I was watching my home assistant prune the several bougainvillea bushes we have in the garden, so that they will bloom in colorful array at Chinese New Year. It recalls how The Lord prepares us to be His beautiful people through many painful prunings in life. at our various points of needs and in His time.
1. His forecast of our potential to be beautiful
2. His time invested in our pruning – exactly where we need and when
3. Waiting time for us to bloom – fruit of the Spirit – love, Joy, peace, long suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self- control
4. His patience pays off to His credit.
John 15:1-6
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes[a] so that it will be even more fruitful. 3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4 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.
5 “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. 6 If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.
Do you feel barren and dry? Let Him prune you and cut off the leaves (competition) that rob you of nutrients and draw strength and health from Him again.
Response: Lord, let Your pruning times draw me closer to You. Let my life be wholly spent in bearing beautiful, luscious and fragrant fruit for You. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
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Pruning is never welcomed, but after the pruning and after the ‘deadness’ comes the new life – rich, abundant and fruitful and with hindsight we praise God for His pruning, for we can see His purpose as He masterfully cut, causing new growth.
Every time I enter or leave my house, I glory at the garden bed near the front door. Not many weeks ago we had the palm tree removed in order to establish a garden bed. I pruned an overgrown Geisha Girl tree back very harshly and now it is a lovely sight with fresh growth providing a lovely umbrella for the bromeliads and border of gerberas under its spread. It is hard to believe the beauty it is now when remembering the tangled mess it was for so long.
I get that same feeling as I look back on my life. Praise God for what “HE* (He alone) has achieved as He has worked in me. I don’t put out the welcome mat for pruning – but I appreciate the results!
We serve an incredibly amazing God who works in us to produce His results, with the goal of presenting us faultless before His throne.
Praise The Lord! Cloudwatcher for your testimony.
Yup, that’s what I am experiencing. Painful, but I know worth it!
Praise God He cares for you and will not let you go. He promises, His grace is sufficient for you. I love this song to remind that through it all we learn to trust and love Him more.
Thank you for the encouragement friend!