John 15:2, New King James Version

"Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit." 

When you are tending to a garden or trying to grow a fruit tree you periodically remove the weeds and dead branches that are keeping the healthy crop to grow. You pull, tug, and prune until the area is clean. The Lord does the same in our spiritual lives. When He sees weeds and dead branches that are choking the good fruit in our lives, He steps in and prunes us. This doesn't always feel good at the moment, but if we let Him be the Master Gardener in our lives, we see healthy fruit flourish spiritually.

Just like trees need pruning from time to time to remove dead branches or areas where there is overgrowth, you and I need to be pruned or reshaped at different times in different areas of our lives.

Pruning is vitally important for us to grow in our walk with God. We should ask God to show us if there are things that need to be cut off because they are hindering our relationship with Him.

Ask yourself: Am I dragging around “dead branches” in my life? Maybe it’s an old wound from your past, a negative attitude that keeps you from enjoying life to the fullest or anything you look to for a sense of security other than God Himself.

It would be nice if we could see what God sees and say, “Yes, God. Let’s get rid of that dead branch.” But many times, we’re too afraid to give up what we know, what’s familiar, for something new that we just can’t see or understand.  

The truth is you can be miserable dragging those dead things around OR you can go through the pain of letting God “prune” them away. Even though it’s uncomfortable, the best thing you can do is let God prune you, because after the hard part is over, you will see some amazing results!

God loves us so much and He wants to do great things in us and through us. He wants to teach and train us to be kind and gentle, peaceful and patient, loving and forgiving like Him. But we can’t develop that “fruit” on our own.

In other words, we need to spend time with God.

Our relationship with God is about much more than going to church on Sunday and reading the Word as a religious duty. He wants a close, personal, intimate relationship with each of us.

When we stay connected to God through meaningful Bible study and prayer, we are abiding in Jesus. God wants us to be so rooted and grounded in His love that nothing can shake us—so we’re able to bear good fruit in even the hardest, most difficult seasons of life.

Let this be our prayer today: “God, I am tired of dragging this heavy load around with me. I’m ready to let it go so I can get on with my life and experience a closer relationship with You. Help me to remember that whatever You tell me to do, You will give me the ability to do it, and You always love me and have my best interest at heart. I trust You, Lord, to work everything out for my good.”

If we totally give ourselves to God, He will give us His best for us. It may not be what we thought we wanted, but it will be exactly what we need. And it will be greater than anything we could have asked for!