Life Source: Off or On

Monday, April 23, 2018

John 15:1-2: [Jesus is saying,] "I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit, He takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit He prunes that it may bear more fruit."

Periodically, I look at my trees and bushes in my yard. I'm looking for dead branches. Why? I need to get them off because they're dead. I'm also looking at my trees and bushes in order to prune the living branches. Why? To assist the tree in being stronger as well as look good. For example, We have Crape Myrtle trees at our house. I have them trimmed up so they are more tree like and not a bush. So I trim off the little sprouts from the base so the Crape Myrtle can grow stronger and taller; more tree-like. I also prune the branches on my Live Oak tree, especially the growth that grows from the bottom of branches. I want it to grow up, not down. I want the tree to be healthier.

That is why God prunes us as we grow on the Vine of Jesus. The Father looks for "dead branches." These are people who have stopped growing, they have disconnected themselves from the source of life. They didn't "die" all of a sudden. It was a steady di