One of my favorite summer snacks is grapes. I always look for bags with the biggest, crunchiest grapes in them. It turns out that the size and amount of grapes per cluster has a lot to do with how their caretaker pruned the vine. Pruning the vine Allows the plant to receive more sun light which is necessary for their growth and production. If they don’t prune them, the chutes will grow wild, take up necessary energy and prevent the sunlight from getting to where it’s needed. Unless they cut these back, their growth will be inhibited .It turns out that the secret to getting the most plentiful harvest is pruning. It’s the same with us.
Peter was a follower of Jesus and one of His most prominent disciples. He was the on,y one to volunteer to get out of the boat in the middle of the storm. He was also the one to speak up and declare that Jesus was the Messiah. There was still room for growth though and there were times when he needed to be pruned. He openly rebuked Jesus for saying He was going to die. He denied knowingly Jesus and even went back to his old life of fishing. Each time Jesus patiently pruned him and brought him back into the fold. Jesus even prayed that Peter would return and strengthen his brothers. He understood Peter had to go through the pruning process to build the strength in him to be the head of the early church. He had to cut back the things that were holding Peter back, and He’ll do the same for us.
John 15:1-2 says, “I am the real vine, and my Father is the gardener. He breaks off every branch in me that does not bear fruit, and he prunes every branch that does bear fruit, so that it will be clean and bear more fruit” (GNT). It’s important to know that pruning is not punishment. It’s a necessary part of the growing process. It’s a way that God let’s more light into our life so we can produce a greater harvest of the Fruits of the Spirit. It is painful for us to go through, but He know which branches in our lives need to stay and which to cut. Everything He does is for your good and for your benefit. Don’t reject the pruning process. It means He sees great potential in you and is working in your life to propel you forward.
Photo by Jesse Belleque on Unsplash
Devotions by Chris Hendrix 