance to our growth. We may believe that the removal is severe but we don't know the whole story. We haven't read the last chapter. We need to trust God and believe that He has our best interest at heart.