by Rev Steve Nickodemus

Trusting the Gardener.

You can listen to today’s devotion by clicking on this SoundCloud link.

“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.”
John 15:2

It’s that time of year again in Oregon, the time for pruning grape vines.  The crew works up and down the long rows, cutting off huge amounts of unnecessary vines, pruning the branches back in a seemingly destructive way.  The farmer knows that this pruning is not at all destructive, but absolutely necessary for producing large amounts of quality grapes.  Without the pruning, the harvest would be small and of poor quality.

Jesus compares you and me to grape vines under the pruning hand of the gardener.  If you are to produce much fruit, you must be pruned.  If you are to produce the fruit of the Spirit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control, your sinful human nature must be cut away so that the nature of our Lord Jesus Christ might grow and be nurtured.

That’s the rub though, isn’t it?  Pruning may produce great fruit in your life, but at the moment it happens it hurts.  God uses the hardships, failures, and grief of life to produce His new creation, but you and I don’t like it.  When the pain comes we want to push the gardener away, find a way that doesn’t hurt, and refuse the pruning saw.  You and I can’t see the end result and we want to settle for the easy way…the painless way…the fruitless way.

Our Lord will not have it.  The discipline of God, though painful at the time, is the most loving thing the Gardener can do. He loves you, and wants to see you bear much fruit and abide in Him forever.

Lord Jesus, please forgive me for pushing the pruning saw of pain and grief away.  Send Your Holy Spirit that I might see Your great love even in the midst of pain. Amen.

Copyright Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado