Reflecting on John 15:1-4“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)
Jesus describes Himself as God’s vine, and His followers as branches.
If there is no evidence of the fruit of the Spirit, the branch is dead.
But even a little bit of evidence of fruit qualifies it for pruning.
God does not give up on Jesus followers that are less fruitful.
This is encouraging when we know we are not as fruitful as we should be.
God’s Spirit uses life itself to prune us, to show us where we need to grow.
When our love is weak, we experience the consequences of that weakness.
When we are unsettled within, the Spirit nudges us to draw closer to Jesus.
When we are impatient with someone, the relationship becomes strained or broken.
When we fail to exercise self-control, we suffer for it.
These are not punishments, these are the Spirit prompting and teaching us.
It is because the Gardener loves us, and wants us to flourish and be fruitful.
God is much more patient than we are, even with weak christians.
Weak christians are a test to us as well; how will we treat them (Romans 14:1ff)?
If God doesn’t give up on them, how can we?
PRAYER
Lord Jesus, I admit my own weakness, and need for Your patient pruning. Help me to extend the same grace to other weak christians, for You are able to make them stand too!