Pruned
by Caryl Jones 

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch of mine that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you.” (John 15:1-3 ESV) 

Do these verses bring a picture to mind of some big guy hacking away at a bush, chopping and clipping and causing general havoc? It used to for me. But a closer look, with God’s true character of love in mind, shows it very differently. 

This is talking first of all about the relationship God through Jesus invites us to have with him. And within that relationship, he mentions that he will prune us. “Prunes”, or as some translations say “purges”. The Greek word means to cleanse, also to prune, and figuratively to “expiate”. 

I looked up “expiate” in the Merriam-Webster dictionary. It means to cleanse or purify. It means to extinguish the guilt incurred for. It means to make propitiation, to pay the penalty, to make amends for. Doesn’t that all sound like something Jesus and his sacrifice accomplished for us? It underscores that it is He that does the pruning. It is a continuing act of mercy, this pruning by God. He does it with a purpose, so that we can bear more fruit. So that all our guilt is extinguished. So that we are fully comprehending and applying and living in the sacrifice Jesus made for us. 

He clips away the already dead parts, the parts that won’t bear fruit. Do you see how those parts are determined from within the branch (or the person)?  People who decide against Jesus, refuse life from the vine and therefore are a dead branch.  Others decide to choose Jesus, and they continually receive life from him as they depend on Him.  Any parts of their life that do not honor Jesus, that will not bear the fruit of His spirit, will die. Those parts are let go as dead weight. The pruning is an after-effect of what has occurred inside. 

I’ve heard it said that the pruning is some horrific event that happens. I’ve heard hurricanes, death, accidents, financial ruin or disease referred to as God’s hand in pruning. This is not true. Foremost, he only prunes those that are in relationship with him; the above events happen to everyone. The evil and wicked things in this world happen because of sin. Whether it’s the sin of this being a fallen world, the specific sin of some body else, or the results of sin we ourselves have done. 

God never ordained sin, never wanted it to happen. However, since mankind was given a choice, and the devil is a master manipulator, here we are. God knows all about it. And he made a way for us. He has offered to live inside of us, to face all the rottenness in the world with us. Whether the specific rottenness that touches us comes from events, or from other people or from ourselves, He is willing to be with us. Jesus says, look to me. Then he does the rest. 

He even does the pruning from the inside out. As we face the harsh parts of life, looking to him, he extinguishes the guilt. He reminds us he has paid the penalty and therefore we are enabled to forgive anyone and everyone who hurts us. We are able to look at ourselves in truth, repenting, allowing Him to cut off any reaction or instinct that does not bear his characteristic fruit – the love and joy and peace, the patience, perseverance, gentleness, goodness, kindness, self-control, faith and meekness (Galatians 5:22,23). And thus we are pruned. 

It isn’t the events that do the pruning. The events will happen anyway. It is our turning to Him and allowing his righteous life to fill us. “Dying” with Him in that sense and then being raised back to life, like Jesus was. It is by His generosity and love that He made this way; it is by His gift of faith that we can see the way; and by His Holy Spirit that we can walk in His way.

If you have been caught by a lie that says God has hurt you in anyway, you can break agreement with that lie now. “Godly sorrow” lasts only a night and leads to repentance. Anything else, any continuing guilt or pain or shame is from the enemy. Turn to Jesus. If you choose to, you may contact Morning Glory Ministry, LLC, we are happy to set up sessions with you, to pray with you to break free from the lies about God. Jesus wants to heal your broken heart, and bear His fruit through your life.