Day 5

As believers, Jesus compares our spiritual growth to that of a vine plant. In order to bear spiritual fruit (Gal 5:19-23) and walk in the purpose God has for you, you have to be pruned. Like a gardener tends to plants, God is overseeing your growth so that you will mature in Christ and live the life He created you for..
To be pruned is vital to our identity as children of GOD because pruning gives us the ability to learn obedience & perseverance..
Why Does God Prune Us?
– God prunes us so that we will bear more fruit. God does not prune us because He is angry at us, nor does He prune us because Jesus’ sacrifice was not enough (perish the thought!). God prunes us, His branches, so “that [we] may bear more fruit” (John 15:2). In other words, God looks at our Christian lives and concludes that we are not bearing as much fruit as we could. We are out of balance, have dead branches, and the suckers of sin are draining away our spiritual vitality..
– God prunes us so that we will become more dependent. God does not prune us in order to discourage us; He prunes us so that we will learn to abide in Christ—the true source of life. To abide in Christ means to live in obedient dependence upon His ongoing, minute-by-minute, supply of grace—grace which is Himself! Too often we become proud and independent, functioning as practical atheists. This will never lead to greater fruitfulness. “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you, unless you abide in me (John 15:4). Therefore, God loves us enough to prune us so that we will learn to abide, to rest, in Christ. Our Father, the vinedresser, trains us to learn—in practice, not only precept—that we truly “can do nothing” apart from Christ (John 15:5)..
– God prunes us so that He is free to answer more of our prayers. Divine pruning results in learning to abide in Christ, which in turn results in the freedom to ask God “whatever you wish, and it shall be done for you” (John 15:7). The “obedience connection” in our prayer lives is designed by God to continually motivate us in our walk of faith. It is one of the if/then relationships in the Christian life..
– God prunes us so that we will glorify Him. Jesus is crystal clear: “By this is My father glorified, that you bear much fruit” (John 15:8). To glorify means to magnify, to enlarge, and to draw attention. As believers in Christ, we do not live to draw attention to ourselves, but to our glorious God and Savior. Our redemption brings God glory in order that the world may know that the gospel is real..
– God prunes us meticulously, bringing spiritual nourishment and healing, by allowing the power of the Holy Spirit to flow freely..
“We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of His will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please Him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God,……”(Colossians 1:9-10‬)