Word of the Week - Abiding (Flourishing under the shears)

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener.   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.  You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you.  Remain in me, as I also remain in you.  No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine.  Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.  I am the vine; you are the branches.  If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. John 15: 1-5

In follow up from last week’s Word – Abiding – disciplining and pruning, spiritual principals and excerpts from Bruce Wilkerson’s book “Secrets of the Vine – Breaking through to Abundance” (see below), being pruned by the Lord is a necessary part of the process of maturing in Christ so that we can live to our full potential and “bear much fruit”.  I shared the difference between being disciplined due to sin in our lives vs. allowing the Lord to prune us for purposes of growing and maturing in our walk of faith. 

Maximizing Fruit – Did you know that growers prune their vineyards more intensely as the vines age (mature)?  According to one horticulture bulletin it explained why:  The vine’s ability to produce growth increases each year, but without the intensive pruning the plant weakens and its crop diminishes.  Mature branches must be pruned hard to achieve maximum yields.  If you look at the future from a maturing plant’s point of view, there is considerable cutting in store.  But from the grower’s point of view, the future holds something wonderful – grapes, grapes, and more grapes.  Abundant fruit being produced by the plant.  This is God’s desire, plan and purpose for each of us as His sons and daughters, to produce abundant fruit but we must stay connected to the vine and be willing to be pruned. 

Inward Pruning – While during the early stages of our walk with Christ is mostly about change in our outward activities and priorities, mature pruning is more about the essence of who we are in our core values and personal identity.  If we grow and mature in Christ over time, God moves in closer for more intensive pruning as we know Him more and grow in our faith and trust in Him.  If we understand this, then we can embrace His exciting truth and look forward with anticipation as we experience the pain of pruning.  We see life and pain through a different lens that gives us strength, courage and hope.  Jesus was the ultimate example for us in His death on the cross.  “So let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith.  For the joy set before Him He endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.  Consider Him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart” Hebrews 12:2-3.  Many followers of Christ never experience the best part of the Christian walk because they don’t grow and mature enough to trust God with the pruning shears.  This is not a question of salvation but it is a question of fulfillment and living to your God given potential.  What God ask of us now may seem difficult, but the results if we say yes, will produce more than we can ever imagine.  We can truly live an Ephesians 3:20 life, whereby God is “doing immeasurably/abundantly more than we could ever dream or imagine by His power at work within us for His glory”.  This is the absolute truth and what God desires for all of us but we can only experience this if we are willing to trust Him with the pruning shears. 

Testing of our Faith – In mature pruning, the pruning will intensify as God’s shears cut closer to the core of who we are.  God isn’t just trying to take away; He’s faithfully at work to making room to add strength, productivity, and spiritual power in our life.  His goal is to bring us closer to the “perfect and complete” image of Christ.  “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.  Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”  James 1:3-4 Tests of faith are various trials and hardships that invite us to surrender to God something of great value even when we have every right not to.  We will feel assaulted or stretched by circumstances, but not distant from God, challenged by Him, but not judged or guilty.  The following are some key areas that we are tested and pruned:

• People we love most – Have we surrendered our marriage/spouse, family/kids, parents, close friends and extended family to God? 
• Our right to know why God does what He does – Have we come to a place that we fully trust God even when it does not make sense and we don’t understand?
• Our love of money and the things of this world – Would we still love and trust God if we lost all of our possessions and had nothing? 
• The source of our significance – Are we willing to give up our dreams and trust that God’s plan is the best plan for our lives?  Is our relationship with God the true source of our significance?

So how will we respond?  Trials will come.  The question is simply whether or not we will let the purposeful pruning of God do its work in us, or will we let the opportunity slip by and go to waste.  In pruning, how we respond makes all the difference. We can complain, rebel, compromise or run away.  Or we can experience the joy, comfort and rest that comes to disciples of Christ when we keep our eyes on Jesus our prize.

“For you, O God, tested us; You refined us like silver…But you brought us to a place of abundance”. Psalm 66:10,12

Next week I will share the essence of the abiding life, More of God, More with God.  Walking with God not working for Him.

Have a great week abiding in Christ!!!!!!!

-Duane